TAKE ACTION to Protect Madison County Ridgetops

Let Madison County Commissioners know that our mountain ridges should remain pristine!

Responding to the desires of a single landowner, the Madison County Planning Board put aside the best interests of the wider community and recommended doing away with the rule that would prevent the construction of homes and buildings within 50 feet of ridgelines. This change would completely undercut Madison County’s Mountain Ridge Protection ordinance and open the door to unfettered home construction along the tops of our mountains.

Allowing development on our ridgetops would threaten our county’s irreplaceable natural beauty, environmental health, economic vitality, and the overall well-being of our community. The move by the Planning Board has sparked widespread public opposition.

Email Madison County Commissioners now and let them know you want them to protect our mountaintops!

Email Madison County Commissioners

We need you to take action today to let Madison County Commissioners know that we want them to vote to REJECT the Planning Board’s irresponsible recommendation. If you’ve emailed them already about this issue, we urge you to email them again to let them know we’re still watching.

Bad for Public Safety:
Allowing development on our ridgetops would directly increase the risks of natural disasters like landslides and wildfires, consequences we cannot afford. These disasters, fueled by deforestation and soil disturbance, pose a significant threat to the safety and security of our residents. It is imperative that we stand firm on this ordinance to safeguard our community’s lives and properties.

Bad for Our Economy:
Madison County’s mountains are more than just natural features; they are the backbone of our regional identity, drawing visitors, outdoor enthusiasts, and residents seeking a peaceful, scenic living environment. These mountains bolster our local economy and tax revenue by attracting tourism and promoting local businesses. Compromising on this ordinance would not only tarnish our community’s allure but also strike a blow to the economic heartbeat of our region. We cannot allow our mountain landscapes, a cornerstone of our heritage and economy, to be compromised.

Bad for Our Environment:
Preserving our mountain ridgetops is critical for broader environmental initiatives, including combating deforestation and protecting vital water sources. These areas play a crucial role in water filtration and biodiversity conservation. Upholding this ordinance is key to Madison County’s leadership in environmental stewardship and sustainability.

Email Madison County Commissioners now and let them know you want them to protect our mountaintops!

Email Madison County Commissioners

Background:
The county has received an application from a private citizen to amend the county’s Mountain Ridge Protection Ordinance and do away with a 50’ setback requirement, a key provision that protects mountain ridges from development.

In 1983, following the construction of the Sugar Top Resort in Avery County, the State of North Carolina passed a law protecting the mountain ridgelines of our state. Madison County then took the additional step of putting in place further safeguards to protect one of Madison County’s greatest assets: its natural beauty. One key rule that Madison County added was a 50’ setback on either side of a protected ridge. This simple rule makes protection of our ridgelines and enforcement of these rules relatively easy.

For 40 years, this ordinance has ensured that Madison County landowners, residents, and visitors would be blessed with visually stunning and natural mountain views and have the confidence that those views would be protected for future generations.

Now, a single landowner wants to do away with the setback requirements in order to develop on a ridgeline. This change in the law would affect ridgelines throughout the county, even though the applicant could simply seek a variance for their individual property.

Join us in opposing the proposed amendment to the Mountain Ridge Protection Ordinance. Learn more by checking out these resources:

Click here to read MountainTrue’s letter to the Planning Board.
Click here to read Clear Sky Madison’s letter to the Planning Board.
Read more about the proposal in this article from the Asheville Citizen-Times, published November 10.

2024 Holman Water Quality Award Winner: Rev. Dr. John Kay of Young Harris, GA

John Kay of Young Harris, GA, is the 2024 recipient of the Holman Water Quality Stewardship Award

Rev. Dr. John Kay of Young Harris, Georgia, received the 2024 Holman Water Quality Stewardship Award at MountainTrue’s 16th Annual Hiwassee Watershed Gala in the Charles Suber Banquet Hall at Young Harris College on February 29.

In 2023, John retired from 24 years of service representing Towns County, Georgia, on the Blue Ridge Mountain Soil & Water Conservation District Board of Supervisors. He served as chair for the last 13 of those years, following Jim Dobson of Union County, Georgia, who was the inaugural Holman Water Quality Stewardship Award winner in 2009. The District works with farmers, landowners, homeowners, partner organizations, and other government units to educate people and actively promote conservation programs and practices for soil, water, and related natural resources. It was important to John to work with like-minded organizations like the Hiwassee River Watershed Coalition (now MountainTrue) toward this mutual goal.

John volunteered for many years with the former Hiwassee River Watershed Coalition’s water quality monitoring team in the mid-2000s. Most recently, John has been involving the Creation Care Committee at Sharp Memorial United Methodist Church in MountainTrue’s work.

John was born and raised in Hart County, Georgia, where he grew up in a farm family of 12 children. He holds degrees from Young Harris College (A.A., 1956), LaGrange College (B.A., 1958), Drew University School of Theology (M. Div.,1962), and Vanderbilt Divinity School (D. Min., 1983). A United Methodist minister, he retired from the North Georgia Conference in 2001 after 39 years of ministerial service. From 1967 to 1980, John was the pastor of Sharp Memorial United Methodist Church in Young Harris. He taught courses in religion and philosophy at Young Harris College from 1967 to 2001, serving on the faculty full-time beginning in 1980. For 15 years (1967-1982), he was also the College’s Director of Religious Life.

In 1991, John co-founded the Institute for Continuing Learning (ICL) at Young Harris College. From then until 2005, he served as the College’s representative to ICL. In March 2001, John received the Governor’s Award in Humanities for his contributions to ICL at YHC. He and his late wife of 60 years, Patti, have three children.

“John truly is devoted to these mountains and the quality of life here, as well as the quality of water,” wrote Brenda Hull in summing up her nomination of John for the award.

Each year, we present the Holman Water Quality Stewardship Award to the person or group who has done the most to sustain good water quality in rivers, lakes, and streams in the upper Hiwassee River watershed of Towns and Union counties in North Georgia and Cherokee and Clay counties in North Carolina. The award is named for Bill Holman, a lifelong conservation advocate currently serving as Senior Advisor to the Conservation Fund in NC. The Holman Award is sculpted by David Goldhagen of Goldhagen Blown Art Glass, whose studio is located on the shores of Lake Chatuge near Hayesville, NC.

Public Lands Engagement Manager

Western North Carolina

Apply Now

Position Description

MountainTrue is seeking a Public Lands Engagement Manager. This is a full-time position (40hrs/week) that reports to the Public Lands Biologist. They are tasked with:

60% – Organizing, advocacy, and outreach to engage the public to address threats and seize opportunities to protect, invest in, and better manage local, state, and federal public lands in the region.
40% – Manage volunteers to steward public lands through activities such as non-native species control, ecological restoration, and monitoring and maintenance of trail and road infrastructure on public lands.

Primary Responsibilities

Work with the Public Lands Biologist, Deputy Directors, Regional Directors, and partner organizations to organize the public around campaigns to protect public lands from exploitation.
Support the Public Lands Biologist and Regional Directors to organize MountainTrue members and the general public to steward public lands by controlling invasive species, maintaining trails, monitoring road conditions, and helping to accomplish ecological restoration projects.
Develop strategies and curriculum for educating the public about their rights and responsibilities related to public lands.

Preferred qualifications/skills

Organizing Experience: Proven experience organizing communities on issue campaigns through on-the-ground and online grassroots mobilization.

Project Leadership: Experience in planning, leading, and managing projects, including coordinating with peers to achieve desired outcomes, and tracking and reporting on progress to senior managers.

Communications: Skilled in creating powerful, compelling written and oral communications. Ability to convey complex ideas through brief, simple materials. Experience and credibility when presenting materials to external audiences.

Collaboration: Effective at working with others to reach common goals and objectives.

Relationship Building: Skilled at establishing and cultivating strong relationships with peers, across different levels of the organization and externally. Proven ability to establish strong relationships with community members.

Additional Qualifications

- Demonstrated excellence in organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills.
- Experience with online advocacy tools or CRMs such as Salsa Labs, EveryAction, Blue State Digital, or Nationbuilder is preferred but not required.
- Proficiency in basic computer applications and software is preferred.
- Proficiency and comfort with public speaking.
- Fundraising experience is preferred but not required.
- Experience with project management tools such as Asana, Monday, or Zoho is a plus but not required.
- Experience and ability to work outdoors, including in steep terrain and inclement weather.
- Knowledge of public lands and local conservation issues is a plus, but not required.
- Knowledge of local flora, fauna, and ecology is a plus, but not required
- Experience with wilderness first aid is a plus, but not required
- Willingness to learn new skills and grow.

Compensation & benefits

$50,000 annual salary
Medical/dental benefits
4 weeks of paid vacation
Paid sabbatical after five years
Continuing education and professional development support

How to Apply

Email resume, cover letter, and three references to Public Lands Biologist Josh Kelly at josh@mountaintrue.org

Application deadline: Friday, March 29, 2024

MountainTrue is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate among its employees or job applicants on the basis of race, ethnicity, creed, color, religion, age, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, national origin, handicap, marital status, pregnancy or parental status, military/veteran status, or any other class protected by applicable state or federal law.

Press Release: MountainTrue Partners with Sugar Hollow Solar to Make a Positive Impact on the Environment

For immediate release: February 22, 2024

Solar Referral Program provides donations to MountainTrue — a local grassroots environmental organization.

Western North Carolina — MountainTrue, a local environmental nonprofit, is partnering with Sugar Hollow Solar to promote solar power and raise program funding to champion and protect resilient forests, clean waters, and healthy communities throughout the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains.

From now through September 30, 2024, for every new customer referral that signs a solar contract with Sugar Hollow Solar, the company will donate $50 to MountainTrue to help fund their work protecting our environment and provide the referrer with $250. Exceptionally generous referrers can have Sugar Hollow Solar contribute the full $300 referral benefit to MountainTrue.

“At Sugar Hollow Solar, we’re more than a business,” says Doug Ager, Sugar Hollow Solar’s CEO and co-founder. “We pride ourselves on our unwavering commitment to our community and planet. That’s why Sugar Hollow Solar is thrilled to partner with MountainTrue — a grassroots organization that has been instrumental in moving our region beyond coal and toward a clean energy future. Through our referral program, we hope to raise awareness of and funding for them to continue doing their good work.”

MountainTrue was formed through a merger of three nonprofits in 2015 but has been working to protect our regions since the founding of the Western North Carolina Alliance in 1982 to fight oil and gas exploration in the Nantahala – Pisgah National Forests. Since that time, the organization has racked up an impressive list of successes, including stopping the practice of clear-cutting in the Asheville watershed and Pisgah-Nantahala National Forests, preventing the siting of a nuclear waste dump outside Leicester, NC, and helping to pass the Clean Smokestacks Act and the Coal Ash Management Act — which mandated that Duke Energy clean up its coal ash in Asheville and 13 other powerplants throughout North Carolina.

“I want to thank the team at Sugar Hollow Solar,” says Bob Wagner, executive director at MountainTrue. “Doug Ager has a long family history of public service. With Sugar Hollow Solar, that mission has expanded to creating green jobs and tackling climate change — a central focus of our work.”

Sugar Hollow Solar was founded in 2010 and has helped offset 21 million pounds of coal used by homes, businesses, and nonprofits, and has generated 27.95 gigawatts of clean energy — the equivalent of planting 330,000 trees. Sugar Hollow Solar serves the communities of Western North Carolina and Upstate South Carolina.

To learn more about how to participate in Sugar Hollow Solar’s referral program, visit sugarhollowsolar.com/introduce-a-friend, email hello@sugarhollowsolar.com, or reach out by phone at (828) 776-9161.

# # #

High Country Outreach Coordinator Position

High Country Outreach Coordinator

Boone, NC

Apply Now

Position Description

MountainTrue is seeking an individual to fill an Outreach Coordinator position in our High Country Regional Office based in Boone, NC. This is a full-time position (40hrs/week). This person will be primarily responsible for community organizing, environmental outreach, and volunteer management for nonnative invasive plant (NNIP) control and other projects in the High Country region. The ideal candidate will be passionate about STEM education, community engagement, and habitat restoration. The NNIP work requires working alone and periodically coordinating/supervising volunteers to perform various control treatments on NNIP populations on public lands where MountainTrue works. The ideal candidate will have strong communication skills to train volunteers on NNIP identification, control methods, inventories, and safety. This position will report to the High Country Regional Director but will work closely with the High Country Watershed Outreach Coordinator on day-to-day activities.

Responsibilities

Collaborate with community partners to conduct public education events
Plan and schedule educational lessons with local school groups
Support broader event planning in the High Country (livestaking, river clean-ups, river snorkeling, etc.)
Table at local community events
Expand partnerships with local community groups across sustainability sectors
Organize and plan annual volunteer appreciation event and assist with MountainTrue’s annual gathering
Assist with occasional coordination needs of citizen science water quality programs
Plan and host NNIP removal workdays within the New and Watauga Watersheds
Foster partnerships with community leaders, organizations, and residents to build a strong network
Work with other environmental organizations, NGOs, and stakeholders to form coalitions
Mobilize community members for actions such as petitions and public hearings
Utilize social media, newsletters, and community meetings to keep stakeholders informed and engaged

Preferred qualifications/skills

Excellent written, oral, and interpersonal skills
Ability to work across political, social, and economic lines
Experience working with communities of color is a plus
Ability to make decisions in a changing environment and anticipate future needs
Comfortable speaking in front of small and large groups of diverse ages
Ability to meet physical demands of paddling, hiking and outdoor work (must be able to swim, or willing to learn)
GIS skills for priority community mapping and project management (or willing to obtain)
Wilderness First Aid and CPR Certification (or willing to obtain)
NC Pesticide Applicator License (or willing to obtain)
Organizing experience and training (or willing to obtain through Midwest Academy or other)
Ability to learn quickly, thoroughly comprehend, and disseminate new STEM-related programmatic content
Understanding of regional water quality/land use issues and connection to native biota
Ability to work outdoors in a variety of conditions
Fundraising experience, including grant writing and individual/business solicitations

Compensation & benefits

$44,720 annual salary
Medical/Dental Benefits
4 weeks paid vacation
Paid sabbatical after five years
Continuing Education

How to Apply

Email resume, cover letter, and three references to High Country Regional Director Andy Hill at andy@mountaintrue.org

Application deadline: Friday, March 15, 2024

MountainTrue is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate among its employees or job applicants on the basis of race, ethnicity, creed, color, religion, age, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, national origin, handicap, marital status, pregnancy or parental status, military/veteran status, or any other class protected by applicable state or federal law.

Tell Madison County to Oppose Dangerous Industrial Biomass Facilities

The Madison County Planning Board is expected to vote on whether to recommend changes to the county’s land-use code that would allow dangerous, industrial biomass facilities in Madison County. The proposed amendments to the county’s land-use ordinance open the door to industrial-sized biomass facilities that would emit more climate-changing carbon into the atmosphere, cause significant air pollution, and pose serious fire risks to nearby residents.

Take Action: Email the Planning Board and County Commissioners and let them know you want a clean and safe Madison County.

BACKGROUND:

In response to public feedback, the board has significantly revised the definition of what constitutes a large biomass facility, requires they obtain a special permit, and restricts their operations to industrial-zoned areas of the county. Here are the latest revisions to the definition of a “large biomass facility”:

“A facility that converts biomass sources into value-added products energy for public or private use. Biomass includes but is not limited to wood and wood processing waste, wood pellets, agricultural crops and waste materials, biogenic materials in municipal solid waste, animal manure, and human sewage.”

Large Biomass Facility:

Annual Biomass Throughput: A large biomass facility processes over 5,000 metric tons of biomass per year.
Energy Production: A large biomass facility generates over 10,000 MWh or more energy annually.
Number of Employees: A large biomass facility has over 50 employees
Capital Investment Threshold: A large biomass facility requires an investment of over $5 million.

This broad definition raises three key concerns:

Inconsistencies in Regulation: The definition of “large biomass facility” appears to include activities already separately defined and regulated within the ordinance, such as sawmills and certain manufacturing facilities. This inconsistency in regulation creates confusion for residents, business owners, and the County in determining which set of rules applies to specific activities.
Potential for Unintended Consequences: An overly broad definition could inadvertently allow certain activities, such as a sawmill evolving into a wood pellet production facility, to escape more stringent permitting requirements. This could occur because nonconforming land uses (i.e., land uses that pre-date an ordinance amendment that makes them newly “nonconforming”) are typically allowed to continue as long as they do not change their primary use or expand significantly. Therefore, a clearer definition is needed to prevent such loopholes.
Unfair Scope: The proposal’s distinction between “large” and “small” biomass facilities does not serve the public or the ordinance’s purposes. It would both allow industrial-scale facilities in residential areas while punishing truly “small” biomass land uses—especially under the currently overbroad definition of “biomass”—by requiring regular folks to go through an expensive and time-consuming set of rezoning and permitting processes. The ordinance should focus on making sure industrial biomass facilities are properly located without sweeping up landowners looking to make occasional, harmless use of collected waste materials. Failing to make this distinction may lead to unnecessary hostility towards environmental advocacy and regulation.

A More Refined Definition

To address these concerns and create a more precise and effective regulatory framework, we propose a more tailored definition of “large biomass facility.” Our suggested definition would:

Apply only to facilities that produce biomass products for specific off-site uses, such as electricity generation, heating, or transportation fuel.
Tailor the amendment so that if the facility combusts biomass on site, the definition applies only if any electricity generated is transmitted for off-site use.
Include wood pellet biomass facilities explicitly within the definition to ensure they are adequately regulated.
Maintain the broad definition of “biomass” while narrowing the scope of facilities that fall under this definition.

Additional Considerations

In addition to refining the definition of “large biomass facility” to help distinguish between different types of biomass-related activities, we support:

Requiring special use permits for biomass facilities,
Correcting what may have been a mistake in section 8.11.12 (“Noise”) that regulates facilities that generate noise pollution “up to 70 decibels.” We believe the county meant “more than 70 decibels.