AW Secures Grant for NC Forest Planning Collaborative

American Whitewater is pleased to share that we were recently awarded a $5,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina to support professional facilitation for the Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Partnership. The Partnership is made up of a diverse range of regional interest groups working together to create a shared vision for the future management of the Nantahala and Pisgah national forests.

The Nantahala and Pisgah national forests are comprised of 1.1 million acres of biologically diverse and recreationally treasured public lands. The Partnership has been meeting regularly for the past five years, and produced a set of shared recommendations last fall to help guide the Forest Service's development of a new forest management plan. American Whitewater is a Partnership member focused on river-related recreation and conservation.  

The Forest Service is widely expected to release a draft forest plan this summer, and the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina grant will help all Partnership members work together to respond to the draft plan. The Partnership will meet frequently during the 90-day public comment period on the draft plan and write a group response that highlights win-win solutions to forest management issues. The professional facilitation provided through this grant is vital to solving complex issues on a tight timeline. The Partnership will also work to inform and engage the public throughout the public comment period.