NEWS

Residents of Mars Hill, along with several community partners, recently restored a major watershed with the goal of protecting the environment and local property, improving water quality, and boosting outdoor recreation opportunities.

A stream restoration project near Carter Falls began in late March with aid received due to damage from two major hurricanes in 2018. Resource Institute, a nonprofit headquartered in Winston-Salem which helps restore America’s streams, rivers, and wetlands, is providing services and assistance to Surry County to help with the restoration project on properties above Carter Falls.

The Mars Hill Community and several partners recently restored and stabilized sections of California, Paint Fork, and Little Ivy Creek. The project remediated severely eroding streambanks and will help mitigate downstream flooding by reducing the excess sediment in the stream corridor.

Foothills Conservancy announces a gift of a 322-acre tract within the corridor of the National Wild and Scenic Wilson Creek in Caldwell County. This “puzzle piece” in the Wilson Creek conservation assemblage was donated to Foothills Conservancy by longtime environmental steward and conservation philanthropist Tim Sweeney. The donation fills in a missing segment of protected public lands along the river, bordered on three sides by the Pisgah National Forest System.

Small towns across the state are focusing efforts on environmental restoration and creating equitable access to green spaces despite this year’s challenges from the pandemic.

In recent years, hurricanes and other powerful storms have taken their toll on many of North Carolina’s college campuses. One college in Fayetteville has decided to undertake major stream-restoration work on its campus and says the project sets an example of environmental stewardship for students.

Nestled in the northern part of Fayetteville, NC sits Methodist University (MU), a private university serving almost 2,400 students (undergraduate and postgraduate). It rests on 614 gorgeous acres, next to the Cape Fear River, and includes a golf course that is the focal point of its PGA Golf Management program.

ne of the most frequently visited parks in North Carolina has improved a prized natural resource.

Pilot Mountain rises 2,000 feet unexpectedly from the North Carolina Piedmont. Historically, Pilot Mountain functioned as a navigational landmark. Pilot Mountain State Park protects this astounding landmark and conserves almost 4,000 surrounding acres.

Water systems across North Carolina are in need of repair, yet local government budgets are shrinking amid the economic fallout from the pandemic.