Pisgah Project Day 2026. Photo by Ricardo Tejeda
By Emma Castleberry
The Pisgah Conservancy (TPC) has been awarded a 4.5–year, nearly $8 million grant from the National Forest Foundation on behalf of the Forest Service to support the Hurricane Helene recovery process. The grant will allow TPC to complete several major projects and more than double the size of its full-time field staff.
The first major project TPC will implement as part of the grant is a trail relocation, reconstruction and heavy maintenance project in the South Mills River area, one of the most damaged parts of the Pisgah Ranger District post-Helene. “This project will also set the stage for future Helene recovery projects, as it will provide reliable and sustainable access for construction crews that will later be contracted by the Forest Service to reconstruct the three large suspension bridges on this section of trail that were destroyed during Hurricane Helene,” says Nina Ardle, chief administrative and development officer for TPC.
Grant funds will also be used for outreach and education efforts, including a lead river ranger position for the Pisgah River Rangers program, which focuses on watershed health. “The Pisgah River Rangers program season coincides with the forest’s busiest recreation season (May through September), and, subsequently, the time of year when the greatest pressure is placed on its natural resources—especially its waterways,” says Ardle.
Prior to the grant, TPC employed five full-time, year-round employees across its Trail Crew and Ecological Restoration Crew. Since March, seven new team members have joined, and one more hire will be made by July. Annabelle Carr and Jenah McCall both joined TPC as ecological restoration assistant crew leaders in April.
“I’m excited to be working for TPC, assisting with projects that protect the biodiversity of Pisgah National Forest,” says Carr. “It has been really awesome working side-by-side with the Forest Service and aiding them with the ‘boots on the ground’ work.”
McCall is a native of Rosman who was working in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park prior to this position with TPC. “I’m excited for the opportunity to continue my career in conservation in my home county—getting to help take care of the spaces I grew up recreating in is very exciting,” she says. “The work we do with TPC, especially with Pisgah Project Day and other volunteering opportunities, inspires community members to get more involved in helping take care of their public lands.”
Learn more at PisgahConservancy.org.
