Happy August from our crew!
Your donations and license plate purchases help all of us at The Pisgah Conservancy continue our work to meet the greatest needs of the forest.
Keep reading to see the impact you’ve helped make, what’s coming up, and how you can get involved.
Highlights in this month’s newsletter:
- Come see us tomorrow at Downtown After 5 in Asheville for hellbender fun, face painting, and the chance to meet Millie
- Our Trail Crew just completed seven weeks of work on North Slope Trail
- Join us for Plants & Pints on September 15th
- Trail relocation and campsite revegetation near the new English Chapel Bridge
- Year two of invasive plant removal is underway at sites throughout the Highway 276 corridor
- Invasive plant removal has begun along Headwaters Road
- Reflecting on the Pisgah River Rangers 2026 program season
- Gear up for Friends Day at Mast General Store on September 12th
Trails we’ve worked on in the past month:
- North Slope Trail
- Exercise Trail
- Second Falls (Graveyard Fields)
- Slick Rock Falls Trail
- Big Creek Trail
Trail Crew highlights
Our Trail Crew completed their seven-week overhaul of North Slope Trail this week.
Pictured: Before and after of a newly constructed drainage feature
In addition to brushing out the trail, restoring grade dips, and improving substandard sections of tread along 3.6 miles of trail, they also constructed multiple trail structures to address deteriorating infrastructure and a slide left behind by Hurricane Helene.
They stabilized the slide area by constructing a native timber crib wall to establish a durable trail bed and they ensured proper trail width by benching into the backslope.
Pictured: Crib wall construction, bridge construction
Bridge repair and replacement were also necessary to bring the trail up to standard, with the crew re-decking an 18’ long bridge at the trail’s entrance out of the campground, resurfacing adjacent turnpikes, and constructing two new bridges – one that is 12’ long and another that is 18’ long – across the bottom section of the trail.
Pictured: Before and after of turnpike resurfacing on a bridge approach
The crew also worked on the Exercise Trail, relocating 79 feet of trail beside the newly completed English Chapel bridge.
Our Ecological Restoration Crew assisted with this project by revegetating an adjacent Davidson River Campground site that was impacted by bridge construction. Native trees and shrubs were planted between the site and the relocated section of the Exercise Trail to provide a buffer for campers.
Pictured: Exercise Trail relocation, native tree being planted
Ecological Restoration Crew highlights
With follow-up maintenance and monitoring completed for the year at project sites in the Catheys Creek watershed, our Ecological Restoration Crew has spent the majority of the past month working at several sites in the Highway 276 corridor.
After completing the initial invasive plant treatments at these sites last year, the crew has returned to conduct follow-up treatments at roadside recreation areas including Sycamore Flats, Coontree, and Stillwater Picnic Areas.
Their work in the 276 corridor will continue in the coming months, as will kudzu treatments in the area.
Pictured: Kudzu infestation near Thrift Cove in 2024 and this month
They have also begun working along Headwaters Road, where they are removing invasive plants and surveying for unidentified infestations needing management.
Additionally, they are planning future native planting projects at Davidson River Campground in partnership with Naventure as the fall planting season approaches.
In late July, we partnered with EcoForesters to co-host a free community workshop about non-native invasive plant identification and removal. Thank you to EcoForesters and to the 50 community members who spent their Saturday with us!
Pisgah River Rangers program highlights
We have had a great season of watershed education and stewardship with the Pisgah River Rangers.
This season’s impact by the numbers so far:
- 1,089 pounds of trash removed
- 47 rock damns removed
- 73 fire rings removed from sensitive riparian areas
- 97 angler surveys conducted to collect important data for the NC Wildlife Resources Commission
The Pisgah River Rangers and Forest Service Fisheries Biologist Ivanna Knox have also hosted eight public snorkel programs with 117 total attendees. These free programs educate the public about our unique river ecosystems.
They brought this wonder to the big screen with a public screening of the Hidden Rivers of Southern Appalachia film in Hendersonville. Thank you to Guidon Brewing for hosting the event and to the 55 community members who attended.
They offered weekly hands-on activities at the Visitor Center and guided hikes on Andy Cove Trail. They worked weekends to provide visitor information and an on-the-ground presence during Pisgah’s busiest season. Last but not least, they worked with Scouts of North Carolina and South Carolina as well as Naventure to educate about the importance of aquatic macroinvertebrates (river bugs) to the ecosystem.
Although the full-scale program season has come to an end, two of this season’s interns have extended their time so we can continue providing on-the-ground support through Labor Day weekend.
A huge thank you to this year’s crew for bringing kindness, knowledge, creativity, and quite a bit of elbow grease to the program.
To learn more about the Pisgah River Rangers program and our program partners, please visit:
https://pisgahconservancy.org/success-stories/pisgah-river-rangers-outreach-education-program/
Major project update: Upper Falls Connector Trail
Progress has continued on the Upper Falls Connector Trail in Graveyard Fields despite minor weather delays.
Aggregate surfacing has been laid and compacted on more than half of the trail’s length. The durable surface and ample, well-located grade dips have held up against the heavy rains.
This trail tread work will continue in the coming weeks. Next, the contracted crew will begin constructing fords, bridges, and boardwalks.
To learn more about this project, please visit: https://pisgahconservancy.org/success-stories/new-upper-falls-connector-trail-construction/
Volunteer opportunities
We’ve hosted several volunteer workdays in the past month. Work on both Slick Rock Falls Trail and Big Creek Trail consisted predominantly of tread improvement, benching, and drainage improvements, with small groups of dedicated volunteers continuing our ongoing work along these trails.
At Second Falls (Graveyard Fields), a group of 15 athletes from Brevard College and their coach assisted us with hauling out hundreds of pounds of rotten boardwalk. The failing boardwalk was recently removed by our Trail Crew, in partnership with the Conservation Corps of North Carolina, due to safety concerns. The student group was the perfect volunteer force for this kind of heavy hauling project, and we are grateful for their support.
Upcoming volunteer opportunities:
- Tuesday, August 25th on Sycamore Cove Trail (details and registration here)
- Saturday, September 26th – Public Lands Day (details and registration coming soon)
Upcoming event: Plants & Pints
Join us for an informative presentation with Will Coffee, co-leader of our Ecological Restoration Crew. This month’s topic is ‘Pisgah National Forest, Watershed Health, Let’s Bug Out on That!‘ This is a free event; however, space is limited. For event details and to claim your spot, please visit: https://pisgahconservancy.org/event/plants-pints-september-2026/
Great Trails State Conference 2026
Some of our staff traveled to Winston-Salem last week to attend the Great Trails State Conference. We enjoyed the educational sessions, participating in a panel about collaborative stewardship in WNC, and the opportunity to meet so many inspiring people who are working to support trails, greenways, and blueways throughout North Carolina.
Catch us at Downtown After 5 tomorrow
Kick off the weekend with us at Asheville’s Downtown After 5 event! Enjoy an evening of live music, delicious food, and a local market featuring some of our favorite vendors. Stop by our booth to meet Millie the Hellbender mascot, test your knowledge with our hellbender habitat game, and more. This free event is open to the public. Our booth will be set up from 5 – 9 p.m. We’ll see you there!
Last call for the Pisgah Bridge Adventure Challenge
Hurry and complete the Pisgah Bridge Adventure Challenge before it’s too late! The deadline has been extended to August 22. For more details about the challenge, please visit: https://pisgahconservancy.org/pbac-2026/
Mark your calendar for Friends Day!
Join us at Mast General Store in Asheville on Saturday, September 12th for their annual Friends Day event! We’ll be onsite that morning to share information about our work, and 10% of the day’s sales will be donated to TPC.