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Lake Chatuge Shoreline Cleanup

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.

13th Annual Watershed Gala

The 13th Annual Watershed Gala and Holman Water Quality Stewardship Award presentation will be held virtually via zoom meeting on Thursday, February 25, 2021. We hope you will join us for a delightful evening of laughter, fun and camaraderie … and to help honor this year’s Holman Water Quality Stewardship Award winner! Click Here to register to attend: https://mountaintrue.org/2021-watershed-gala/

Winter Bird Watch on Lake Chatuge

MountainTrue will host the 15th annual Winter Bird Watch outing on Lake Chatuge, Saturday, March 13th, starting at 7:30 AM. This year we will meet at Chatuge Dam and caravan to various sites around the lake shoreline to view a wide variety of birds. Typically, 18-25 different species are observed on the outing, ranging from small songbirds to larger birds of prey and wintering waterfowl typically associated with more northern climes.

Canceled: Island Park Invasive Plant Volunteer Work Session

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO BAD WEATHER

MountainTrue has joined forces with the Tuckasegee River Alliance to help eradicate nonnative invasive plants at Island Park in Bryson City. Island Park - which is currently closed to the public pending storm damage repairs - is an island in the Tuckasegee River that hosts a beautiful riparian forest with some very large trees. However, infestations of non-native invasive plant species threaten native diversity, especially in terms of wildflowers and forest understory, creating the need for restoration work to bring the island back to its full splendor.

Western Region Spring Hike

Join us for our Western Region Spring Hike! For this hike, we'll hike the Panthertown Valley Trail to Mac's Gap Trail, forming a loop. This is a moderate 5.6-mile hike with 895 feet of elevation gain located near Glenville, North Carolina in the Panthertown Valley area of Nantahala National Forest. There is lots of variety on this hike - streams, views, waterfalls, lovely forests, and beautiful varying terrain.

Spring Tree ID Hike

Join Tony Ward, MountainTrue's Western Region Program Coordinator, on Saturday, May 22 at 10 am for a 1.2-mile loop trail hike through an upland forest area of Meeks Park in Union County, Georgia! Although this hike is considered easy, there will be 150 feet of elevation gain from the starting point at a bridge crossing Butternut Creek to the highest point of the hike. This trail features a wide variety of native trees perfect for identification. During this hike, Tony will discuss how to identify trees in our area in a way that is accessible to all skill levels of tree identifiers.

$10 – $20

High Elevation In-Person BioBlitz in Jackson County

Richland Balsam Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway Richland Balsam Overlook, Canton

Join us and some great local naturalists for an in person high elevation BioBlitz event for Jackson County! This year, we are having a friendly regional competition. Here in the Western Region, Jackson County will compete against Watauga and Transylvania counties to determine the 2021 champion of biodiversity! Advanced registration is required to participate in this in person event.

Bryson City Downtown Walking Tour

Bryson City 117 Island St, Bryson City, NC, United States

Please join Western Regional Director Callie Moore and Healthy Communities Director Chris Joyell as we lead a walking tour of Bryson City. Along the way, we'll reflect on past plans for revitalizing Main Street and Everett, see where progress has been made, and explore how future efforts can contribute to the vitality of this historic town. We'll also visit some ongoing projects that are making Bryson City more liveable and enjoyable for its residents and those who visit. We hope you'll come along!

2021 Fall Native Tree & Shrub Sale

MountainTrue Western Regional Office 90 Tennessee Street, Murphy, NC, United States

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.

Western Region Annual Gathering 2021

Big Bear Pavilion 573 E Main St, Franklin, NC

Each year, MountainTrue hosts a gathering of our members to recognize and honor outstanding volunteers, vote on new board members, and reflect on a year of hard work and accomplishments. We hope you can join us to recognize and honor MountainTrue’s 2021 Western Region Volunteer of the Year: Tod Fullerton! We are excited to be gathering in person this year and hope you can come connect with us. All attendees are required to be vaccinated.