Nina's Update The winter months are a great time to get out on the trails to enjoy the crisp air and long-range views. TPC has been hard at work planning the year ahead - it’s going to be a busy one, and we’ll need your support!
We’re thrilled to announce that Pisgah Project Day - our annual community workday on the Pisgah - will return on Saturday, April 30th after a three-year hiatus. We hope you’ll save the date! We’re so grateful to our Lead Sponsor, the Transylvania County Tourism Development Authority, and our many generous sponsors who are making the event possible. Scroll down to see them all, and stay tuned for volunteer details in next month’s newsletter.
Thank you for your continued support of TPC!
Sincerely,
Nina nina@pisgahconservancy.org ![]() Flower Gap photo by Francisco Miller
John Dickson Photography John Dickson is an incredibly talented photographer who grew up in the Southern Highlands. He and his wife Joan (daughter of Art Loeb) are wonderful supporters of TPC, and we’re thrilled to say you can now view some of John’s work on our website!
To view John’s work, click here!
“John Dickson takes one-of-a-kind photos of our beautiful mountains. We’re excited to host his awe-inspiring work on our website, and we’re fortunate to call him and Joan friends of TPC.” - John Cottingham, TPC Founder & Executive Director
Support "The Great Forest" Film! ![]() Looking Glass Falls photo by Director, Garrett Martin “THE GREAT FOREST” follows conservationists throughout southern Appalachia as they struggle to manage two of the most biodiverse and visited national forests in the country. Their campaign launched last week, and they need the community’s help to finish the film! Visit their Kickstarter page here to learn more about the project and find out how you can support it!
Planned Giving ![]() When trying to decide your options for charitable gifts for the Pisgah Conservancy, it’s good to know what ways you can help. Do you want to be able to provide for your heirs, as well as support us? We have an option for that!
It’s called a “Charitable Lead Trust,” and this increasingly popular plan can be used to achieve what might otherwise seem to be conflicting goals, while you also enjoy significant tax savings and other financial benefits.
To learn more about what a Charitable Lead Trust is and how it can be used to help your family and TPC, click here!
Jeff's Trails Corner This February, the Pisgah Ranger District welcomes back a partner work crew from the Conservative Anabaptist Service Program (CASP). This program provides an alternative service program for conscientious objectors, connecting young men to work projects in construction and forestry in lieu of selective service. Many are skilled tradesmen and carpenters, and all are hard workers with an ethic of service. They will be with us for four weeks and we are extremely excited to welcome them to the Pisgah and see the great work they will accomplish.
CASP work groups have a long history on the Pisgah Ranger District. ![]() In early 2020, they completed split-rail fencing projects in the Rainbow Falls area and began turnpiking on the Estatoe trail. 2019 saw a visiting CASP crew complete construction on a new footbridge on the Exercise Trail near the Ranger Station and replace the wood decking on the steel bridge spanning the Davidson River on the Art Loeb trail.
Back in 2013, CASP service members completed work on an extensive network of boardwalks traversing the rare Appalachian Bog ecosystems of the south end of the Pink Beds Loop trail. Working in the same area of the Pink Beds this year, we discovered names carved on a decking board of these boardwalks revealing that several of our current crewmembers indeed had brothers and cousins on this 2013 CASP service project, bringing full circle the tradition and ethic of service of this important partner organization.
As mentioned, this month’s CASP crew is working on a series of trail projects on the Pink Beds Loop. With the guidance of FS and TPC trail workers, they have repaired a damaged footbridge building new elevated foundations and leveling it, as well as constructing a turnpiked approach to the first bridge out of the parking lot into the Pink Beds. They have also turnpiked significant stretches of low-lying trail and built a series of bog bridges across mudholes to improve hiker experience and reduce trail and resource impacts. ![]() With a trail as flat as the Pink Beds, with no place for water to drain, elevating the trail tread via turnpike or bog bridge was the only real solution. In addition to trails projects, the crew is taking on a variety of improvement projects throughout the Cradle of Forestry area. They have constructed and installed split-rail fence on the Biltmore Campus trail and other areas of the Cradle Grounds, completed painting jobs in the Discovery Center, disassembled the deteriorated structure around the sawmill display, and cleared excess vegetation from an outdoor educational forestry display. And all this in just their first two weeks! Their stay will see them continue work around the Cradle and Pink Beds area on a series of projects.
Great thanks to CASP for their service and to FIND Outdoors for providing the materials for the projects completed during their stay, and thanks also to all of you for your continued support of the Pisgah Conservancy and Pisgah National Forest!
Every year, Amazon allows its customers the opportunity to give back to their local community simply through shopping. If you follow Pisgah Conservancy's custom link to the Amazon site, .5% of the price of eligible purchases will be donated back to us at no extra cost to you!
Click here to learn more!
![]() Thank you to our incredible Pisgah Project Day 2022 sponsors who’ve helped us raise more than $46,000! It’s not too late to join them - to inquire about sponsorship, contact Nina.
Lead Sponsor: Transylvania County Tourism Development Authority
Mount Pisgah Sponsors: Hunter Hometown Foundation Hunter Subaru
Black Balsam Sponsors: D.D. Bullwinkel's Outdoors Mast General Store Oskar Blues Pilot Cove Range Urgent Care Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Vulcan Materials Company
Looking Glass Sponsors: Asheville Print Shop Bartlett Tree Experts Comporium Ecusta Brewing Gaia Herbs Looking Glass Realty Murphy's Naturals O.P. Taylor's Piney Mountain Bike Lounge Pisgah Coffee Roasters Pisgah Map Co. REI SylvanSport
John Rock Sponsors: 3oak HandCrafted Adventure Treks ELEVATE Physical Therapy Platt Samsel Architects Water Oak Dental
PISGAH FACT: Did you know that the Pisgah Forest is home to more than 250 waterfalls?! That means if you enjoy hiking or you’re looking for some gorgeous sight-seeing and chasing waterfalls, the Pisgah Forest will certainly not disappoint!
TPC License Plate Success
We have been blown away at the success generated from our license plate sales. As you purchase and renew your Pisgah Conservancy license plate, you are providing a sustainable source of operating revenue needed for us to continue our work. In fact, for the $30.00 purchase, $20.00 comes back to us! The plates have been so popular that we have heard news that a few license plate agencies run out from time to time. To be safe, order your plate online by clicking here. You can avoid the crowds and be assured of getting a TPC plate for your car or truck. |