Southern Appalachian Wilderness Stewards (SAWS)

Southern Appalachian Wilderness Stewards (SAWS) SAWS sets standards of excellence that inspire, connect, and equip people to steward wild landscapes

Southern Appalachian Wilderness Stewards (SAWS) is a conservation non-profit organization setting the standards of excellence that inspire, connect, and equip people to steward wild landscapes. SAWS was born from a need for wilderness stewardship across the southeast. In just over a decade, SAWS has grown to be a leader in wilderness stewardship, training, and education. We work hard to take care

of the wild and beloved remote areas that the public loves to recreate in. SAWS hires enthusiastic, talented youth and adults, providing workforce capacity in traditional skills, land management, trail maintenance/construction, and environmental conservation. We also love to engage with our community to help keep wilderness relevant and connect the public to the natural world through volunteer opportunities and local events.

How about a few more photos from WSI 2026? You don't have to wait until next year to build your skillset. Check out our ...
06/18/2026

How about a few more photos from WSI 2026?

You don't have to wait until next year to build your skillset. Check out our volunteer opportunities at https://wildernessstewards.org/volunteer and come work with several experienced trail maintainers.

Photo 2 courtesy of Barclay Fox. Photo 6 courtesy of Tabitha Stalvey.

It's a great time to get out and lend a hand! We have several events schedules for Saturday, June 27th. Check out the li...
06/17/2026

It's a great time to get out and lend a hand! We have several events schedules for Saturday, June 27th. Check out the list below and then head over to https://wildernessstewards.org/volunteer to sign up or get more details. Hope to see lots of you out there.

June Redden's Raiders - Corbin, KY, 10 am - 5 pm - Chainsaw work and brush removal.

Barbours Creek Brushout & Rebenching - Ripplemead, VA, 9 am - 3 pm

Grassy Branch Trail Maintenance - Troutdale, VA, 9 am - 4 pm

St. Mary's Stone Step Building - Vesuvius, VA, 10 am - 4 pm

Big Laurel Branch Workday - Meeting in Johnson City, TN, 9 am - 5 pm - Brushing and treadwork

06/17/2026

Shining Rock Remote Overnight Crew - June 27-28, 2026

Register here: https://tinyurl.com/ROC-ShiningRock-2026

Join the Carolina Mountain Club and Southern Appalachian Wilderness Stewards (SAWS) in this special event to maintain and protect popular trails including Art Loeb, Ivestor Gap, Greasy Cove, Shining Creek, Old Butt, Little East Fork, and Fork Mountain.

No prior experience is necessary. CMC and other trail crew members will lead small groups for specific projects providing training and tools. If you have always wanted to do trail work to give back, this is your opportunity. A great learning experience awaits! Learn new skills and make new friends. We are supported in this event by The Pisgah Conservancy and U.S. Forest Service - National Forests in North Carolina.

Can you believe it has been over a month since the 2026 Southern Appalachian Wilderness Skills Institute? We can't eithe...
06/16/2026

Can you believe it has been over a month since the 2026 Southern Appalachian Wilderness Skills Institute? We can't either! Here are a handful of images from the week to help you get through the next 10.5 months before WSI 2027.

06/10/2026

This past weekend was and we had a bunch of volunteers show up to events co-hosted with Southern Appalachian Wilderness Stewards (SAWS) and Potomac Appalachian Trail Club - PATC and other partners. We're so grateful for all the help we got! Here's a piece we wrote with SAWS about how important this trails work is to public lands: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r08/gwj/newsroom/stories/celebrating-national-trails-day-across-george-washington-jefferson

Image shows a group of volunteers in safety gear doing trail stabilization work at Keokee Lake on the Clinch Ranger District. Image courtesy of SAWS.

06/09/2026

What a great conversation with founder and former SAWS Executive Director Bill Hodge as well as one of SAWS very first Board of Directors.

Had a blast at Trails and Trains in Old Fort this weekend as well as the 8 volunteer events we did on the ground with th...
06/08/2026

Had a blast at Trails and Trains in Old Fort this weekend as well as the 8 volunteer events we did on the ground with the y’all!! Happy National Trails Day!!

06/06/2026
Did you know its National Forest Week and National Trails Day is this Saturday? What better way to celebrate your favori...
06/04/2026

Did you know its National Forest Week and National Trails Day is this Saturday? What better way to celebrate your favorite public lands than to come out and make a difference. We are hosting 8 different events across the region on June 5th and 6th and would love you see you there. You can find out more and sign up at https://wildernessstewards.org/volunteer.

June 5th - Trail Maintenance Workshop - Nantahala National Forest, Robbinsville, NC
June 6th - Hidden Valley Rec Area - George Washington & Jefferson NF, Warm Springs, VA
June 6th - Keokee Lake Trail - George Washington & Jefferson National Forest, Big Stone Gap, VA
June 6th - Little Dry Run Trail - George Washington & Jefferson National Forest, Speedwell, VA
June 6th - Poverty Creek Trail - George Washington & Jefferson National Forest, Blacksburg, VA
June 6th - St. Mary’s Campsite Rehab - George Washington & Jefferson NF, Vesuvius, VA
June 6th - Little East Fork - Pisgah National Forest, Woodrow, NC
June 6th - Panther Creek - Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest, Clarkesville, GA

Address

225 East Chestnut Street
Asheville, NC
28801

Telephone

+18287851517

Website

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