MountainTrue

Murphy River Walk Volunteer Invasive Plant Workdays
2022-10-24 14:00 - 16:00, 2022-10-31 14:00 - 16:00, 2022-11-07 14:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | Murphy River Walk, Hiwassee St, Murphy, NC, 28906, United States
For the third consecutive year, MountainTrue is again hosting Monday afternoon volunteer workdays (weather permitting) to control nonnative invasive plants and restore native habitat along the Murphy River Walk & Canoe Trail! We will primarily be using hand tools to cut invasive shrubs like Chinese privet and then treat the stumps. No prior experience is necessary; we will provide tools and training. All you have to bring is water and energy! Please register in advance so that we will have enough tools, gloves, etc. Let’s work together to continue to improve the wildlife habitat and natural beauty at the Murphy River Walk! Contact western region program coordinator, Tony Ward with questions: tony@mountaintrue.org.

2022 Lake Chatuge Shoreline Cleanup
2022-11-05 09:00 - 11:00 | Towns County Swim Beach Pavillion, US-76, Hiawassee, GA, 30546

Bryson City Island Park Workday
2022-11-16 13:00 - 16:00 | Bryson City Island Park, 213 Bryson St, Bryson City, NC, 28713, United States
MountainTrue is again hosting an Invasive Species workday to control nonnative invasive plants and restore native habitat in Bryson City Island Park. We will primarily be using hand tools to cut invasive shrubs like Chinese privet and then treat the stumps. No prior experience is necessary; we will provide tools and training. All you have to bring is water and energy! Please register in advance so that we will have enough tools, gloves, etc. Let’s work together to continue to improve the wildlife habitat and natural beauty at Island Park! Contact western region habitat restoration associate Darby Stipe with any questions (wro-wq-habitat@mountaintrue.org).

SOLD OUT - First Day Hike on Appalachian Trail near Franklin, NC
2023-01-01 11:00 - 15:00

Invasive Plant Workday on the Murphy River Walk 1/23
2023-01-23 14:00 - 16:00 | McClelland Street Trailhead, 133 McClelland St,, Murphy, NC, 28906, United States

Nonnative Invasive Plant Workday in Jackson County
2023-01-28 13:00 - 16:00 | Jackson County Greenway Loop, Monteith Gap Rd, Cullowhee, NC, 28723, United States

Invasive Plant Workday on the Murphy River Walk 1/30
2023-01-30 14:00 - 16:00 | McClelland Street Trailhead, 133 McClelland St,, Murphy, NC, 28906, United States

Bryson City Island Park Workday 1/31
2023-01-31 13:00 - 15:00 | Bryson City Island Park, 213 Bryson St, Bryson City, NC, 28713, United States

Invasive Plant Workday on the Murphy River Walk 2/6
2023-02-06 14:00 - 16:00 | McClelland Street Trailhead, 133 McClelland St,, Murphy, NC, 28906, United States

Bryson City Island Park Workday 2/7
2023-02-07 13:00 - 15:00

Invasive Plant Workday on the Murphy River Walk 2/13
2023-02-13 14:00 - 16:00 | McClelland Street Trailhead, 133 McClelland St,, Murphy, NC, 28906, United States

Invasive Plant Workday on the Murphy River Walk 2/20
2023-02-20 14:00 - 16:00 | McClelland Street Trailhead, 133 McClelland St,, Murphy, NC, 28906, United States

Invasive Plant Workday on the Murphy River Walk 2/27
2023-02-27 14:00 - 16:00 | McClelland Street Trailhead, 133 McClelland St,, Murphy, NC, 28906, United States

Winter Tree ID Hike near Hiawassee, GA 3/4
2023-03-04 13:00 - 15:00

Winter Bird Watch on Lake Chatuge 3/11
2023-03-11 07:30 - 10:00

Jackson Greenway Workday 3/18
2023-03-18 13:00 - 16:00 | Jackson County Greenway Loop, Monteith Gap Rd, Cullowhee, NC, 28723, United States

Bryson City Island Park Volunteer Workday 3/29
2023-03-29 13:00 - 15:00 | Bryson City Island Park, 213 Bryson St, Bryson City, NC, 28713, United States

15th Annual Hiwassee Watershed Gala
2023-03-30 17:30 - 20:30 | Young Harris College, 228 Maple St., Young Harris, GA, 30582, United States
The 15th Annual Hiwassee Watershed Gala will take place at Young Harris College on Thursday, March 30, 2023. Join us for an evening of laughter, fun, and camaraderie…and to honor the winner of this year’s Holman Water Quality Stewardship Award! To join us, visit this link to purchase tickets and see the event details: https://mountaintrue.org/2023-watershed-gala/

Wildflower Walk on the John Muir Recreation Trail near Reliance, TN
2023-04-15 10:00 - 16:00

Bryson City Island Park Volunteer Workday 4/20
2023-04-20 13:00 - 15:00 | Bryson City Island Park, 213 Bryson St, Bryson City, NC, 28713, United States

Nature Walk prior to the Spring Fling Street Fair & Nature Expo in Andrews, NC 4/22/2023
2023-04-22 10:00 - 11:00 | Heritage Park, 155 Wilson St., Andrews, NC, 28901, United States

Jackson Greenway Workday 4/29
2023-04-29 13:00 - 16:00 | Jackson County Greenway Loop, Monteith Gap Rd, Cullowhee, NC, 28723, United States

Nature Walk at Nodding Trilliums Private Nature Preserve in Cullowhee
2023-05-12 10:00 - 13:00

2023 MountainTrue-a-thon
2023-06-15 00:00 - 2023-08-31 23:59
Calling all hikers, bikers and paddlers! Raise money for MountainTrue while doing your favorite activities this Summer. Participants of any experience level collect pledges from family and friends for miles completed between June 15 and August 31st.
We have some awesome prizes this year for the participant raising the most $ for MountainTrue AND for the participant in each category (hiking, biking and paddling) that completes the most miles.
Check out our Resource Page for recommended trails, packing lists and helpful tips on how to ask for support from family and friends. What are you waiting for?! Sign up now and help us put the FUN in FUNDRAISING this Summer.

Blue Ridge Snorkel Trail Kickoff at Island Park in Bryson City, NC
2023-08-26 10:00 - 12:00 | Bryson City Island Park, 213 Bryson St, Bryson City, NC, 28713, United States
Beat the heat and help us celebrate the launch of the Blue Ridge Snorkel Trail in Bryson City! We invite you to kick off the new Island Park Snorkel Site on Saturday, August 26th from 10:00am-12:00pm. We will unveil our new educational signage, then get in the river and explore our underwater backyard. Snorkelers will be treated to a beautiful array of creatures like Tangerine Darters and Warpaint Shiners, which are common at this site, as well as other fish, salamanders, freshwater mussels, crayfish, macroinvertebrates, and more. Don’t have a snorkel? We’ll bring one for you! Just indicate on the form below if you will need one. This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Please fill out the form below, then grab your bathing suit and get ready to see the world from a fish’s-eye view. Wear a swimsuit or other clothes to get wet, including shoes. Bring a towel.
There is no designated parking for the park at this time. You will need to park in available public parking spaces downtown and walk to the park. This event is weather dependent. If it rains heavily in the days leading up to the event, the water will be cloudy and we will reschedule. Please, no pets.

Field Session for new Adopt-A-Stream volunteers in Young Harris, GA
2023-09-09 09:00 - 16:00 | Cupid Falls Park, Young Harris, GA
MountainTrue is offering the opportunity for residents that value clean water in the Hiwassee River watershed to get involved in a hands-on way with our volunteer water quality monitoring program. Volunteers can get certified to sample Water Chemistry and/or Bacteria. In the Water Chemistry workshop volunteers will learn how to test stream samples for dissolved oxygen, temperature, pH and conductivity. Those participating in the Bacterial sampling will learn how to test for and identify the presence of E. coli in our waterways. This field session will be divided into two parts with Water Chemistry practices in the first two hours and Bacterial practices in the last hour, with a short break in between. If you are only certifying in Water Chemistry, you may leave after the first part of the field session is complete. Although there is no charge for the workshops, pre-registration is required.
Volunteers can choose any stream they would like to sample; however, we have also identified sites in both Georgia and North Carolina where we would like to have data to help plan or evaluate water quality improvement projects. Certified volunteers can check-out monitoring equipment (free of charge) from locations in Hiawassee, Young Harris, Blairsville, Hayesville, and Murphy.
**You must also participate in a Part 1 Water Chemistry session before attending this field session. These are being offered virtually via the Zoom meeting platform. You may also choose a Part 1 Bacterial session if you would like to be certified for monitoring E.coli too. When you register for a field session, you’ll receive links to sign up for Part 1 of the courses.

2023 Fall Native Tree & Shrub Sale
2023-09-18 - 2023-11-05 | MountainTrue Western Regional Office, 90 Tennessee Street, Murphy, NC, 28906, United States
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 30 species of native trees and shrubs, ranging from large shade trees, native ornamentals, pollinator species, and those particularly beneficial to wildlife.
**Your order must be picked up in Murphy, NC on Saturday, November 18th between 9:00am & 12:00pm unless, due to exceptional circumstances, other arrangements are made PRIOR to placing the order.**
All plants are quality local nursery stock.
1-gallon – $18
2-gallon – $20
3-gallon – $25
2023 Tree-Shrub species price list
2023 Tree-Shrub descriptions for sale
Orders will be accepted through Sunday, November 5, while supplies last. You must pay for the order at the time you submit it in order to secure your species and size of choice. Then, pick up your order from the MountainTrue Western Regional Office parking lot in downtown Murphy on Saturday, November 18 between 9:00am – 12:00pm.
Complete your order using the form below and pay with any major credit card. We are no longer accepting mail-in orders.
Plants that are found here inspire a “sense of place” and pride in our mountain communities and promote wise stewardship and conservation of natural resources. For questions related to these or other native and invasive plant species, contact program coordinator, Tony Ward at tony@mountaintrue.org.

Bartram Trail Hike: Jones Gap to Whiterock Mountain
2023-09-23 10:00 - 15:00 | Bartram Trail at Jones Gap, 35°04'33.7"N 83°17'16.6"W, Sugarfork, NC
This 4.6-mile lightly trafficked section of the Bartram Trail near Highlands, NC features spectacular views into the Tessentee Valley of Macon County. Jones Knob and Whiterock Mountain are a pair of peaks that lie along this rather tame stretch of the Bartram Trail, one of North Carolina’s premier long distance trails. Though both measure well below 5,000 feet in elevation what sets this pair apart is that they are plutons – mountains comprised of erosion resistant rock sporting massive open cliff faces. The trail is rated as moderate; there is approximately 940 feet of elevation change. Dogs are welcome as long as they are kept on a leash.
