SAHC Status Update – Oct. 31 of 2024
Like many of you, we’ve spent the past month wading through devastation, helping in our communities where we can, trying to recover from personal loss, and recharting our course for the foreseeable future. Through everything, the SAHC team remains deeply committed to fulfilling our conservation mission. Thank you to everyone who has reached out to Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy over the past four weeks. Many of you have asked how you can help – and we appreciate your spirit! With power and internet restored to the SAHC office, and bottled drinking water available, staff have recently been able to return to access more reliable working conditions.
Here is a brief update on some of our current operations.
We are:
- Assessing the damage on preserves that SAHC owns, which have landslides, missing bridges, blown-out culverts, etc.
- Checking in on landowners of conservation easements, assessing land damage and sharing resources that they may need to begin the recovery process.
- Connecting farmers with funding opportunities so they may begin to salvage their operations.
- Providing youth education programming when possible as schools begin to re-open.
- Hosting an outing at Deaverview Mountain, attended by 45 folks eager to reconnect with community, hike, and seek solace together.
- AND – Working remotely, through evacuation and relocation, our land protection team completed a conservation project on schedule, closing in October!
What we will be doing in the near future:
– Organizing volunteer opportunities for a handful of preserves.
– Analyzing the overall effect of the storm on habitat and wildlife.
– Leading more outings to reconnect people with the healing power of nature.
Please watch for updates and upcoming event/volunteer opportunity announcements – and thank you for supporting this work!
