Interested in helping preserve our waterways? Then join us for SMIE (or Stream Monitoring Information Exchange) training! SMIE is a program that examines macroinvertebrates to determine stream health. This program runs from October 10th to November 16th and the training will be online. Volunteers are expected to collect samples for the MountainTrue High Country Office. We need YOUR help! If you are interested in attending SMIE training, please sign up below!
MountainTrue's Western Regional Office will host the 10th Annual Lake Chatuge Shoreline Cleanup, in conjunction with Georgia Rivers Alive! The event will kick off at the Towns County Swim Beach Pavilion at 9:00 AM. After the waivers are signed, volunteers will be assigned to specific areas of the lake to clean up trash. Bags, gloves, coffee and grab-n-go breakfast snacks will be available, but we ask that, due to COVID-19, volunteers not congregate in the pavilion before heading out to their assigned site. We will also not gather for awards after the cleanup; however, your team can still win prizes for your good work! Just be sure to take photos and send them to callie@mountaintrue.org for a chance to win! More details on the categories and prizes will be available at the event.
This year, we are encouraging participants to register by noon on the Friday before the cleanup to make the site assignments easier for event organizers. When registering it is important to verify the number of vehicles, in addition to the number of people in your group, so that we can properly assign people to clean up areas with sufficient parking. We ask that participants do not carpool with others outside of their families. As in prior years, volunteers will leave trash piled up near the entrance to the assigned site for pickup by the big truck toward the end of the event.
The Watauga Riverkeeper and MountainTrue are combating sediment erosion in our local waterways. Sediment is a major polluter in our river basin, clogging fish and aquatic habitats, increasing water temperatures, and transporting toxic substances. We are helping to reduce the amount of sediment that flows into our rivers by planting live-stakes along eroding riverbanks. As these stakes grow into trees, they stabilize the sides of the rivers and creeks where we plant them and reduce the overall amount of sediment getting into the river. So, come help us reduce erosion along our local rivers!