Mountain Valleys Resource Conservation & Development

07/16/2026

Today we reflect with gratitude on a critical funder for the restoration of Blannahassett Island in Marshall. Funding for this project was provided by a grant from The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina.

Every time we visit Blannahassett Island, we're struck by how dramatically it has changed. It's hard to believe it's the same place where we first rolled up our sleeves in October 2024. Thank you to all our partners, most notably the Town of Marshall, NC and Madison County NC Soil & Water, our many volunteers, everyone who has showed up in countless ways to pitch in, and thank you to The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, without whom this work would not have been possible.

07/10/2026

Join us in Rutherford County on 8/20!

Learn how Mountain Valleys Resource Conservation & Development helps communities reduce the risk of home and property loss due to wildfire.

Join us to discover practical strategies for wildfire preparedness, risk reduction, and protecting your home, family, and community. Along with stream bank stabilization.
We look forward to sharing valuable information and resources that can help make our communities safer and more resilient.
Everyone is welcome to attend.

Sign up
https://www.cognitoforms.com/RutherfordLTRG/MountainValleysFireMitigationMeeting

07/01/2026

The impact of the N.C. Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs spreads far across the state!! We were so honored to be featured presenters last year.

🎆NC EE Spotlight. Mariah Hughes is the Executive Director of the Mountain Valleys Resource Conservation & Development Mariah worked as a temporary with the office in the 2010's, and in this Talk on Helene Recovery, shares how her time with the office guided her career and molded her professionalism in the environmental field. https://www.youtube.com/live/XG6DhASdJ8o

06/16/2026

We still have plenty of beautiful native grass and flower plugs grown by Madison County Soil and Water Conservation District and Madison FFA! Free at the island.

06/11/2026

Volunteer opportunity and free native grass & flower giveaway!

Join us and Marshall Relief Alliance on Tuesday 6/16 starting at 10AM at Blannahassett Island for a planting & invasive removal day.

We'll also be giving away beautiful native grass and flower plugs grown by Madison County NC Soil & Water and Madison FFA! Giveaway starts at 10AM, while supplies last.

06/05/2026

Mayflies, caddisflies, stoneflies, oh my!

Thanks to Ann Marie at The Environmental Quality Institute for taking us out for aquatic macroinvertebrate sampling in Gabriel's Creek and California Creek in Mars Hill. She is a bug ID queen!

The bugs we find in the creeks can tell us a lot about the quality of the water based on their sensitivity to pollutants.

Together we cataloged over 300 bugs. It's always a great day when we get to play with our friends in our beautiful creeks here in Madison County!

06/04/2026

Save the date!

This will be a highly interactive event to produce locally-led ideas for building a more resilient Marshall. Plus, delicious meals from Begonia Fine Foods provided!

Free to attend. Register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSccllZ_Sfs2HQ2DXwXKcvD2RoIcyg-rJYffj8vdrn3rRqtATA/viewform

05/26/2026

Swannanoa and neighboring communities!

Come join us this Saturday from 1-4 to learn more about wildfire mitigation and how our organization can help you be more resilient to wildfire risks.

05/19/2026

What a weekend!

Laura at Team Rubicon reached out months ago looking for help with a debris plan for a neighborhood in Buncombe County with acres of Helene blowdown.

20 months on from Helene, we still see so many places where downed trees and other debris cause increased risk of wildfire intensity. In this neighborhood, snags that died during the storm line the narrow road which provides the only vehicle access to homes. Each new storm, however small, brings forth trauma and fear that emergency access will be blocked.

Our friends at Full Circle Forestry (https://www.instagram.com/fullcircleforestry/) felled the trees posing the biggest risk to the road, and Team Rubicon bucked up some of the hundreds of downed trees between houses. Our crew processed 8 truckloads (and counting!) of firewood to bring to firewood banks and residents in Buncombe and Madison Counties.

Together we are more than the sum of our parts. This is a project that would not have happened without collaboration. Thank you Team Rubicon and Full Circle for joining Mountain Valleys for such an inspiring weekend!

05/16/2026