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September 2021
2021 Fall Native Tree & Shrub Sale
A key component to a healthy stream or lake and good water quality is native trees and shrubs. In order to raise awareness about the beautiful, resilient plants that are native to our Southern Appalachian Mountains and to provide a little funding for our ongoing invasive plant eradication efforts, we are again holding a Native Tree and Shrub Sale this fall. Choose from 36 species of native trees and shrubs, ranging from large shade trees, native ornamentals, pollinator species, and those particularly beneficial to wildlife.
Find out more »October 2021
Fall Scenic Hike
Join MountainTrue's Ecologist and Public Lands Director, Bob Gale, for a gorgeous and educational hike through Pisgah National Forest. This moderate hike offers breathtaking views of the fall foliage, and if we are lucky, we will catch glimpses of the Monarch Butterfly migration. We will be hiking the Pilot Cove Loop Trail in Pisgah, which is approximately 4 miles long. The trail starts in a lesser-known part of Pisgah National Forest and winds upward among the brightly colored sourwood and black gum trees. After opening up onto a beautiful rocky outcrop, the trails travels through recently logged forested as well as much older sections of forest. There are some steep inclines on this trail, but Bob will be making frequent stops to rest and interpret the flora and fauna.
Find out more »November 2021
Annual Lake Chatuge Shoreline Cleanup
Join with other lake-loving volunteers on Saturday, November 6th for MountainTrue’s annual Lake Chatuge shoreline cleanup. The event will kick off at 9am at the Towns County Swim Beach Pavilion across from the Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds where volunteers will get their assigned cleanup locations and be given bags, gloves, and safety information. Coffee and grab-n-go breakfast snacks will be available, along with free t-shirts for the first 50 volunteers. After two hours of shoreline cleaning at the assigned site, volunteers will meet back the pavilion at 11:30 for prizes. Three prizes will be given on the day of the cleanup: Most Trash Collected by a Group, Most Creative Trash Photo, and Most Unique Trash Item Found. Enter to win by taking photos and sending them to callie@mountaintrue.org. A fourth gift certificate will be awarded the week after the cleanup: Most Engaging Social Media Post (#ChatugeCleanup).
Find out more »Buncombe Solar Trolley Tour
Buncombe County has adopted the ambitious goals of reaching 100% renewable energy for internal operations by 2030 and for the community at large by 2042. As the first major step in reaching these goals, the County partnered with other local agencies to install solar panels on public buildings all over the County including schools, libraries, fire stations, community centers, and more. This bus tour will move around town visiting a few different sites where solar installations are already in place. At each stop, we will learn about that particular installation, the partners involved in making it happen, and how supporters of MountainTrue and other advocacy groups helped push these projects across the finish line. You can expect to leave inspired by both the infrastructure progress in our county and also by ways you and other residents can continue to play a pivotal role in helping Buncombe County meet its renewable energy goals!
Find out more »December 2021
Hike to Tusquitee Bald via Short Branch
Western Regional Director, Callie Moore and husband, Philip will lead this full day, 7.2-mile (round-trip) moderate-to-strenuous hike on the Fires Creek Rim Trail to Tusquitee & Potrock Balds. Tusquitee Bald is the highest point in Clay County and lies within an inventoried roadless area that is eligible for wilderness. The hike will be limited to 12 participants; registration is required.
For avid mountain hikers, this is a moderate hike. For less frequent hikers or "flatlanders," the hike will feel more strenuous. The most strenuous part is the access trail to and from the Rim Trail which has an elevation change of 540' in 2,300 feet. The Rim Trail is much more moderate with gentler grades interspersed with fairly flat lengths. The trip will involve about 4 hours of actual hiking with one hour for lunch and relaxation on the balds.
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