In the wake of Hurricane Helene, MountainTrue is dedicated to addressing the urgent needs of our community.
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.
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 Southern Regional Director, Gray Jernigan, and Henderson County Environmental Programs Coordinator, Christine Wittmeier, will discuss municipal recycling and waste diversion programs in WNC. They will cover what materials can and cannot be recycled, logistical challenges with recycling vendors, local and global markets, and new opportunities that are emerging in the field.
Join us for a hike on the Bartram Trail, one of North Carolina's premier long distance trails. We'll tackle a 4.6-mile lightly trafficked section near Highlands, NC that provides spectacular views into the Tessentee Valley of Macon County. On this stretch we'll summit Jones Knob and Whiterock Mountain. Though these peaks measure well below 5,000 feet in elevation, they are good examples of a spectacular geological feature found in our region: both are plutons, mountains comprised of erosion resistant rock sporting massive open cliff faces.