Press release from The Pisgah Conservancy:
Brevard, NC – Last Saturday (April 26), more than 500 volunteers joined The Pisgah Conservancy for its annual Pisgah Project Day. This year’s event brought together community members from across Western North Carolina and beyond to complete 25 hands-on projects benefiting forest trails, habitats and recreational areas in Transylvania, Henderson, Buncombe, and Haywood Counties.Since its inception in 2016—just one year after The Pisgah Conservancy was founded—Pisgah Project Day has grown into the largest single day of service within the Pisgah Ranger District. This year, volunteers contributed over 2,000 hours of labor.“Pisgah Project Day is a day of celebration and service to give back to the forest which has given us so much over the years,” said Sandy Willan, a long-time volunteer with The Pisgah Conservancy.Trail improvement was a central focus of this year’s projects, with volunteers completing rehabilitation work on many well-used trails including the Exercise, Bennett Gap, Starens Branch, Grassy Road, North Slope, Black Mountain, Sunwall, Shining Creek, Cat Gap Loop, John Rock, Hardtimes Connector, and Cove Creek trails. The work ensures safer and more sustainable access for all who explore Pisgah.Invasive plant species were targeted and removed from three critical areas: Sycamore Flats Picnic Area, Avery Creek Road, and North Mills River Campground. Additional work included trash cleanups and infrastructure restoration across several key locations. Volunteers improved conditions at Upper White Pines Group Campground, the Cradle of Forestry, and the Courthouse Creek Wildlife Opening. They also removed trash from Davidson River Road and from several dumpsites in the Highway 215 corridor.Fences damaged by Hurricane Helene were replaced at Coontree Picnic Area and Sycamore Flats Picnic Area. Restoration efforts also took place with the planting of red spruce trees at Graveyard Fields and the addition of native shrubs and trees near the new NCDOT pedestrian bridge over the Davidson River.Pisgah Project Day reflects The Pisgah Conservancy’s enduring commitment to its six focus areas: recreation support, watershed improvement, invasive plant removal, trash cleanup, habitat improvement, and visitor information and education.“I like Pisgah Project Day because I like giving back to the community,” says Cora (age 9). Cora and her family have volunteered together for the last several years.Thank you to our generous Pisgah Project Day 2025 sponsors:Transylvania County Tourism Development Authority, Elevated Trail Design, Hunter Subaru, D.D. Bullwinkel’s Outdoors, Oskar Blues Brewery, Pilot Cove, PLATT, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., UNC Health Pardee, Vulcan Materials Company, Weevil Outdoor, Blue Ridge Orthodontics, Broad River Insurance Agency, Comporium, Ecusta Brewing Company, Looking Glass Realty, Mast General Store, Naventure, Pisgah Coffee Roasters, REI, Water Oak Dental, Altura Architects, Bartlett Tree Experts, Chazin & Company, Deerwood Reserve, Freeman Gas & Superior Plus Propane, O.P. Taylor’s, and Pisgah Energy.Thank you to these dedicated partners for helping to make this community workday a success:U.S. Forest Service, Back Country Horsemen of Pisgah, Carolina Mountain Club, EcoForesters, FIND Outdoors, Friends of the North Fork of the French Broad, the National Forest Foundation, NC Fish and Wildlife Conservation Council, NC Wildlife Resources Commission, Pisgah Area SORBA, Pisgah Cowboys, Southern Appalachian Wilderness Stewards, Southern Highlands Reserve, Transylvania County Extension Master Gardeners, Transylvania County Rescue Squad, and Trout Unlimited – Pisgah and Land O’Sky Chapters.The Pisgah Conservancy is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) whose mission is to work in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service to provide key resources for the benefit of Pisgah and its visitors for generations to come. For more information, visit https://pisgahconservancy.org/.
