From the MountainTrue newsletter:
MountainTrue Welcomes Katharine Hayhoe to Asheville, April 5-6
MountainTrue and the Creation Care Alliance of Western North Carolina are pleased to present climate scientist and evangelical Christian Katharine Hayhoe for five special events, April 5-6. Katharine Hayhoe is featured in the Showtime documentary, “Years of Living Dangerously” and is on Time magazine’s 2014 list of 100 most influential people in the world. Katharine is a Texas Tech climatologist and co-authored “A Climate for Change: Global Warming Facts for Faith-Based Decisions” with her husband, Evangelical pastor Andrew Farley.
N.C. Utilities Commission Denies Duke Energy’s Application for Third Unit
On February 29, the North Carolina Utilities Commission handed down its decision on Duke Energy’s “Western Carolinas Modernization Project”, approving two over-sized natural gas-fired units but rejecting the controversial third “peaking” unit. These are mixed results that should be viewed in the context of the years-long campaign to move Asheville Beyond Coal.
MountainTrue Comes to the High Country with a Kick-off in Boone
The High Country welcomed MountainTrue High Country Director and new Watauga Riverkeeper Andy Hayslip with a special kickoff event in Boone, NC on March 3. Attendees enjoyed fantastic and creative beers from Appalachian Mountain Brewery, a new Spring special cookie from Appalachia Cookie Company, and music by Boone native Andy Farrell.
French Broad Ranks 11th in Outside’s Best Trips of 2016
Outside magazine has released its annual list of the Best Trips of 2016 and the French Broad River is ranked #11 … in the world. The magazine states that these vanguard destinations are the favorites of its editors and writers, and the French Broad River gets accolades for its access to some of the world’s best craft breweries. Now is your chance to make a reservation for the 2016 French Broad Riverkeeper Paddle Trip!
Upcoming Events
March 14 – Coal Ash Hearings for Cliffside (Rogers Energy Complex)
Coal ash sites at Cliffside power plant (Rogers Energy Complex) have been dumping toxic pollution into ground and surface waters for years. However, N.C.’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is currently not requiring Duke Energy to clean up Cliffside. Attend one of two hearings in Rutherford and Cleveland counties and tell DEQ that these sites need to be cleaned up! Both are on March 14, at 6 pm.
March 10 – Hendersonville Green Drinks: Stop Working So Hard – Let Chickens Do It
Every month, MountainTrue hosts Green Drinks at Black Bear Coffee and Espresso in downtown Hendersonville. Join us this Thursday for featured guest Justin Rhodes who will speak about raising permaculture chickens. Rhodes is an author and film producer, and has taught thousands of folks how to live more sustainable (freedom-filled) lives. Thursday, March 10 at Black Bear Coffee and Espresso at 5:30pm.
March 12 – Green River Hike With Ecologist Bob Gale
Join us for a moderate 7-mile Saturday hike along the Green River with MountainTrue’s very own ecologist Bob Gale! This is a great late winter hike which follows the Green River and offers continuous views from the river’s quiet stretches to its most intense rapids. We’ll look for early wildflowers and migrating warblers. Because it lies at lower elevations than more northerly mountain counties, temperatures should be mild and spring vegetation will be further along.
Volunteer with us!
We’re always looking for helpful folks to assist with our outings, special events, Forest Keepers and French Broad Riverkeerper programs and occasional administrative tasks. If you want to meet great people and do something meaningful with your free time, please consider volunteering with us! Click here for more information!
Volunteer Opportunities
March 10 – Paddle-n-Plant with the French Broad Riverkeeper
Join the French Broad Riverkeeper and MountainTrue and help 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. You can help by planting live-stakes along eroding riverbanks. These stakes grow into trees that stabilize the sides of the rivers and creeks, and reduce the amount of sediment getting into the river.
March 12 – Richmond Hill Park Invasive Plant Removal Work Day
Help restore native plant communities by controlling non-native invasive plants at Richmond Hill Park. This is the City of Asheville’s only forested park and is home to many special native plant and animal species! We’ll provide all gloves, equipment and instruction needed. Please bring snacks, water, rain jacket and wear long pants, long sleeve shirt and closed toe shoes (no open shoes or sandals allowed for safety).
March 12 – SMIE Water Quality Volunteer Training
MountainTrue will hold the annual volunteer training for the Stream Monitoring Information Exchange (SMIE), a biomonitoring program that gauges water quality through sampling aquatic macroinvertebrates or aquatic insects on Saturday March 12 at Blue Ridge Community College in Flat Rock, NC.
March 17 – “Get Your Green On” Volunteer Workday
Get your “green” on with MountainTrue, the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, and the Hemlock Restoration Initiative this St. Patrick’s Day for a workday in Sandy Mush to tackle trash & debris and promote hemlock health. We need hard workers who can tote tires up slope and out of the way of Sandy Mush Creek and help treat hemlocks in the area!
March 19 – OM Sanctuary Restoration
Join MountainTrue and the OM Sanctuary to help remove invasive plant species from their conservation easement! The OM Sanctuary’s conservation easement is very close to Richmond Hill Park and removing invasive plant species from the area is good news for native plants, birds, and other wildlife! The first restoration workday will be on Saturday, March 19th from 10:00 AM-2:00 PM.
March 24 – Hemlock Treatment Workday
Join the collaboration between MountainTrue and the Hemlock Restoration Initiative as we treat hemlocks in an effort to protect them from the hemlock wooly adelgid (HWA). Eastern and Carolina hemlock populations are declining due to the HWA, a small pest thriving off the hemlock’s stored and available nutrients. MountainTrue and the Hemlock Restoration Initiative are safely treating Eastern and Carolina hemlocks chemically to keep them alive until bio-controls are successfully implemented and we need your help!
Are YOU MountainTrue?
By becoming a member of MountainTrue, not only will your gift help protect our forests, water and air, but you will have the opportunity to hike with experts, volunteer to monitor streams, maintain our amazing Paddle Trail along the French Broad River, or clear trails in the national forest, just to name a few. Have fun with us, learn more about the incredible natural treasures of our region, and make a difference in your community — become a member or donate today!
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