“RiverLink is the only conservation organization focused exclusively on the French Broad River and its tributaries,” says Lisa Raleigh, the nonprofit’s executive director. “We operate three programs that include water resource management, land conservation and youth education.”
Amid an ongoing severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, Western North Carolina is experiencing a surge in wildfires and elevated wildfire risk that endanger both communities and public lands.
After several reports of visitors feeding and attempting to hold a young bear in recent weeks at the Lane Pinnacle Overlook, officials closed the Blue Ridge Parkway from milepost 367.6 near the Craggy Gardens Picnic Area to milepost 375.6 at Ox Creek Road until further notice.
More than 200 river rats, advocates, conservationists and economic stakeholders from a seven-county region filled Ferguson Auditorium to celebrate their successes and discuss ways to continue cleaning up one of the world’s oldest water ways to maximize its environmental and economic sway.
Hood Huggers International founder and CEO DeWayne Barton, released his new book, “The CAP Playbook: Phase One,” on Aug. 14. The book’s Community Accountability Plan lays out a vision of creating a sustainable, inclusive and economically empowered culture in historically marginalized communities. Barton notes that the book is set up similarly to a football playbook, but instead of scoring touchdowns, the “plays” help achieve community goals.
The Southern Environmental Law Center and five other conservation groups issued the USFS a notice of intent to sue in July on the grounds that it ignored its own scientific findings suggesting that logging in certain areas could drastically harm the habitat and feeding grounds of four already endangered species, therefore violating the Endangered Species Act. If filed, the case will be heard in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina.
After 17 long years of removing toxic soil and replanting native grasses and flora, the greenway phase of Karen Cragnolin Park officially opened with a dedication ceremony Aug. 25. The park was dedicated to and named after Karen Cragnolin, the founder and former executive director of RiverLink who died in 2022.
Riding a bike in Western North Carolina is an immersive experience of flying on miles of single-track trails, cruising over creeks and under the tree canopy. Yet full access to nature is challenging for mountain bikers living with disabilities.
The popularity of composting is growing in Buncombe County, and government-sponsored food-scrap collection programs are helping some residents divert food waste from landfills.
Firefly Gathering is the largest earth-skills gathering in the country. Held at Deerfields, the 940-acre retreat center in the Pisgah National Forest near Mills River, the annual event transforms a quiet mountain hollow into a self-sufficient village.
The roughly 19-mile greenway along an unused rail line between Brevard and Hendersonville, first proposed in 2009, received about $46 million toward its estimated $53.5 million construction cost.
Among the complaints Asheville residents have about their city, litter is one that most can agree on. A new pilot program initiated this spring by the city Public Works Department seeks to address an underserved population by the city’s Sanitation Division services: people who are unhoused.
Grazing goats are an increasingly popular means of eliminating invasive plants.
A new report by conservation nonprofit MountainTrue finds that E. coli concentrations in the French Broad River near Asheville regularly exceed eight times the standard considered safe for swimming by the federal Environmental Protection Agency.
The 342-acre tract atop Deaverview Mountain, just five miles from downtown Asheville, was purchased by an anonymous conservationist in March with the intention of selling the land to the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy. SAHC has three years to obtain federal and state grants to repay the buyer, then it plans to turn the property over to Buncombe County as a park or preserve.
Led by expert speakers, the monthly talks at the West Asheville Library will examine the novels “The Tall Woman” (1962), “The Far Family” (1966) and “Return the Innocent Earth” (1973).
Jim Clark has volunteered with MountainTrue since 2014, collecting water samples for E-coli testing along the French Broad River. Today, he also collects microplastic water samples and conducts monthly plastic counts at Pierson Bridge.
Darlene Kucken is a volunteer for Green Built Alliance’s Energy Savers Network. Through volunteers, the network installs energy-efficiency measures in homes with limited income in Western North Carolina.
Grady Nance is a volunteer at MountainTrue. The nonprofit champions resilient forests, clean waters and healthy communities in the Southern Blue Ridge.
Pat Strang is a volunteer at Asheville GreenWorks, which works to create an equitable, climate-resilient future for the community.
Bettye Fox Boone and Saylor Fox are volunteers with Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy. The organization conserves unique plant and animal habitat, clean water, farmland, scenic beauty in the mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina. How long have you been volunteering with the conservancy and what inspired you to join? We have been volunteering with the Southern […]
