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# MountainTrue

## Sitemaps
- [XML Sitemap](https://mountaintrue.org/sitemap_index.xml): Includes all crawlable and indexable pages.

## Posts
- [Our Business Community Supports MountainTrue’s River Clean-Up Efforts](https://mountaintrue.org/business-community-debris-support-letter/): Western North Carolina’s economic recovery after Hurricane Helene depends directly on the restoration of our rivers. Using state funding from last year, MountainTrue hired 100 storm-displaced residents who have already pulled over 6 million pounds of debris from our waterways—critical infrastructure that drives our $5 billion outdoor economy. However, that funding is running out. Without renewed investment from the General Assembly, MountainTrue will soon have to lay off these crews, leaving hundreds of miles of rivers clogged and closed for business.
- [Where Faith Meets Conservation: The Creation Care Alliance at Work](https://mountaintrue.org/where-faith-meets-conservation-the-creation-care-alliance-at-work/): Many of you know MountainTrue for our work protecting rivers, forests, and communities. But you might not be as familiar with our faith-based program, the Creation Care Alliance (CCA). We invite people from all faith traditions across the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains to care for nature and our neighbors.
- [Reason for a Block Party: Asheville Expands Housing Options Across the City](https://mountaintrue.org/reason-for-a-block-party-asheville-expands-housing-options-across-the-city/): We are excited to share that on August 25, Asheville City Council voted unanimously to allow duplexes in all residential districts and to increase the allowable size of accessory dwelling units! This is a big win for MountainTrue’s Block Party campaign, which has been working to increase housing options in the city of Asheville and reduce sprawl that can threaten farms and forests throughout our mountain region.
- [When “Cleanup” Becomes a Second Disaster](https://mountaintrue.org/when-cleanup-becomes-a-second-disaster/): Hurricane Helene dealt Western North Carolina’s forests a historic blow, toppling thousands of acres of trees across the Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests and along the Blue Ridge Parkway. As our communities rebuild, the U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service have ramped up operations under the banner of “fuel reduction”, but in reality most activities are salvage logging intended to remove the largest trees without truly addressing wildfire risk."
- [The People Speak Up for Our Wild Forests: Over One Million Comments Defend the Roadless Rule](https://mountaintrue.org/the-people-speak-up-for-our-wild-forests-over-one-million-comments-defend-the-roadless-rule/): In our last edition of Vistas, we sounded the alarm on an unprecedented threat to America’s last wild forests: the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) proposal to rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule.
- [Children Help Shape the Vision for Marshall’s Blannahassett Island](https://mountaintrue.org/children-help-shape-the-vision-for-marshalls-blannahassett-island/): MountainTrue’s Appalachian Design Center (ADC) is working with the Town of Marshall, NC, and community partners on a concept design for Blannahassett Island. The effort brings together design expertise and community input to help shape the Island’s future, including a playground informed by the children who will use it.
- [MountainTrue Organizational Statement on the Siting of Data Centers and Cryptocurrency Mining Facilities](https://mountaintrue.org/mountaintrue-organizational-statement-on-data-centers-and-cryptocurrency-mining-facilities/): The Southern Blue Ridge is facing a growing influx of proposals for data centers, cryptocurrency mining facilities, and large-scale server farms. To protect our region, MountainTrue has established the following organizational positions regarding the development of data centers and similar facilities:
- [Take Action to Protect the Streams that Protect Us](https://mountaintrue.org/take-action-to-protect-the-streams-that-protect-us/): The Clean Water Act is under threat—and here in the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains, that could have major consequences for the rivers, streams, wetlands, and communities we call home.
- [Huge win for the places we share: Cherokee County reverses course, steps up to protect public lands](https://mountaintrue.org/huge-win-for-the-places-we-share-cherokee-county-reverses-course-steps-up-to-protect-public-lands/): The Cherokee County Story: From a petition to privatize to a unanimous resolution to protect public lands, grassroots organizers helped the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners reverse course. Your county could be next.
- [Donor Spotlight: Mary Buttitta](https://mountaintrue.org/donor-spotlight-mary-buttitta/): A retired psychotherapist with a lifelong passion for nature, Mary Buttitta (pictured above, right) has always sought balance in nature. Fifteen years ago, she and her partner, Anne (pictured above, left), traded the mountains of Vermont for the rugged beauty of Asheville. An avid hiker and backpacker, Mary quickly fell in love with the Appalachian Mountains and felt drawn to make them home.
- [Victory: IPEX partners with MountainTrue for continued French Broad River cleanup](https://mountaintrue.org/victory-ipex-partners-with-mountaintrue-for-continued-french-broad-river-cleanup/): You may have seen the good news. Thanks to your support, we have turned the corner in our relationship with IPEX. MountainTrue is thrilled to announce that the multinational corporation has signed an agreement to contribute to our ongoing efforts to remove its product from the French Broad River.
- [MountainTrue’s 2026 Award Winners](https://mountaintrue.org/mountaintrues-2026-award-winners/): Every year, MountainTrue recognizes five individuals from across the Southern Blue Ridge as our regional Volunteer of the Year and Esther Cunningham award winners. This year, we’ll also recognize two new award categories: Partner of the Year and Government Partner of the Year. We’ll celebrate these exceptional MountainTrue volunteers at our 2026 Annual Member Gathering – Homegrown Hope – on Thursday, October 8, at Highland Brewing in Asheville, NC.
- [Beyond Design: Building Stewardship in Hot Springs](https://mountaintrue.org/beyond-design-building-stewardship-in-hot-springs/): Recovery is about more than rebuilding what was lost. It's about creating stronger partnerships, connecting expertise, and helping communities prepare for the future. That has been the role of MountainTrue's Appalachian Design Center (ADC) in Hot Springs.
- [Thank Asheville City Council for Voting to Bring More Housing Options to Asheville](https://mountaintrue.org/thank-asheville-city-council-for-voting-to-bring-more-housing-options-to-asheville/): In case you missed it: on August 25th, the Asheville City Council voted unanimously to end single-family zoning and bring more housing options to our city!
- [Nearly two years after Helene, MountainTrue removes five vehicles from Big Hungry River](https://mountaintrue.org/nearly-two-years-after-helene-mountaintrue-removes-five-vehicles-from-big-hungry-river/): Written by MountainTrue Debris Removal Story Collector Liz McGuirl
- [The Roadless Rule comment period is now open!](https://mountaintrue.org/the-roadless-rule-comment-period-is-now-open/): The time is now! The Roadless Rule, which protects 58.5 million acres of undeveloped National Forest lands from industrial-scale logging and road construction, is under attack. We need you to use your voice to speak out for our forests. 
- [MountainTrue and Center for Biological Diversity Send Letter Opposing Joint ICE and USFS Operation](https://mountaintrue.org/mountaintrue-sends-letter-opposing-joint-ice-and-usfs-operation/): Our national forests should be safe spaces for relaxation and recreation, not zones of fear and enforcement.
- [Why MountainTrue Supports Proposed Changes to Asheville’s Bus System](https://mountaintrue.org/why-mountaintrue-supports-proposed-changes-to-ashevilles-bus-system/): Imagine that your neighborhood was only accessible via drawbridge once an hour between the hours of 6am and 10pm. You would have to plan your life, your work, your childcare, and your errands around that bridge schedule and it would limit what you could do with your day, every day. If that bridge schedule changed to open every half hour instead of every hour, it would dramatically change the way you could manage your life: increasing opportunities for job access, social connection, and more. 
- [Tell Asheville City Council to Support More Housing Options](https://mountaintrue.org/tell-asheville-city-council-to-support-more-housing-options/): The City Council has the opportunity to increase housing options in Asheville this month with a “yes” vote on two crucial zoning amendments. Now is the time to make your voice heard.
- [ADC partnership expands recovery opportunities in Bakersville](https://mountaintrue.org/adc-partnership-expands-recovery-opportunities-in-bakersville/): Recovery in Western North Carolina remains a long-term effort that often moves forward through a series of connected steps. Each project builds relationships, sharpens priorities, and creates momentum for what comes next.
- [Take Action: Demand the EPA Begin Monitoring Drinking Water for Microplastics](https://mountaintrue.org/take-action-demand-the-epa-begin-monitoring-drinking-water-for-microplastics/): The Environmental Protection Agency is refusing to add microplastics to its list of contaminants to monitor in drinking water, despite growing evidence and concern over the prevalence and dangerous health effects. Add your voice to our call for change.
- [We Could Have More Housing Options in Asheville THIS Month](https://mountaintrue.org/we-could-have-more-housing-options-in-asheville-this-month/): When the City Council convenes their meeting on August 25th, they will vote on two zoning amendments that could help us meet the challenge of our housing shortage while also preventing sprawl. 
- [Opinion: Keep Heavy Machinery Off the Blue Ridge Parkway](https://mountaintrue.org/opinion-keep-heavy-machinery-off-the-blue-ridge-parkway/): Editor's Note: Earlier this Summer, the National Park Service announced plans to bring heavy machinery onto Blue Ridge Parkway land to remove trees and bulldoze forest in the name of "wildfire fuel reduction." MountainTrue and our environmental partners have advocated against these plans, attending meetings and sending action alerts to our members. With MountainTrue's support, Sally Watanabe, a summer intern on the Southeast Field Team with Defenders of Wildlife and a Master's student in environmental management at Duke University, wrote the following Op-Ed articulating our position on the Park Service's proposed plans. The piece was first published July 17 in the Asheville Citizen-Times.
- [Good News: We Won on Parking reform](https://mountaintrue.org/good-news-we-won-on-parking-reform/): As of January 1, 2027, small businesses like The Yard in Brevard, NC will be able to expand their footprint. That means room for more produce in their market, more artist studio space, or more seating for diners and guests at community gatherings. Similarly, after January, affordable housing developers like Mountain Housing Opportunities will be able to build more homes on transit corridors where residents can bike or take the bus to get to where they need to go. These things are possible across the state now that House Bill 162 has passed, removing mandatory minimum parking requirements from the books in our cities and towns. 
- [Take Action: Say No to NPS Blue Ridge Parkway Fuel Reduction Project](https://mountaintrue.org/take-action-say-no-to-nps-blue-ridge-parkway-fuel-reduction-project/): The National Park Service plans to conduct what it calls "hazardous fuel reduction" across nearly 1,000 acres of Parkway land for the first time in history. 
- [Opinion: We should protect Western North Carolina roadless areas](https://mountaintrue.org/opinion-we-should-protect-western-north-carolina-roadless-areas/): Raised in rural Eastern Kentucky, I romped all around the Appalachian mountains as a child. Ifell in love with my secret swimmin' holes and the deep hollers where I could let my dogs runwild. My daddy taught me how to track a deer in these mountains, just like my papaw taughthim.
- [French Broad Paddle Trail gets upgrades for Summer river recreation season](https://mountaintrue.org/french-broad-paddle-trail-gets-upgrades-for-summer-river-recreation-season/): As Summer heats up, there are new ways to access and enjoy the French Broad River in Transylvania and Henderson counties thanks to MountainTrue and its partners.
- [MountainTrue responds to IPEX’s latest statement](https://mountaintrue.org/mountaintrue-responds-to-ipexs-latest-statement/): Lately, everytime I put my boat on the river downstream of Asheville people thank me. Together, we rehash what those stretches of the river looked like after Helene—blanketed with massive piles of PVC pipe from IPEX along the banks and in the river bed.  And while I'm incredibly humbled by their thanks, it’s not me that has done that work. Our debris teams have done the work of magicians. The amount of debris—especially pipe—they have gotten out of the river is truly remarkable. They work their butts off every single day doing this for the river and for our community. 
- [Updates on the Roadless Rule and what’s next](https://mountaintrue.org/updates-on-the-roadless-rule-and-whats-next/): On June 17th, Utah Senator Mike Lee added an amendment to the Wildfire Prevention Act (Bill s.104) to include a full rescission of the 2001 Roadless Rule. The amendment was voted on and passed, which has officially fast tracked the Roadless Rule to be removed without following NEPA procedures or accepting public comments. While this news may feel discouraging, we still have a chance to use our voice to take action. Bill s.104 will now be open for vote on the Senate floor, and will need 60 votes to pass. We must urge North Carolina Senator Tom Tillis and others to take action. 
- [Western North Carolina Farmer Resource Guide](https://mountaintrue.org/western-north-carolina-farmer-resource-guide/): MountainTrue’s commitment to our local food systems inspired this "Western North Carolina Farmer Resource Guide", which serves as a one-stop-shop for agricultural producers in the region to find support for all aspects of growing crops and raising livestock. It compiles non-profit, local, state, and federal resources to streamline the process of finding the help you need, all in one place. 
- [Proposed Changes Will Improve Asheville’s Bus System – Tell Council the Draft Network is Better for Asheville](https://mountaintrue.org/proposed-changes-will-improve-ashevilles-bus-system-tell-council-to-adopt-new-plan/): The City of Asheville is actively considering making some big changes to our bus system. These changes would improve the timing of connections between buses, increase service to South Asheville which riders have been pushing for for years, and in exchange, some of the least used routes would be cut. We at MountainTrue see both positives and trade offs in these proposed changes and while we advocate for more funds to avoid any cuts, the reality of our continued sprawling land development patterns in addition to currently available funds mean that it is impossible to improve the effectiveness of our system without such trade offs.
- [Community Design Work Moving Forward in Hot Springs, Bakersville, and Marshall](https://mountaintrue.org/appalachian-design-center-project-roundup/): MountainTrue’s Appalachian Design Center (ADC) is supporting communities across Western North Carolina as they move local recovery and resilience priorities toward clearer, more actionable plans.
- [Unnecessary Parking Makes Homes More Expensive ](https://mountaintrue.org/unnecessary-parking-makes-homes-more-expensive/): Our region is experiencing a housing shortage. Our communities don’t have enough homes available to rent or buy at the price points that residents and their families can afford. 
- [Volunteer Spotlight: Joel Osgood](https://mountaintrue.org/volunteer-spotlight-joel-osgood/): For more than a decade, Joel Osgood has helped communities across Western North Carolina envision and create meaningful places through thoughtful design. As a landscape architect and founder of Osgood Landscape Architecture in Asheville, Joel’s work centers on connecting people to the natural and cultural landscapes that make our region unique.
- [Defend Our Shared Public Lands: Protect Grand Staircase-Escalante](https://mountaintrue.org/defend-our-shared-public-lands-protect-grand-staircase-escalante/): Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) and Representative Maloy (R-UT-02) have launched a fast-track assault on Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. By introducing "resolutions of disapproval" under the Congressional Review Act (CRA), they are attempting to gut the Monument Management Plan that protects this iconic landscape.
- [Raleigh Report: MountainTrue to the NC General Assembly: Let Us Finish Cleaning Up Helene Debris](https://mountaintrue.org/raleigh-report-mountaintrue-to-the-nc-general-assembly-let-us-finish-cleaning-up-helene-debris/): Good News! MountainTrue has made incredible strides in restoring our region after the devastation of Hurricane Helene. With $10 million in state Helene recovery funds, we have removed more than 2 million pounds of Helene-related debris from about 600 miles of WNC streams, rivers, and lakefront property. 
- [Community Input Needed: Take the Locally Coordinated Plan Survey](https://mountaintrue.org/community-input-needed-take-the-locally-coordinated-plan-survey/): We know that in order to meet the challenge of Asheville’s housing crisis, we need more housing options within our cities. Middle housing types like duplexes, townhomes, and ADUs will create more sustainable communities for people in all stages of life, as well as create the conditions for transit-friendly, bike-friendly, and pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods. 
- [Susan Bean in the Citizen-Times: Asheville Housing Shortage Needs Missing Middle Construction](https://mountaintrue.org/susan-bean-in-the-citizen-times-asheville-housing-shortage-needs-missing-middle-construction/): See the text of Susan's OpEd below, or read it on the Citizen-Times website here.
- [Coordinating Recovery: Community Voices Driving Swannanoa Forward](https://mountaintrue.org/coordinating-recovery-community-voices-driving-swannanoa-forward/): When Hurricane Helene moved through Swannanoa in fall 2024, it did more than damage homes and infrastructure. It disrupted the fabric of the community. In the months that followed, recovery began to take shape through local action, coordination, and support from the Appalachian Design Center (ADC), a program of MountainTrue.
- [Let’s Get Parking Reform Across the Finish Line!](https://mountaintrue.org/lets-get-parking-reform-across-the-finish-line/): We're excited to share that House Bill 369, which would remove mandatory minimum parking requirements statewide, is on the move! If you've followed this legislation recently or attended any of our events across the region this spring focused on why MountainTrue supports this bill, you know that we believe this reform will be good for both improving water quality and also creating more affordable housing options on small lots in cities and towns.
- [Thank Sen. Ted Alexander. Support a First Broad River State Trail](https://mountaintrue.org/thank-sen-ted-alexander-support-a-first-broad-river-state-trail/): Senator Ted Alexander has officially filed Senate Bill 819, a bill to authorize the First Broad River State Trail. If passed, this would be a big win for our community, our economy, and our river.
- [Take Action: Speak Up to Protect Blue Ridge Parkway Forests](https://mountaintrue.org/take-action-speak-up-to-protect-blue-ridge-parkway-forests/): The National Park Service held three open house meetings last week where they unveiled plans for a 3,000-acre fuel reduction project. Hundreds of members of the public learned at these meetings that heavy equipment will be used to remove downed trees from up to 58 areas identified through a combination of remote sensing and on-the-ground reports. Logging roads and log landings, flat areas where logs are stacked before loading onto trucks — often over 5,000 square feet — will be graded into hillsides. The intention of the Park Service is to return the land to contour after grading with heavy equipment, but it’s hard to see how that level of disturbance can be put back right. It’s also hard to see how such a heavy-handed project complies with the core Park Service mission.  
- [Tell City Council to invest in multi-family, affordable housing options with CDBG-DR funds](https://mountaintrue.org/tell-city-council-to-invest-in-multi-family-affordable-housing-options-with-cdbg-dr-funds/): In the wake of Helene, the City of Asheville is revisiting how it will use its Community Development Block Grant - Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds. MountainTrue and fellow members of the Buncombe Affordable Housing Network sent a letter (linked here) urging the Asheville City Council to use CDBG-DR funds to create long-term, income-restricted affordable housing at scale which would create more housing options in the city for our most vulnerable residents.
- [Take Action: It’s Time for IPEX to Step Up](https://mountaintrue.org/its-time-for-ipex-to-step-up/): When Hurricane Helene tore through Western North Carolina, thousands of PVC pipes washed off IPEX property and into the French Broad River, traveling miles downstream and extending well into Tennessee. While we could not have predicted Helene's catastrophic impacts, we can learn from them.
- [Take Action: Say “No” to New Data Centers in Watauga County](https://mountaintrue.org/take-action-say-no-to-new-data-centers-in-watauga-county/): In March 2026, the Boone Town Council voted unanimously for a one-year data center moratorium in the Town of Boone, NC. We were grateful to have many community members fill the room to voice their concerns about data centers in Boone and thank our Town Council for taking proactive steps to protect our land, water, and air. 
- [Stop the Duke Energy Rate Hike](https://mountaintrue.org/stop-the-duke-energy-rate-hike/): Duke Energy has proposed a massive rate hike that would hit North Carolina residents with an 18% increase in residential electricity costs. While MountainTrue works to protect our forests and water, we also fight for healthy, resilient communities. We cannot have healthy communities when our neighbors are forced to choose between medicine and electricity.
- [Volunteer Spotlight: Elena & Tom Marsh](https://mountaintrue.org/volunteer-spotlight-elena-tom-marsh/): After retiring from the Pasco County, Florida school system in 2008, Elena and Tom Marsh (pictured above) permanently settled in Franklin, North Carolina, drawn by its natural beauty and abundant outdoor opportunities. Eager to get involved in their new community, they joined the Nantahala Hiking Club and the Gem and Mineral Society of Franklin, where they took on active roles, including serving as Appalachian Trail maintainers and committee chairs, as well as managing the museum and gift shop at the Gem Club.
- [Increasing ridership is the right goal for Asheville’s bus system](https://mountaintrue.org/increasing-ridership-is-the-right-goal-for-ashevilles-bus-system/): This Opinions column by MountainTrue Housing and Transportation Director Susan Bean appeared in the Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026 edition of the Asheville Citizen Times.
- [MountainTrue and Regional Coalition Announce Public Events in Asheville, Hayesville, and Brevard to Defend America’s Roadless Forests](https://mountaintrue.org/conservation-organizations-host-roadless-rule-roundtable-peoples-public-hearings/): WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA — In response to a federal proposal to rescind the 25-year-old Roadless Rule, conservation leaders are launching a series of community events across Western North Carolina. The schedule includes a "Roadless Rule Roundtable" in Asheville, hosted by a broad coalition of 17 organizations, and two "People’s Public Hearings" in Hayesville and Brevard, organized by MountainTrue.
- [A Major Court Victory for WNC Forests: What Happens Next? A Q&A with Josh Kelly.](https://mountaintrue.org/a-major-court-victory-for-wnc-forests-what-happens-next-a-qa-with-josh-kelly/): A major federal court decision could reshape the future of the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests.

## Pages
- [Donor Privacy Policy](https://mountaintrue.org/donor-privacy-policy/): Last updated 7/10/26
- [Bee Log](https://mountaintrue.org/what-we-do/healthy-communities/adc/bee-log/): Appalachian Design Center › Bee Log
- [Spruce Pine](https://mountaintrue.org/what-we-do/healthy-communities/adc/spruce-pine/): Appalachian Design Center › Spruce Pine
- [ADC Volunteer Opportunities](https://mountaintrue.org/what-we-do/healthy-communities/adc/adc-volunteer-opportunities/): ADC Volunteer Opportunities Load More
- [Lake Chatuge](https://mountaintrue.org/what-we-do/clean-waters/lake-chatuge/): Lake Chatuge is a 7,000-acre man-made impoundment of the Hiwassee River that straddles the North Carolina-Georgia state line in Clay and Towns counties, respectively. The dam was constructed by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in 1942 and was originally built to store water to help reduce flood damage and aid navigation of the Tennessee River downstream. Twelve years later in 1954, a single hydropower generating unit was placed into operation at Chatuge Dam, adding electricity production to its list of operational purposes. Still today, releases from Chatuge continue to provide flood control and help maintain favorable navigation conditions in the Tennessee River downstream.
- [Sponsor or Partner With Us](https://mountaintrue.org/sponsor-or-partner-with-us/): Our partners believe that the beauty and resilience of the Southern Blue Ridge are worth fighting for. As the region's premier advocate for environmental stewardship, our mission is to champion resilient forests, clean waters, and healthy communities. But we don't do this work alone. Sponsoring MountainTrue is more than a marketing opportunity; it is a direct investment in the long-term health of our mountain region.
- [Our Funders](https://mountaintrue.org/our-funders/): Thank you to the following grant funders & institutions that make our work possible.
- [Create a Legacy](https://mountaintrue.org/create-a-legacy/): We believe that the work we do today should last for generations. Our Planned Giving Program offers an opportunity for you to align your personal financial goals with your passion for protecting our mountain region.
- [Manage My Membership](https://mountaintrue.org/manage-my-membership/): Login to see your contribution history, email subscriptions, membership status, and manage your account:
- [Become a Member](https://mountaintrue.org/become-a-member/): When you become a MountainTrue member, you join a grassroots network of people who care deeply about the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains.
- [Roadless Form](https://mountaintrue.org/roadless-form/)
- [Creation Care Alliance Symposium](https://mountaintrue.org/creation-care-alliance-symposium/): Thank you to all that participated this year. Stay tuned for updates on CCA events for 2027.
- [Annual Member Gathering](https://mountaintrue.org/annual-member-gathering/): Highland Brewing Company Event Center 12 Old Charlotte Hwy Asheville, NC 28803
- [2025 Annual Report](https://mountaintrue.org/2025-annual-report/): Jump to: Executive Letter Helene Response Swim Guide New Riverkeeper Invasive Threats BioBlitz Financials
- [BioBlitz](https://mountaintrue.org/hickory-nut-gorge-bioblitz/): A BioBlitz is part social event, part scientific expedition. Armed with the iNaturalist app and guided by experts, we’ll head into the field to document the rare and rugged ecosystems near Gerton, NC.
- [Swannanoa](https://mountaintrue.org/what-we-do/healthy-communities/adc/swannanoa/): Appalachian Design Center › Swannanoa
- [Marshall](https://mountaintrue.org/what-we-do/healthy-communities/adc/marshall/): Appalachian Design Center › Marshall
- [Hot Springs](https://mountaintrue.org/what-we-do/healthy-communities/adc/hot-springs/): Appalachian Design Center › Hot Springs
- [Bakersville](https://mountaintrue.org/what-we-do/healthy-communities/adc/bakersville/): Appalachian Design Center › Bakersville
- [Carson Conservation Scholarship](https://mountaintrue.org/carson-conservation-scholarship/): The Glenn F. Carson, II Memorial Conservation Scholarship was created by the Hiwassee River Watershed Coalition (HRWC) board of directors in May 2014, following Glenn’s tragic death in an automobile accident at age 43. The purpose of the Carson Conservation Scholarship is twofold: to assist young people from Cherokee, Clay, and Graham counties wanting to pursue higher education in natural resource conservation fields; and, as then HRWC chairperson Brenda K. Hull said, “to do something to perpetually honor Glenn’s tireless conservation work in our communities.”
- [Southwestern Native Plant & Shrub Sale](https://mountaintrue.org/southwestern-native-plant-shrub-sale/): Every fall, MountainTrue’s Southwestern Regional office hosts a curated selection of native trees and shrubs to help restoration take root in your own landscape. Native plants are the foundation of a healthy ecosystem—they prevent erosion, filter runoff before it reaches our streams, and provide vital food and shelter for local wildlife. By choosing native, you aren’t just planting a garden; you’re joining a movement to protect the places we share.
- [Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour](https://mountaintrue.org/banff-centre-mountain-film-festival-world-tour/): Join us for two distinct nights of filmmaking excellence. Each evening features a completely different lineup of films, so we encourage you to join us for both sessions to see the full breadth of the world tour.
- [Paddling Film Festival World Tour](https://mountaintrue.org/paddling-film-festival-world-tour/): Every year, MountainTrue brings the world’s best paddling films to Asheville. This isn’t just a film screening—it’s a gathering of our region’s river-loving community. We come together to witness epic adventures, explore stunning wild places through the lens of world-class filmmakers, and find renewed inspiration to protect the waterways that define our home in the Blue Ridge. 
- [Native Plant & Shrub Sale](https://mountaintrue.org/native-plant-shrub-sale/): Bring more beauty, biodiversity, and pollinators to your landscape with MountainTrue’s Native Plant Sales! Twice a year, we offer a carefully selected variety of native trees, shrubs, flowers, and pollinator-friendly plants that thrive in our region and support healthy ecosystems.
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- [Gala](https://mountaintrue.org/gala/): Stay tuned for information about the 2027 Gala!
- [Shop Coming Soon](https://mountaintrue.org/shop-coming-soon/): Our shop is taking a break for the holidays. It will be back online January 2026.
- [Volunteer with Clean Up WNC Rivers](https://mountaintrue.org/clean-up-wnc-rivers/volunteer-with-clean-up-wnc-rivers/): Clean Up Our Rivers: Clean Up Our Rivers Main Page Volunteer Need Your River Cleaned? Apply for a Job About This Program Donate
- [Need Your River Cleaned?](https://mountaintrue.org/clean-up-wnc-rivers/need-your-river-cleaned/): Clean Up Our Rivers: Clean Up Our Rivers Main Page Volunteer Need Your River Cleaned? Apply for a Job About This Program Donate
- [Donate to Clean Up WNC Rivers](https://mountaintrue.org/clean-up-wnc-rivers/donate-to-clean-up-wnc-rivers/): Clean Up Our Rivers: Clean Up Our Rivers Main Page Volunteer Need Your River Cleaned? Apply for a Job About This Program Donate
- [Apply for a Clean Up WNC Rivers Job](https://mountaintrue.org/clean-up-wnc-rivers/apply-for-a-clean-up-wnc-rivers-job/): Clean Up Our Rivers: Clean Up Our Rivers Main Page Volunteer Need Your River Cleaned? Apply for a Job About This Program Donate
- [About the Clean Up WNC Rivers Program](https://mountaintrue.org/clean-up-wnc-rivers/about-the-clean-up-wnc-rivers-program/): Clean Up Our Rivers: Clean Up Our Rivers Main Page Volunteer Need Your River Cleaned? Apply for a Job About This Program Donate
- [Clean Up WNC Rivers](https://mountaintrue.org/clean-up-wnc-rivers/): Clean Up Our Rivers: Clean Up Our Rivers Main Page Volunteer Need Your River Cleaned? Apply for a Job About This Program Donate
- [I-26 Expansion Videos](https://mountaintrue.org/i-26-expansion-videos/): Burton Street and Haywood Road detail. Note the number of homes on Burton Street that will be taken and how wide Haywood Road bridge will be, limiting pedestrian and bicycle access.
- [Action Alerts](https://mountaintrue.org/get-involved/action-alerts/): Your voice matters. MountainTrue Action Alerts give you quick, effective ways to stand up for our forests, water, and communities. Find the latest opportunities below and make your voice heard. You can: 
- [Volunteer](https://mountaintrue.org/get-involved/volunteer/): From river cleanups to hikes, advocacy to community events, there are countless ways to make a difference. Join a network of people working to serve the Southern Blue Ridge.
- [Events](https://mountaintrue.org/get-involved/events/): Show up for the Southern Blue Ridge. From volunteer cleanups to community hangouts and fundraisers, MountainTrue events bring people together to protect the places we share.
- [Email Signup](https://mountaintrue.org/email-signup/): Sign up for the MountainTrue newsletters that matter to you and be the first to know how to get involved. You’ll receive clear, actionable ways to protect the mountains, rivers, and communities we share.
- [Donate](https://mountaintrue.org/donate/): Stand up for a cleaner and greener southern Blue Ridge by joining a network of passionate members and volunteers. When you donate to MountainTrue, you become part of something bigger. You and your fellow members are part of a grassroots network protecting the places we share.
- [Our History](https://mountaintrue.org/about-us/our-history/): Concerned citizens in Macon County, led by Esther Cunningham and David Liden, came together to form the Western North Carolina Alliance (WNCA) in response to proposed oil and gas leases in the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests. That grassroots coalition—rooted in education, local voice, and broad community participation—successfully halted the oil leasing threat and laid the foundation for what is now MountainTrue.
- [Jobs & Internships](https://mountaintrue.org/about-us/jobs-internships/): MountainTrue’s staff care deeply about our environment and the communities of the Southern Blue Ridge. As a team, we’re committed to hard work but also having fun with each other. Accountability, camaraderie, and fidelity to our Guiding Principles: this is what makes MountainTrue a wonderful place to work.
- [Staff & Board](https://mountaintrue.org/about-us/staff-board/): We have a strong team of dedicated individuals who help protect and preserve our natural land, water, and air resources through education and public participation in policy decisions at all levels of business and government.
- [About Us](https://mountaintrue.org/about-us/): We envision the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains as thriving communities that are connected to and help sustain a healthy natural environment. To achieve this, MountainTrue will foster and empower advocates throughout the region to engage in policy and project advocacy, outreach and education, and on-the-ground projects.
- [Creation Care Alliance](https://mountaintrue.org/what-we-do/creation-care-alliance/): Through education, service, and advocacy, the Creation Care Alliance (CCA) empowers congregations and people of faith to live out their spiritual call to love creation and seek ecological justice.
- [I-26 Connector Project](https://mountaintrue.org/what-we-do/healthy-communities/i-26-connector-project/): For more than 30 years, the future of the I-26 Connector has shaped conversations about growth, transportation, and neighborhood life in Asheville. MountainTrue has been at the center of this work, leading the ConnectUs Project to ensure that community voices were heard and the environment was protected. Below, we document the long fight for better solutions and the power of neighbors coming together.
- [Neighbors for More Neighbors WNC](https://mountaintrue.org/what-we-do/healthy-communities/neighbors-for-more-neighbors-wnc/): Neighbors for More Neighbors WNC works toward a future where we all have home choices that meet our needs in neighborhoods that keep us connected.