Western Regional Office - Murphy, NC
MountainTrue's Western Regional Office is located in Murphy, serving communities in the Hiwassee, Nottely, Little Tennessee, and Savannah river watersheds. Western region counties are: Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain, Graham, Cherokee & Clay in NC and Towns & Union in north Georgia. VolunteerAbout the Western Regional Office
90 Tennessee St. Suite D
Murphy, NC 28906
(828) 837-5414
In 2019, the Hiwassee River Watershed Coalition merged with MountainTrue to become its Western Regional Office. MountainTrue’s Western Regional Office partners with and serves communities in Western North Carolina’s Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, and Swain counties, as well as Towns and Union counties in North Georgia. The Western Region Team manages the following programs and events:
Western Region Team



Volunteer with us!
We have many regular volunteer opportunities throughout the warmer months – visit our events calendar to view upcoming volunteer opportunities. Please note that volunteer event dates and times are subject to change due to weather conditions with short notice. Follow the MountainTrue West Facebook Page or email callie@mountaintrue.org to receive the most up-to-date information on event changes/cancellations.
Swim Guide
Western Region News
Highlands, NC Becomes the Country’s First BearWise Certified Town
It took a decade of effort, but this scenic Western North Carolina town did what no other town or city in the country has done to date: become a BearWise certified community. However, this major accomplishment was no easy feat.
Swim Guide Watershed Report: Hiwassee River Watershed
See how the Hiwassee River Watershed fared this year as we continue our data review from the 2021 Swim Guide season. We’ll let you know which areas were the cleanest and where we saw ongoing bacteria pollution problems. We’ll conclude with achievable solutions for the future and a call to action so you can continue to help us protect the places we share.
October 2021 E-Vistas Newsletter
Check out what the team at MountainTrue has been up to. In this edition, we have a deep-dive analysis on the NC Energy Bill that was signed by Governor Cooper last week, updates on pollution coming from The Cottages of Boone and our work to save ash trees from the emerald ash borer, and volunteer opportunities to help eradicate invasive plants in both the Western Region and in the High Country. To our volunteers, members and supporters, thank you for everything that you do to protect the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains.
Join Us for an Annual Member Gathering in Your Area!
We are excited to be gathering in person this year to connect with you, our members, to celebrate our award winners and see each others’ smiling faces!
In light of the current rate of COVID infections and the situation in hospitals across our region, we have chosen to host multiple, smaller, outdoor events in place of one large gathering. We are also requiring that all attendees be fully vaccinated in order to participate. If you are not vaccinated, you will have an opportunity to vote for new and returning board members online.
July 2021 E-Vistas Newsletter
In our July E-News we celebrate our Bio-Blitz winners, welcome Sarah Ogletree as the new director of the Creation Care Alliance, expose the impacts of clear-cutting at Bottomley Farms, and more.
Jackson County Wins the 2021 Bioblitz
After two weeks of hard-nosed competition, Jackson County has won the 2021 Bioblitz over Watauga and Transylvania Counties. Overall, 46 people contributed 2,947 observations and 317 people helped with the identification of 1,228 species. While Jackson County had 1,403 observations to Watauga County’s 1,068, the competition for the most species was much tighter – Jackson county prevailed 738 to 681. Transylvania County came in a distant third with 472 observations and 279 species.