11/20 Making Music &  Making a Difference

Enjoy the an evening of music and fun with the Warren Wilson College Old-Time and Bluegrass Bands. This is a concert to benefit the Creation Care Alliance of WNC.

Friday, November 20, 7:00 pm
First Christian Church of Black Mountain
201 Blue Ridge Rd.

Event is Free
All contributions go to Creation Care Alliance.

11/16: NCDOT Public Hearing on I-26 Connector Project

On October 13, 2015, NCDOT released the Environmental Impact Study for an expansion of Interstate 26 through Asheville. NCDOT is holding a public hearing on the I-26 Connector Project and the Environmental Impact Study on November 16 at the Renaissance Hotel.

Please attend! This is your chance to have your say on NCDOT’s expansion plans. CLICK HERE to submit your comments on NCDOT’s plans. 

What: NCDOT Public Hearing in I-26 Connector Project
Where: Renaissance Hotel Grand Ballroom, 31 Woodfin Street, Asheville
When: November 16, 2015. Pre-Hearing Open House from 4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Formal Public Hearing begins at 7:00 p.m.

MountainTrue is a lead convener of the I-26 ConnectUs Project, which is made up of representatives from the Asheville neighborhoods that stand to be most impacted by the I-26 Connector Project, including West Asheville, Burton Street, WECAN, Emma, and Montford. Other groups represented include the Housing Authority for the City of Asheville and Christians for a United Community. We have been working together since 2009.
Learn more about the I-26 ConnectUs Project. [more]

11/6: Asheville Bioneers

Friday, November 6th, 5:30-10:00 pm 
Lenoir-Rhyne University Asheville Campus
36 Montford Ave, Asheville, NC

The evening will include national speakers simulcast and local speakers sharing in a panel discussion.

National speaker Sister Simone Campbell – Community: Healing for the 21st Century
Sister Campbell is a poet, social justice attorney, and one of the nation’s most influential faith-based progressive activists. She led the famous 2012 “Nuns on the Bus” tour to challenge Congressional budget proposals that radically slashed programs for the poor. She shares her vision of how we can heal our divisions and differences, create a renewed sense of community, and build a far more just, peaceful, verdant and compassionate world. 

Local Spirituality and Healing Panel
• Mallory McDuff of Warren Wilson College and author of Sacred Acts
• Scott Hardin-Nieri, Director of Creation Care Alliance of WNC
• Howard Hanger, Minister, JUBILEE!! Founder, Hanger Hall School

National Speaker Andy Lipkis – Navigating Adaptation and Resilience as Un-Sustainability Hits the Tipping Point. As founder and President of L.A.’s legendary TreePeople, Any Lipkis has brought visionary solutions to the once-poster child of municipal environmental madness.

Local Adaptation and Resilience Panel
• Amber Weaver, Chief Sustainability Officer, Asheville
• Marc Hunt Vice Mayor, Asheville
• Tamara Graham, Landscape Architect, Asheville

Pure Farms Pure Water Manager

Organization
The mission of MountainTrue is to champion resilient forests, clean waters, and healthy communities in Western North Carolina. In January 2015 three organizations, the Environmental and Conservation Organization, the Jackson Macon Conservation Alliance, and the Western North Carolina Alliance merged to form MountainTrue. MountainTrue works across 23 counties in the southern Appalachians, has 14 staff and a $1 million budget. For more information, please visit,www.mountaintrue.org.

The Position
MountainTrue seeks a Pure Farms Pure Water campaign manager to lead a campaign focused on enhancing water quality through improvements in agriculture operations in the French Broad River watershed. This position will build relationships with local, state, and federal agencies, as well as farmers, and advocate for improved practices at area farms. This position will serve as a watchdog for poor farm practices as well as promote good farms practices. The overall goal is to improve the water quality in the French Broad River watershed by reducing the amount of pollution that livestock farms contribute to the river. This full time position will report to and work closely with the French Broad Riverkeeper and the MountainTrue Southern Regional Director to coordinate strategy and implement projects.

Job Duties

• Assist in field investigations to determine the problems landowners face and to collect water samples to determine the extent of pollution problems and determine potential solutions.
• Coordinate with local, state, federal, and nonprofit entities to address problems at farms that are shown to be out of compliance with water quality requirements.
• Assist with implementing and advising on the use of best management practices to reduce/eliminate bacteria pollution from streams.
• Lead and grow volunteer-powered, bacteria-testing program throughout the watershed.

Recommended Qualifications

• Experience working on water quality issues
• Experience developing and implementing an advocacy campaign
• Experience with agriculture operations and best management practices for agriculture
• Experience with water sampling
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Experience using social media as an outreach/organizing tool
• Excellent decision-making, problem-solving and interpersonal skills
• Ability to work as part of a team as well as independently
• Ability to take a project, develop necessary steps for completion and follow through with the details to fully execute each step.
• Ability to work on many projects at once and maintain attention to detail
• Ability to work quickly in a fast-changing environment
• Ability to work across political, social, and economic lines
• Event coordination experience
• A bachelor’s degree

Competitive salary commensurate with experience and excellent benefits package.

How to apply: By October 30, send cover letter, resume and three references to:
hartwell@mountaintrue.org.