MountainStrong Hurricane Recovery Fund

In the wake of Hurricane Helene, MountainTrue is dedicated to addressing the urgent needs of our community.

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MountainTrue’s Helene Cleanup Crews: FAQ

MountainTrue’s Helene Cleanup Crews: FAQ

MountainTrue’s Helene Cleanup Crews: FAQ

Have you seen one or more of our cleanup crews in action? We’ve answered some frequently asked questions here so you can learn more about them:

 

Who are the cleanup crews? 

The cleanup crews you may see working in/around your local waterways are led by MountainTrue’s River Cleanup Coordinator, Jon Stamper. Cleanup crews are comprised of MountainTrue volunteers and our paid workforce. These paid workers operate cleanups throughout the Helene-affected areas in WNC. They work to remove debris and restore riverbanks. If you’re interested in applying to be a part of MountainTrue’s cleanup crews or have questions, please reach out to cleanup@mountaintrue.org. 

Where do y’all work?

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! 

What happens to the trash & storm debris y’all collect from the 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. 

How can we support this work? 

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:

Take Action to Protect the Little Tennessee River

Take Action to Protect the Little Tennessee River

Take Action to Protect the Little Tennessee River

The Little Tennessee River is home to an incredible diversity of life: over 100 fish species alone, including some found nowhere else in the world. The river and its adjacent greenway are also a beloved recreational resource for Macon County residents and tourists alike. But over the past few weeks, the banks of the river have been under assault by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers contractors, removing hundreds of trees, many of which were still alive. Take action now to prevent further damage to the river!

Take Action

While large-scale debris removal continues to be a high priority in many parts of Western North Carolina in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, the Little Tennessee River did not experience those same impacts; only normal flooding. Apart from a few localized areas, like the Cullasaja River across from Walmart, there is no need for disaster recovery-type debris removal in Macon County waterways. And yet, contractors started near Tryphosa Road in Otto and have been working their way down the river, removing trees and debris from the river channel and banks in areas where no flooding impacts occurred. 

Native trees and shrubs along waterways are vital for preventing erosion, providing shade for our coldwater fisheries and wildlife habitat. Wood is also important for streams — it provides habitat for fish, salamanders, and aquatic insects, backwater areas for wood ducks and other waterfowl, and can reduce the velocity of the water during a storm event.

Erosion that will undoubtedly happen as a result of this work will contribute to more flooding and land loss in future storms and will negatively impact fish, freshwater mussels, and other aquatic animals. 

The Little Tennessee River continues to be negatively impacted by overzealous removal of trees and wood by contractors who are under the oversight of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at the request of the Macon County government. Ask US Army Corps of Engineers Emergency Management Branch Chief George Minges and Macon County Fire Marshal Jimmy Teem to ensure that future work is limited to only Helene-related debris! 

Thank you for supporting a healthy Little Tennessee River!

Take Action

More info & important insight

Read wildlife biologist Jason Love’s Letter To The Editor, published in The Franklin Press on April 23, 2025.

Click here
View Photos

Learn More + Get Involved: Lake Chatuge Spillway Repair Project

Learn More + Get Involved: Lake Chatuge Spillway Repair Project

Learn More + Get Involved: Lake Chatuge Spillway Repair Project

TVA to hold public meetings about a multi-year, year-round drawdown of Lake Chatuge

As we reported in our April e-newsletter, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) announced the launch of an Environmental Impact Statement study of potential impacts of a continuous, years-long deep drawdown of Lake Chatuge to rehab the spillway at Chatuge Dam. TVA assures everyone that there is no immediate safety issue at Chatuge, but the potential risk to the spillway in a rare large storm event exceeds TVA’s risk tolerance level based on industry standards. Therefore, it must be repaired to protect homes and communities along the river downstream.

The MountainTrue team has been learning as much as possible about the proposed alternatives since the announcement was made on March 28. Like many of you, we have questions about the need for such a (a) deep drawdown, and (b) lengthy period of time to complete the work. After we’re able to review the information that will be published in the Federal Register on April 21, we will provide talking points based on our analysis. 

In the meantime, we hope you will mark your calendars and be able to attend at least one public meeting either in person or online. The in-person meetings will be open-house style – like the parrot feather meeting last year – with no presentation and no group question-and-answer session. The public comment period will run from April 22 to May 28, 2025. 

Public Meetings Schedule:

May 6, 5:00-6:00 p.m.  

May 15, 5:00-6:00 p.m.  

Virtual Meetings: subject matter expert presenters with a Q&A session

Links will be available at: tva.com/nepa 

 

May 8, 5:30-7:30 p.m.    

In-person – Open House

Clay County Community Services Building

25 Riverside Circle, Hayesville, NC 28904

 

May 13, 5:00-7:00 p.m. 

In-person – Open House

Towns County Recreation Center

150 Foster Park Rd., Young Harris, GA 30582

 

Even though this is an Environmental Impact Statement, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires that TVA also consider social and economic impacts, not just impacts to the lake itself. MountainTrue’s mission includes a commitment to healthy communities! We care about and will advocate with an eye on the cumulative environmental, social, and economic impacts. 

Click here to read more about the needed safety modifications.

Western Region Watershed Outreach Coordinator

Western Region Watershed Outreach Coordinator

Western Region Watershed Outreach Coordinator
Murphy, NC
Apply Now

Position Summary

The Western Region Watershed Outreach Coordinator position serves rural communities and provides programmatic, field, and fundraising support for MountainTrue’s Clean Water Program in far Southwestern NC and North GA. Based in MountainTrue’s Western Regional Office (WRO) in Murphy, NC, the WRO Watershed Outreach Coordinator will interact with community members and volunteers on several levels including recruiting, training, educating, and organizing for water quality monitoring and watershed health. The WRO Watershed Outreach Coordinator must understand the importance of attention to detail in science and provide good quality assurance and control in both field and lab practices. The WRO Watershed Outreach Coordinator must be comfortable working in both field and office settings, individually or with a team.

The MountainTrue Watershed Outreach Coordinator is:

Organized – enjoys managing a variety of projects & timelines, with self-directed systems and smooth execution of tasks needed to meet goals.

Analytical – capable of using scientific principles in data collection and analysis with a high level of attention to detail.

Engaging – adept at building relationships in-person or virtually and working with diverse people (e.g. youth, retirees, rural, urban, different cultural backgrounds, and people with varying levels of education or income).

Versatile – a problem-solver with the ability to make decisions in a changing environment and anticipate future program needs. 

Loves Southern Blue Ridge Mountain waterways and is hopeful about our future.

Key Responsibilities

Water Quality Monitoring & Data Management

  • Manage and expand volunteer water quality sampling programs, including Georgia Adopt-A-Stream, Swim Guide, and microplastics
  • Manage data and review regularly to determine most impacted waterways; conduct further testing to determine pollution source; and work with the regional and/or program director to develop and implement a remediation strategy.
  • Recruit/train volunteers and promote sediment pollution reporting using the Muddy Water Watch website/app.
  • Review NPDES data in the region to ensure compliance and work with the regional and clean water directors to push for improvements, especially during the permit renewal process.
  • Manage the summer water quality intern

Education / Outreach / Engagement

  • Help publish the annual State of the River report/presentation for the western region
  • Plan and implement an annual volunteer appreciation event
  • Organize the Lake Chatuge Shoreline Cleanup
  • Lead efforts to promote improved water quality through education and recreation

Fundraising

  • Recruit sponsors for the Swim Guide program & Lake Chatuge Shoreline Cleanup
  • Help secure auction items and raffle prizes for the Watershed Gala
  • Assist with western region fundraising events
  • Research and assist in the development of grant applications

Qualifications

Required Skills and Experience

  • Completion of at least a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Health/Science, Biology, Wildlife/Natural Resources Management, or a related field.
  • Valid driver’s license and dependable personal vehicle.
  • Excellent written and oral (including public speaking) communication skills. Must be willing to regularly use email as a primary communication tool.
  • Familiarity with Microsoft Office and Google Suite programs and applications.
  • Available on some nights and weekends for events and outreach.
  • Committed to equity, inclusion, and social justice principles.

Location & Travel

This is a hybrid position with 1-3 days per week (depending on the season) required to be in the Western Regional Office in Murphy, NC. MountainTrue utilizes frequent virtual meetings and phone calls. This position requires fairly extensive daytime travel within southwestern NC and north GA with occasional longer day trips to other MountainTrue regions; travel costs are covered by the organization.

Compensation

This is a full-time 40 hr/week position starting at $48,000. Benefits package includes 20 vacation days per year; 12 holidays; sick, parental, and bereavement leave; sabbatical after five years; health insurance; simple IRA with employer contribution of up to 3%.

 

How to apply

*No longer accepting applications – application deadline has passed*

Email a cover letter, resume, and three references to jobs@mountaintrue.org. The subject line should read: “WRO Watershed Outreach Coordinator.” The cover letter should address your relevant skills/abilities and work experience and answer the following questions:

  • Why do you want to be MountainTrue’s western region watershed outreach coordinator?
  • What is your favorite waterway and why is it important to you?
  • What familiarity do you have with living and/or working in rural communities?

The deadline for applications is April 24, 2025. The projected start date is July 7, 2025.

2025 Holman Water Quality Award Winner: Johnny Strawn

2025 Holman Water Quality Award Winner: Johnny Strawn

2025 Holman Water Quality Award Winner: Johnny Strawn

Johnny Strawn of the Hanging Dog Community of Cherokee County, NC, is the 2025 recipient of the Holman Water Quality Stewardship Award.

Originally from Morgantown, WV, Johnny Strawn attended NC State University in Raleigh, NC, where he met his wife, Pam. After graduating with degrees in conservation and wildlife biology, Johnny began working for what was then the USDA Soil Conservation Service during which time Johnny and Pam moved to Cherokee County, NC. He served as District Conservationist in Cherokee and Clay counties for nine years and they fell in love with the area. So in 1982, instead of moving on with USDA, he and Pam opened Hanging Dog Valley Nursery, a wholesale nursery specializing in native plants.  

Johnny is a founder of Murphy River Walk & Canoe Trails, serving as the project manager for eight years. He received the Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce’s Citizen of the Year award in 2013 for his volunteer work on the River Walk.

Johnny has served on the board of directors for the John C. Campbell Folk School, the Cullowhee Native Plant Conference, and the Hiwassee River Watershed Coalition (now MountainTrue). He also served on the board of the Land Trust for the Little Tennessee and Mainspring Conservation Trust for 13 years. As the first Hiwassee watershed board member of the land trust, Johnny was very instrumental in the expansion of land conservation efforts beyond the Little Tennessee River corridor in Macon County.

During his time on the land trust board, Johnny and Pam began to better understand the value of conservation easements; in 2024, they put the finishing touches on a 150-acre conservation easement on their own property, a combination of seven separate tracts which over decades they melded into one cohesive piece of land.

Upon being notified that he’d been selected to receive this award and expressing gratitude for the honor, Johnny was quick to acknowledge Pam’s role in all of the accomplishments we are attributing to him. “None of this happens without Pam,” he said. 

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.

MountainTrue E-News: January Good News Roundup

MountainTrue E-News: January Good News Roundup

MountainTrue E-News: January Good News Roundup

Dear Friends and Supporters,

The horrific fires in Los Angeles are an exclamation point to the climate change impacts we’ve experienced here in Western North Carolina. Coast to coast in just over three months, we’ve seen the effects of new weather patterns bringing torrential rains and historically dry and windy weather. This is not your grandparents’ planet. 

At MountainTrue, our prayers and thoughts are manifested in putting boots on the ground to help our communities recover. Daily, we have crews out cleaning up trash and debris choking our rivers. We’re mobilizing skilled planners to assist local communities build back better. We’re advocating for improved local floodplain ordinances to protect lives and businesses from being lost in the future. We’re pressing the US Forest Service to incorporate planning and management practices that better reflect our changing climate. 

The silver lining of Helene is that we’ve experienced communities coming together in the face of massive obstacles to help one another regardless of our differences. Tapping into this collective reservoir of goodwill, caring about each other and our environment, and taking action is our work in 2025.

Together, we can do this. Together, we are MountainStrong!

Bob Wagner

Executive Director

Contribute to the MountainStrong Recovery & Resilience Fund

Take Action

Boone Mayor Pro Tem Dalton George (left) with Watauga Riverkeeper Andy Hill (center) and High Country Watershed Outreach Coordinator Hannah Woodburn (right).

 

Protect Hellbenders

With encouragement and support from the Watauga Riverkeeper, the Town of Boone recently passed a resolution supporting Endangered Species Act Protection for the Eastern Hellbender. Read about it here. And while you’re at it, submit your comment to support listing the Eastern Hellbender as a federally protected species under the Endangered Species Act. Remember to make your comment your own – unique comments carry more weight with agency staff. Comments are due February 11, 2025.

 

Report Hurricane Debris

  • Report river debris + debris locations throughout the French Broad Watershed in the French Broad & Swannanoa rivers on our debris survey. Additionally, if you’re a landowner with river frontage and are willing to let MountainTrue access the waterway from your property, please reach out to cleanup@mountaintrue.org. 
  • Report river debris + debris locations throughout the Watauga, New, & Elk river watersheds on our debris survey.

Facts & Figures: Post-Helene Cleanups

MountainTrue River Cleanup Coordinator Jon Stamper (center) with volunteers at the MountainTrue x United By Blue cleanup on January 18.

 

With the help of 463 volunteers, the French Broad Riverkeeper team has: 

🤝Hosted over 17 river cleanups

🗑️Removed over 1484 contractor bags’ worth of trash from the French Broad

👏Collected ~98,280 pounds of trash

Shout out to our awesome French Broad Riverkeeper cleanup partners: United by Blue, who provided a generous donation and helped coordinate a cleanup on the French Broad on January 18; and students from the Disaster Management and Response program at Paul Smith College for helping on multiple cleanup days. 

_________________

With the help of 168 volunteers, the Watauga Riverkeeper team has: 

🤝Hosted 10 river cleanups

🗑️Removed 311 contractor bags’ worth of trash from High Country rivers and streams

👏Collected ~30,590 pounds of trash

Shout out to our awesome Watauga Riverkeeper cleanup partners: Wine to Water, Deer Valley Athletic Club, Girls on the Run, and The Speckled Trout Outfitters.

_________________

With the help of 50 volunteers at the most recent cleanup on the Green River last month, the Green Riverkeeper pulled two mattresses out of the river, along with housing materials including metal roofing, propane tanks, tables, chairs, building materials, unfortunately destroyed artwork, and more. 

The total amount of debris the Green Riverkeeper + volunteers have pulled out since Helene is unknown, but it consisted of over seven cars, five or six campers, several trailers, literal houses, and everything you can think of that belongs in those houses. 

Shout out to our awesome Green Riverkeeper cleanup partners: The Polk County Community Foundation, who awarded funding from two grants for cleanup efforts along the Green and Pacolet rivers; and Green Race Conservation Project and H20 Dreams, both of whom made generous donations for cleanup efforts.