Nature Protection & Appreciation
Big Creek, GSMNP
Returning Campsites to the Wild
Lake Fontana Cleanup funded by a generous grant from Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)​
EAC is partnering with local students and adult volunteers who are passionate about protecting the environment. Participants will work together to clean up coves and informal campsites at Lake Fontana. This initiative allows adults to serve as role models for students, fostering teamwork and environmental stewardship. The effort leaves everyone feeling proud of their contribution to preserving our natural surroundings. The event is made possible through the TVA's "Reservoir and Community Cleanup" Grant.
Thursday Hikes
Weekly hikes of 3-5 miles each Thursday. Contact George Shepherd at: shepherdgeorge@att.net
Supported Projects
These projects are facilitated by other organizations, but align with the EAC mission.
Haywood County Recreation and Parks
A variety of outdoor activities are offered each month. Enjoy hiking, foraging, birding, fly fishing and more. https://secure.rec1.com/NC/haywood-county-nc/catalog
Strengthening Local Ecosystems
Spriggly's Beescaping offers courses and consultation on nature education and habitat restoration. https://sprigglys.com/
Haywood Waterways
To support the mission of improving and protecting the water quality of the Pigeon River Watershed, Haywood Waterways Association works across three program areas; Education, Restoration, and Monitoring. Each area of work engages our local citizens through volunteer efforts, planning, and informative workshops. https://www.haywoodwaterways.org/
Haywood County is developing the County's first Countywide Greenway Plan. The plan will serve as a guide for the County to design, fund, and implement future projects to create a safe, connected, and resilient greenway system for Haywood County. The ultimate goal of this project is to develop a greenway plan that will help achieve local and regional goals for transportation, health, safety, economic prosperity, and resilience to natural disasters.
Native Plant Gardening
North Carolina Native Plant Society
Our Past Accomplishments
YC3
Youth Climate Conservation Corps (YC3), features youth from around the region have worked with adult volunteers and local experts on important restorations of land and streams through removal of invasive species, installation of native plants, repairing breaches in our creeks and rivers involving over 100 of youth and community volunteers.
POLLINATOR GARDENS
EAC, working with local experts Haywood Waterways and Spriggly's Beescaping, have installed pollinator gardens with/at Frog Level Brewery along Richland Creek, with the Haywood County Arts Council on Wall St., and at BearWaters Brewery on Richland Creek/S. Main St. Rainwater mitigation and stream restoration were also improved in these projects.
SUMMER CAMPS
In 2022, 2023 and now in 2024 organized summer day camp for students in Haywood County, featuring environmental adventures and education. Camp is made accessible to all students through a partial grant from TVA making it free of charge including transportation to and from camp for families.