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Live Staking Workday

Love our rivers? Come join the Watauga Riverkeeper and MountainTrue as we combat sediment erosion in our local waterways. Sediment is a major polluter in our river basin, clogging fish and aquatic habitats, increasing water temperatures, and transporting toxic substances. We are helping to reduce the amount of sediment that flows into our rivers by planting live-stakes along eroding riverbanks. As these stakes grow into trees, they stabilize the sides of the rivers and creeks where we plant them and reduce the overall amount of sediment getting into the river. Come plant with us!

Earth Day Clean Up Challenge 2021

Challenge yourself to clean up trash at a local park, roadside, or streamside area in need. Share your before and after clean-up photos on Facebook and Instagram by tagging @mtntrue with the hashtag #MTEarthDayChallenge. The person in each of our four MountainTrue regions who collects the most trash in the photo shared with us will win a prize announced at 7 pm on 5/4. During this time we encourage you to collect trash individually, or with your household members.

HCO June Snorkel

Join MountainTrue's  High Country Water Quality Administrator, Hannah Woodburn, and take the plunge to explore the unique ecosystems of the Watauga River. Hannah is a graduate student at Appalachian State University in biochemical toxicity and is one of the leading experts on the Watauga and its ecology. She is intimately familiar with the area and the river ecosystem and is eager to help us find some smallmouth bass, black nose dace, rainbow and brown trout, and hopefully some tangerine darters!

$20 – $30

HCO July Snorkel

Join MountainTrue's  High Country Water Quality Administrator, Hannah Woodburn, and take the plunge to explore the unique ecosystems of the Watauga River. Hannah is a graduate student at Appalachian State University in biochemical toxicity and is one of the leading experts on the Watauga and its ecology. She is intimately familiar with the area and the river ecosystem and is eager to help us find some smallmouth bass, black nose dace, rainbow and brown trout, and hopefully some tangerine darters!

$20 – $30

Price Lake Float

Interested in meeting fellow environmental enthusiasts? Come paddle on Price Lake with the Watauga Riverkeeper and the water team staff. This event will be BYOB (bring your own boat!) but the kayak and canoe rentals are available on-site at Price Lake. This is one of our most pristine Swim Guide sites, with gorgeous mountain views located on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Free

Swim Guide Launch and Volunteer Training in Banner Elk, NC 5/12/22

The Valle Crucis Community Park 2892 Broadstone Road, Valle Crucis, NC, United States

We are excited to announce the official launch of the 2022 Swim Guide sampling season! Swim Guide sampling will begin May 25, and we need volunteers to collect water samples every Wednesday throughout the summer. Sites include various swimming and recreational sites along the Watauga (NC & TN), Elk, and New rivers. We are adding several new sampling sites this year that we need a group or an individual to adopt. The E. coli results are uploaded as pass/fail and updated every Friday on www.swimguide.org to provide the public with up-to-date recreational bacteria levels. If you are interested in becoming a Swim Guide volunteer with us please attend this training session to learn more about the program and testing procedures.

Free

Waiting List: Guided River Snorkel in Banner Elk, NC 5/28/22

Join MountainTrue’s High Country water team and take the plunge to explore the unique ecosystems of the Watauga River through a guided snorkel trip. Much like ocean reef snorkeling, river snorkeling allows you an unparalleled viewpoint to explore all the nooks and crannies of your local river. By peeking under the water, you can find yourself swimming alongside darting fish or face-to-face with the tiny insect larvae that feed them. If you’re lucky, you may even catch a glimpse of a Hellbender. MountainTrue will provide snorkels, view buckets, and waders. Please, no children under 13 and we ask that all participants know how to swim. Registration is required.

$20 – $30