MountainTrue and AARP, in cooperation with partners of Strive Not to Drive, will be hosting a webinar on May 13 at 12:30pm to highlight some alternative modes of getting around town. The program will cover three main topic areas: transit, streets & sidewalks (make-overs to complete streets), and greenways. To cover each topic we will show a couple of short videos highlighting a local user of that mode of transport talking about how and why they use it, followed by Q&A with the audience and expert guests. Register to join us!

Join us for the next session in MountainTrue's Climate Series! During this session, we will hear from MountainTrue's very own Ecologist and Public Lands Director, Bob Gale. Bob will provide an overview of the likely effects of global climate change on the people and ecosystems of the Blue Ridge Mountains and discuss the adaptation and mitigation strategies needed to maintain the resilience of our mountain home.

Consider this: It is illegal on 75 percent of the residential land in many American cities to build anything other than a detached single-family home. Single-family zoning has recently come under scrutiny as cities grapple with a dire shortage of affordable housing. Often single-family zoning stands as the only impediment to denser, multi-family developments in “traditional” neighborhoods. Planners are now beginning to ask whether removing single-family zoning is essential in order to address our current affordable housing crisis. Join us for a virtual presentation with Heather Worthington, where she will examine the efforts that led to a seismic shift in Minneapolis zoning, as well as the challenges that remain.

MountainTrue in Partnership with Conserving Carolina presents our Lewis Creek Nature Preserve Walk. The Lewis Creek Preserve is an eight-acre preserve protected and managed by Conserving Carolina. MountainTrue Ecologist and Public Lands Director, Bob Gale, will lead a slow hike along the trail, interpreting the plant life, wildflowers, and value of pollinators on this property. The visit includes a boardwalk that overlooks an example of the remaining rare Southern Appalachian Bog ecosystems. Bob and MountainTrue have special expertise in managing these bogs and in addressing their threats, including non-native invasive plants.

This year MountainTrue is excited to announce our annual Bio Blitz will be a tri-county smackdown to determine the 2021 champion of biodiversity. Our competitors will show off their county pride and natural curiosity in this WNC regional bio-battle. We’re thrilled to share that our competitors in the 2021 BioBlitz are Jackson, Watauga, and Transylvania counties! Sign up to participate and get more details - you can help your county show off its biodiversity OR win individual prizes for things like the most unique species submitted or the most fungi found! Sign up today and show off your stuff!