Today we are celebrating a significant step toward regional recovery from Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina.
The Pisgah Conservancy has been awarded a 4.5-year, nearly $8 million grant from the National Forest Foundation on behalf of the USDA Forest Service to support our expanded role in the Hurricane Helene recovery process on the Pisgah Ranger District of Pisgah National Forest.
Our grant-funded work to help the forest recover will include:
- Rebuilding and maintaining trails, trail bridges, and other infrastructure throughout the District’s 400+ mile trail network
- Supporting ecosystem recovery through invasive plant management, streambank stabilization, erosion control, and watershed stewardship and education
This expansion will also allow The Pisgah Conservancy to more than double the size of our full-time field staff, creating jobs for community members who care deeply about our public lands and who want to be part of Pisgah’s recovery.
Years of major hands-on improvement work, building trusted partnerships, and the generosity of our supporters has prepared us for this milestone.
Although Helene recovery work will be a focus of ours in the coming years, we will simultaneously continue to focus on:
- Moving major improvement projects forward, such as the multi-year trail rehabilitation, habitat improvement, and stream stabilization work we are implementing at Graveyard Fields
- Conducting outreach and education through the Pisgah River Rangers program and through community events and partnerships
- Hosting Pisgah Project Day – the largest community volunteer day in the forest – in addition to year-round opportunities for volunteers to work alongside our field staff to repair and maintain trails, remove invasive plants, and remove trash
Since our founding in 2015, our work has been driven by community care for this beloved forest. Our supporters have helped us build an organization that is ready for this expansion and is proud to be given this opportunity.
As we step into this new chapter, community support is needed to help us address the ever-changing needs of the forest.
Ways to get involved:
- Volunteer with us – visit the Events page on our website for scheduled dates
- Support The Pisgah Conservancy with a one-time gift or become a monthly donor (explore more Ways to Give here)
- NC residents – Purchase a Pisgah license plate today! For every $30 purchase, $20 goes directly to The Pisgah Conservancy (learn more here)
- Attend an event – Join us for our educational Plants & Pints series, hands-on learning and exploration with the Pisgah River Rangers, and more (see upcoming events here)
Visit the Helene Recovery page on our website to learn about the work we have already accomplished to help Pisgah recover, as well as future work that will be made possible by this National Forest Foundation grant.