Since our founding in 2015, we have worked in close partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and a broad network of stakeholders—including outdoor recreation groups, local businesses, and community members—to provide critical resources that help care for and sustain Pisgah National Forest.
Our Founder and Executive Director, John Cottingham, saw an opportunity to unite people around a shared love for Pisgah.
“I didn’t know many of you. But I knew you were out there—people who loved Pisgah and would welcome an opportunity to protect Pisgah for future generations,” said Cottingham.
In our earliest days, we launched a specialty license plate program to provide crucial funding to initiate our first projects. Now, thousands of people directly support continuing efforts to care for the forest by sporting a Pisgah plate.
We’ve led numerous projects to restore, protect, and enhance the forest over the past 10 years. Highlights include:
- Launching the Pisgah Ranger District’s first full-time professional trail crew
- Hosting Pisgah Project Day, now the largest single-day volunteer event in the forest, mobilizing hundreds of volunteers annually to complete trail work, invasive plant removal, stream restoration, and more
- Supporting the Pisgah River Rangers, a team dedicated to promoting watershed health and aquatic habitat protection through direct stewardship and hands-on education
- Establishing Pisgah’s first invasive plant management crew to protect forest biodiversity
- Leading dumpsite cleanups with local partners, removing thousands of pounds of waste from public lands
- Improving trail signage in high-use areas like Black Balsam and the Cat Gap/John Rock trail complexes
- Creating the Courthouse Creek wildlife opening, enhancing habitat for native species
- Building new trails, including the Stony Knob Trail, the Black Mountain Connector, and the Searcy Creek Connector
One of our most ambitious efforts is the Graveyard Fields Restoration Project, a large-scale initiative funded in part by the Lastinger Family Foundation. Planned work includes new trail construction, trail rehabilitation, stream, and red spruce restoration—all designed to protect the ecological integrity of this heavily visited high-mountain valley.
Looking forward, we are working to secure thoughtful investments, build strong partnerships, and nurture a shared commitment to stewardship, so that Pisgah can have the key resources it needs for generations to come.
