In order to support the local conservation community as the region continues to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Helene and ongoing land stewardship, local organizations have offered to lead Optional Volunteer Stewardship Projects on Friday, October 9, 2026.
While also valuable contributions to the groups sponsoring the projects, many of these projects are also opportunities to see another natural area in the region.
These projects are not a part of the conference agenda. If you are interested in participating in any of these projects, please contact the Group Leader listed for more information and to register.
Questions about the conference? Contact info@naturalareas.org.
Questions about a specific project? Contact the person listed under each project description.
Hemlock trees are an essential and irreplaceable part of Appalachian forests, but for over 20 years, they've been under threat from hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA), an invasive insect that can kill hemlocks in our region in as little as four years. Hemlocks are considered a foundation species in general, and are an integral component of the Pink Beds bog system in particular, in which they influence hydrology, nutrient cycling, and habitat for aquatic and terrestrial organisms. More than 770 hemlocks have been previously treated at this site, but the protection is wearing off, and it is time to retreat them to prevent re-infestation and a decline in crown health. It would take our team several days to complete this project without additional help.
We will be treating hemlocks throughout the site (on- and off-trail) using systemic insecticides to protect them from hemlock woolly adelgid. Every volunteer will be paired with a trained and licensed HRI team member who will provide instruction and guidance. There will also be time to explore and talk about this unique forest and bog habitat.
What to expect:
Leader: Margot Wallston & Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy
Duration: Full Day, Estimate 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Good To Know:
More information and to register for the event.
This trail bridge as it currently stands is not up to spec and has a history of killing salamanders as they travel across it. We want to replace this bridge so it's safer for humans and the wildlife that use it.
This project site is 0.5 miles in from the trailhead on a loop trail on Bluff Mountain, a temperate broadleaf and mixed forest. The bridge crosses a riparian area teaming with wildlife, specifically salamanders.
The site was impacted by Hurricane Helene.
What to expect:
Leader: Kristina Macaulay & Southern Appalachian Wilderness Stewards
Duration: Full Day, Estimate 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Good To Know:
In 2024, Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy accepted the donation of 7,500 acres in Mitchell and Avery Counties, NC, creating the South Yellow Mountain Preserve (SYMP). Tucked between Spruce Pine and Roan Mountain, SYMP is the largest single gift in SAHC's history, and the largest gift of land to a land trust. The South Yellow Mountain Preserve provides a haven for wildlife and natural beauty, permanently protected as a nature preserve and research forest.
This area of the South Yellow Mountain Preserve is adjacent to many other SAHC properties and public lands that were heavily impacted by Hurricane Helene in the form of blow downs and landslides. Tree of Heaven has been regionally identified as a significant threat to these newly created open landscapes. Treatment in this area, which abuts many local farms and watersheds will not only improve the species richness and integrity of SYMP, but will help our neighbors fend against TOH.
While most of the project area is early successional filled with young black locust, poplar, maple, and basswood, the ridge line offers an older forest with large boundary trees marking the line between the two ages of forest. This is a visible clue to past land use and can aid land management practitioners in prescriptions. Scattered throughout the project area are large boulders and small cliff lines that showcase some lovely lichens and plants! For history buffs, there are two remnant chimneys and one abandoned mine that are within the project site.
The site was impacted by Hurricane Helene.
What to expect:
Leader: Park Greer & Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy
Duration: Full Day, Estimate 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Good To Know:
Join Southern Appalachian Wilderness Stewards for a trail stewardship project that will help keep local trails safe, sustainable, and enjoyable for everyone.
Participants will assist with essential maintenance jobs such as brushing overgrown vegetation, improving trail tread conditions, and cleaning drains to keep water off the trail and prevent erosion. This rewarding project will allow participants to experience the Southern Appalachian ecosystem and leave a lasting positive impact on the community.
The site was impacted by Hurricane Helene.
What to expect:
Leader: Valerie Knowles & Southern Appalachian Wilderness Stewards
Duration: Full Day, Estimate 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (TBD)
Good To Know:
Join Conserving Carolina and MountainTrue at the Melrose Falls Preserve - one of the premiere natural areas on the Blue Ridge Escarpment - to remove woody invasive plants mechanically and with herbicides. Melrose Falls Preserve has one of the largest populations of Trillium simile and a very well-developed Rich Cove Forest (Low Elevation Rich Subtype). The community and it's denizens are threatened by non-native invasive plants such as tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima), burning bush (Euonymes alata), multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora), English Ivy (Hedera helix), and more. Melrose Falls is currently closed to the public due to impacts of Hurricane Helene closing the access road to all but local traffic. On the approach to the preserve, participants will navigate a state highway that is down to one lane in places due to landslides and flood impacts. Tools, PPE, herbicide, and training will be provided. Participants can expect to learn to identify native flora and several non-native invasive plants. The trip leaders will teach techniques such as cut-and-paint, hack-and-squirt, and manual pulling of invasive plants.
Highlights of the trip include an opportunity to experience an exemplary example of the rare, low elevation subtype of Rich Cove Forest and working alongside naturalists with more than 40 years of field experience in the Blue Ridge. Melrose Falls itself is a scenic waterfall, and participants that bring swim wear could cool off in a small pool in the creek in the case of hot weather.
This workday will help to maintain and improve an exceptional natural area that is bordered by an abandoned railroad grade on the south and a state highway and stream on the north. All of these features are vectors for non-native invasive plants (NNIPs). Maintaining the diversity of Melrose Falls Preserve in the long-term requires stewardship to prevent NNIPs from displacing natives.
The site was impacted by Hurricane Helene.
What to expect:
Leader: Josh Kelly, Resilient Forests Program Director, MountainTrue
Organized by: Conserving Carolina and MountainTrue
Duration: Full Day, Estimate 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (TBD)
Good To Know:
Karen Cragnolin Park (KCP) was acquired by RiverLink in 2006 as a long-standing auto-crushing junkyard. For nearly two decades, RiverLink has invested in transforming the property by removing concrete, healing polluted soils through phytoremediation, managing invasive plants, and creating a new kind of public park, one that celebrates its ecological and cultural context, tells a story of remediation and restoration, and honors RiverLink's founder, Karen Cragnolin.
Located along the French Broad River within an extensive network of City of Asheville riverfront parks and greenways (only 3 miles from the Crown Plaza Hotel), KCP occupies a unique place in this system as a park that leads with conservation. Designed with flood resilience in mind, the park performed remarkably well during Hurricane Helene despite being submerged under more than 15 feet of water. Today, RiverLink continues to invest in the park's long-term resilience through stewardship of its native pollinator meadow in partnership with Patchwork Meadows, enhancement of riparian habitats, and ongoing efforts to create an aesthetically compelling, educational, and climate-resilient public space for the community to enjoy.
The site was impacted by Hurricane Helene.
What to expect:
Leader: Elijah Charette & RiverLink
Duration: Full Day, Estimate 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Good To Know:
We are managing this forest for a specific type of habitat that is rarely found in the region but that is bio-identical to a more mature site at the Sandy Mush Game Lands.
The site was impacted by Hurricane Helene.
What to expect:
Leader: Chris Link & SAHC Community Farm
Duration: Full Day, Estimate (TBD)
Good To Know:
Support the people who manage our natural areas and protect biodiversity in perpetuity.
