High Country Office
MountainTrue's High Country Office is located in Boone, serving communities in the Watauga, New, and Elk river watersheds. VolunteerAbout the High Country Office
164 Depot Street
Boone, NC 28607
(828) 278-9821
The High Country Office partners with and protects communities in Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Caldwell, Burke, Watauga, and Wilkes counties through the following programs, events, and initiatives:
- Watauga Riverkeeper
- Water monitoring programs
- Riverkeeper Float Fest
- Muddy Water Watch and reducing sediment pollution in the Watauga River Watershed
- Sustainable land use
- Sustainable transportation alternatives — improved bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure and better public transportation
High Country Team
Volunteer with us!
We have many regular volunteer opportunities throughout the warmer months. Below are some of the ways you can get involved. Click the images to add your name to our volunteer roster. Please note that volunteer event dates and times are subject to change due to weather conditions with short notice. Follow the Watauga Riverkeeper Instagram and Watauga Riverkeeper Facebook Page or email hannah@mountaintrue.org to receive the most up-to-date information on event changes/cancellations.
High Country News
What’s Going On With the NC Farm Bill?
Last night Governor Roy Cooper vetoed SB711, a dangerous bill that would greatly limit the constitutional right of North Carolinians living near industrial hog farms to seek justice in the courts for nuisance and pollution of their air and water. This is when we need your calls more than ever. Will you make a quick call to your state representative now to make sure Governor Cooper’s veto of SB711 stands?
Before You Go Out on the Watauga: Check the SwimGuide for the Latest Water Quality Reports
Swimmers, paddlers and anglers heading out for a day on the Watauga River have a new resource for checking water safety, the SwimGuide.org – a website that provides free real-time water quality information for over 7,000 beaches, lakes, rivers and swimming holes in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, the Bahamas and Australia.
Calling All Businesses: Our Planet Needs You
As part of #WNCforthePlanet – a celebration of Earth Day throughout the month of April – local conservation and environmental nonprofits are recruiting businesses, civic groups and community organizations to take part in the Business & Community Challenge. Through this competition, groups compete with each other to earn Planet Points and work for the improvement of our local environment.
Series of Expert Panels to Discuss Future of Nantahala & Pisgah National Forests in Sylva, Boone, Brevard and Andrews this March
Experts representing a diverse group of conservation, recreation and business interests will take part in a series of special panel events on the future of the Nantahala-Pisgah National Forests this March. The panels, which will be held in Sylva, Boone, Brevard, and Andrews, will present visions for a win-win forest management plan that allows all interests to co-exist and thrive in Western North Carolina’s national forests.
Support Local, Sustainable, Farmers From Your Watershed This Holiday Season!
A large portion of farmers in North Carolina produce meat, but the way farmers raise their animals makes a huge difference for our waterways. Waterkeepers across North Carolina have compiled a list of farms in their watersheds that feed us without threatening our rivers, lakes, and streams – farmers who deserve our thanks and our business. Check out the list in time for Thanksgiving and Christmas here.
Riverkeepers Respond to Duke’s Coal Ash Dishonesty
Over the weekend, Duke Energy Spokesperson Danielle Peoples responded to MountainTrue’s paddle protest on the Broad River with multiple untrue statements about the dangers of coal ash and the extent of Duke’s pollution at their power plant in Cliffside, NC [“Battle over coal ash continues in Cliffside” (11/5/17)]. In a Letter-to-the-Editor for the Shelby Star, Western North Carolina’s Riverkeepers stand up for the truth on coal ash and our rivers and set the record straight.