Dear MountainTrue Members & Friends,

We’re thrilled to share a major milestone in our region’s recovery from Hurricane Helene.

MountainTrue is partnering with the State of North Carolina to launch one of the largest river cleanup efforts Western North Carolina has ever seen. Backed by $10 million in state funding through the NC Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ), this program will put people back to work, restore our rivers, and bring our communities together.

This is more than a cleanup—it’s a recovery effort grounded in our core values: clean water, healthy ecosystems, and resilient communities.

About the Program

After Helene, federal aid helped address major rivers and large debris, but smaller streams and tributaries were left behind — still clogged with trash, broken infrastructure, and storm debris. That’s where we come in.

Over the next year and a half, MountainTrue will:

• Deploy paid cleanup crews across Western North Carolina
• Remove debris from rivers and streams across our region
• Continue to grow our network of volunteers
• Work directly with landowners to access and restore hard-to-reach areas

In our pilot phase alone, our staff and volunteers have already removed nearly 3 million pounds of debris. This new program lets us scale that success across 26 counties and the Qualla Boundary.

How You Can Get Involved

• Apply for a job: We’re hiring! Visit cleanupwncrivers.com for good, steady work with real impact.
• Volunteer: Check out our volunteer events to lend a hand. To organize a cleanup day with your church, hiking club, or civic group, contact cleanup@mountaintrue.org
• Landowner? If you own riverfront property, we may be able to help clean it up — at no cost to you. Schedule a walk-through by contacting cleanup@mountaintrue.org
• Donate: Your support helps us go further, reach more places, and restore rivers faster. Every gift matters.

Why This Matters

• It’s creating jobs for people displaced by the storm.
• It’s protecting water quality and public safety.
• It’s helping revive WNC’s outdoor recreation and tourism economy.
• And it shows what’s possible when communities come together.

This is a proud moment for MountainTrue—and a powerful example of what we can achieve with your support. In the weeks ahead, we’ll share more ways you can help spread the word, volunteer, and celebrate the impact we’re making together.

Thank you for being part of this important work. You make all of this possible.

With gratitude,

Bob Wagner, MountainTrue Executive Director

MountainTrue’s River Debris Cleanup Program

After Hurricane Helene, MountainTrue is leading a monumental effort to help Western North Carolina recover and return to being a thriving economy — by cleaning up the rivers, putting people back to work, and bringing communities together.

MountainTrue is partnering with the State of North Carolina to launch one of the biggest river cleanups the region has ever seen. This effort is creating good, steady jobs for people who were displaced by the storm and it’s giving thousands of volunteers a chance to make a real difference in their own backyards.

Clean rivers mean healthier communities, safer neighborhoods, a better environment and a stronger outdoor recreation economy – no one is better equipped to lead this work than MountainTrue. We’re the only grassroots environmental group that serves all of WNC and we’ve already proven this model works. In our pilot program, we removed more than 3 million pounds of trash and debris from local rivers and streams.

With your help, we can accelerate this effort and make sure our rivers—and our region—come back stronger than ever.

What is the program?

• MountainTrue is partnering with the NC Department of Environmental Quality to lead a major river debris cleanup effort across Western North Carolina.
• The program is funded by $10 million in state recovery funds allocated after Hurricane Helene.

Why is this needed?

• Hurricane Helene left significant debris in smaller rivers and tributaries—many of which federal programs like FEMA couldn’t fully address.
• Debris increases flood risk, harms water quality, and threatens our recreation and tourism economy.

What will MountainTrue do?

• Over the next 18 months, we’ll deploy paid cleanup crews and volunteers to restore more than 150 miles of rivers and streams.
• We’re also working with landowners to gain access to hard-to-reach areas and offering free cleanups of affected riverfront property.

What impact will this have?

• We’re creating jobs for people displaced by Helene.
• We’re protecting clean water, improving public safety, and supporting the recovery of local economies that rely on river-based recreation.
• So far, we’ve already removed nearly 3 million pounds of debris through our pilot efforts.

How can people get involved?

• Volunteer – we’re hosting river cleanups across WNC. If you’d like to volunteer with us, find an upcoming cleanup on our events calendar – advance registration is preferred and greatly appreciated! 
• Join the cleanup crew – click the button below to apply for a position in one of our cleanup crews.

More info:

What happens to the trash & storm debris collected from cleanup sites? 

All debris and trash are removed by MountainTrue as quickly as possible. At times, we may make piles of trash over several days. We will remove everything we have collected before moving to a new site. We follow county guidelines when disposing of the trash we’ve collected from waterways. When possible, we make every effort to recycle or repurpose what we pick up. If our crews find important items in the storm debris, we also work to identify and return lost items to their owners. 

Other ways to support this program:

Donate to our MountainStrong Recovery & Resilience Fund, sign up to volunteer with us, and support your WNC Riverkeepers! You can follow MountainTrue and our four Riverkeepers on Facebook & Instagram:

• MountainTrue: Instagram & Facebook
• Broad Riverkeeper David Caldwell: Instagram & Facebook
• French Broad Riverkeeper Anna Alsobrook: Instagram & Facebook
• Green Riverkeeper Erica Shanks: Instagram & Facebook
• Watauga Riverkeeper Andy Hill: Instagram & Facebook

31 Ways to Reduce Plastic Pollution for Plastic-Free July

• Carry reusable shopping bags

• Bring containers to a restaurant with you for leftovers.

• Compost waste scraps

• Bring your own reusable utensils / at food trucks or takeout, refuse bags, plastic cutlery, and condiment pouches. 

• BYO coffee cup

• Participate in a river or roadside cleanup

• Avoid individually wrapped items

• Replace beauty/hygiene products with natural alternatives like bamboo or cotton

• BYO water bottle.

• Opt for produce not wrapped in plastic, or shop from a farmers’ market.

• Avoid plastic condiment packets

• Shop from the bulk bins, and bring your own containers or bags.

• Avoid straws.

• Choose products with no or minimal plastic packaging.

• Try bar soap or shampoo.

• Choose glass or metal food storage containers

• Line trash cans with paper or compostable bags

• Avoid synthetic fibers

• Try toothpaste tablets

• Repair something instead of replacing it.

• Use washcloths instead of sponges or loofahs.

• Advocate for policy change

• Shop refill stores when and where you can.

• Make DIY cleaning products with vinegar, baking soda, and lemon.

• Use laundry sheets and dryer balls.

• Make your own salad dressing or buy condiments and dressings in glass.

• Use beeswax wraps instead of plastic wrap

• Use reusable bags and jars instead of plastic baggies

• Avoid disposable razors

• Use powder or plastic-free dishwasher and laundry detergent

• Audit your own plastic use.

Extra tips:

Buy bulk mulch vs. bagged. 

Bring your own produce bags to the store, instead of using the single-use plastic ones offered.