Inside this issue:

2014-2015 Service Year Graduation & Accomplishments

1

Introducing the 2015-2016 Team & Term Goals

2

2015-2016 Quarter 1A Accomplishments

2

2015-2016 Trainings and Service Day Summaries

3-5

Events Calendar 5

Recommended Readings

5

Project Conserve Contact and Mission

6

2016 Host Site and Member Recruitment Schedule

6

Volume 4, Issue 1

(Top Left) Members, supervisors, host site staff,

friends and family celebrating 11 months at Asheville Outdoor Center

on July 31, 2015 (All Others) Members and

supervisors deliver

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2014-2015 PERFORMANCE MEASURE SNAPSHOT

Actual 267 179 1,913 12,343 22,369 113 48

Goal 125 500 1,500 7,000 12,000 100 30

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Celebrating the Greatest Service Year Yet!

After 11 months, more than 55,800 dedicated hours served to WNC, and surpassing our highest performance measure goals to date, the Project Conserve 2014-2015 Team joined together for the last time to celebrate the term. Members gathered at the Asheville Outdoor Center for a Graduation ceremony, lunch and a special float down the French Broad. It was a day for reflecting, looking to the future and conversation with friends, family, and host site staff members.

Thanks to CMLC staff who helped make the event a success. Thanks to our speakers, Forest Tapley, Adam Sanderson, Jaimie McGirt, Ann Marie Traylor, Hanni Muerdter, Kristy Urquhart, Cheryl Fowler, Michelle Pugliese, and Sarah Sheeran for raising our spirits and inspiring us. Thanks to Asheville Outdoor Center, 12 Bones and Luella’s BBQ for their generous donations.

And last but certainly not least, thanks to our AmeriCorps members and supporters for helping us make the 2014-2015 service year a tremendous success!

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Sept 1, 2014 -

July 31, 2015

Leaflet Fall 2015 Newsletter

The

Page 2 The The Leaf Leaf letlet

Announcing the 2015-2016 Service Members & Host Sites!

Returning Sites:

Appalachian Voices: Lee Payne and Ridge Graham

Asheville GreenWorks: Kate Nelson and Sarah Coury

Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture: Sadikshya Aryal

Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy: Ericka Berg, Corinne Fretwell, Chelsea Rath*, Richard Barnhart, and Jack Hen-derson

Environmental Quality Institute: Preston Welker

Foothills Equestrian Nature Center: Amy Schmitte*

Friends of the WNC Nature Center: Shannon Lora

Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Christine Cochran

MountainTrue (merger of ECO and WNCA): Ella Denny, Amanda McMana-way, Anna Alsobrook*, and Evan Parker*

2015 – 2016

Performance Measure Goals

Over the next 11 months, Project Conserve members will:

Educate 14,000 adults and youth about critical environmental and conservation issues

Recruit 1,500 volunteers who will serve 7,000 hours on environmental and conservation projects in their communities

Treat 150 miles and improve or create 100 miles of publically owned or maintained trails and rivers

Treat 50 acres and improve 40 acres of public lands in western North Carolina

Coordinate disaster mitigation projects to benefit 30 individuals, including prescribed burns, stream restoration, and erosion control

Conduct disaster preparedness training for 100 individuals

Conduct 20 capacity building activities for host site organizations to increase long-term effectiveness

The North Carolina Arboretum: Julia Wochos

Polk Co. Office of Agricultural Economic Development: Ansley Roberts and Ellen Beatty

RiverLink: Laura Evans, Justin Young, and Leah Hart Handwerger

Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy: Jesse Wood*, Spencer Scheidt, Teagan Dolan, and Haley Smith

Town of Lake Lure: Dana Bradley*

New Sites:

Mills River Partnership: Katie Hargrove

Organic Growers School: Gillian Scruggs

Polk County Recreation: David Mathern

QUARTER 1A Accomplishments

Activities occurred between September 1, 2015 and October 31, 2015:

Educated 5283 adults and youth about critical environmental and conservation issues

This represents 38% progress towards our goal!

Recruit 482 volunteers who will serve 2581.3 hours on environmental and conservation projects in their communities

This represents 32% progress towards our goal!

Treated 31.68 acres and improved or created 29.98 miles of publically owned or maintained trails and rivers

This represents 21% of our goal for miles treated, and 30% of our goal for miles created or improved.

Treated 5.312 acres and improved 5.002 acres of public lands in western North Carolina

This represents 11% of our goal for acres treated, and 13% of our goal for acres improved.

No data was reported for Disaster Services or Capacity Building during Quarter 1A

Keeping with tradition, the service year kicked off on September 1st at Rockbrook Camp for Girls in Brevard, North Carolina. The three day orientation gave members a chance to meet each other, learn about their upcoming year, hear advice from Project Conserve Alumni during the Alumni Panel, and explore a beautiful conserved property in Transylvania County. Six members have returned for a 2nd year and are indicated with an asterisk.

THANK YOU for

GENEROUSLY hosting Project

Conserve for NINE YEARS!

Red Cross Training, Progress Reports & Peer Group Setup

9/28/2015

Our first training following Orientation was generously hosted by the WNC Nature Center in Asheville. Starting off the day were two trainings from American Red Cross trainers Hank Jaeger and Gary Schwartz on Shelter Operations and Disaster Assessment. All members receive these trainings and are encouraged to volunteer with the Red Cross or other disaster relief organizations.

After lunch and a quick tour of the Nature Center courtesy of Shannon Lora, AmeriCorps member serving with the Center, we reviewed Progress Reports. Five times over the term, members are required to submit performance measure data, supporting documents, and Great Stories to Project Conserve staff. Staff then report this information to the NC Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service. Members put a lot of attention and hours into Progress Reports which are crucial to the continuation of the program. Thanks to all our members and host sites for their hard work and attention to detail during the reporting process!

To wrap up the day, we brainstormed ideas for Peer Groups. Over the course of the term, each AmeriCorps member is assigned to help organize one of eight peer trainings or service days. The entire team used this brainstorming session to choose topics and possible activities for each Peer Training and Service day. Then they were split into respective groups. This process ensures that members get to learn about topics they care about, and do service that is meaningful to them. It also gives them an opportunity to develop valuable leadership skills from planning a training or service day for the entire team. See the event calendar on page 5 for the final topics.

2015 – 2016 Trainings and Service

10/10/2015 –10/11/2015

Each year, Project Conserve members and supervisors are given the chance to become certified in Wilderness First Aid and CPR. Many serve in positions that frequently engage the general public in hiking, outings, and other activities that occur in woodlands. To many members, this training is an integral part of their AmeriCorps experience and provides them with invaluable knowledge and skills for handling potentially life threatening emergencies in the backcountry and at home. In October, Project Conserve went to Nantahala Outdoor Center in Bryson City, NC for the two day training. Part of the training is taught in the classroom and part is outdoors and consists of practical scenarios. Members learned how to assess for injuries and common conditions, prioritize treatment and protect patients during evacuation, as well as how to prevent common injuries and conditions from happening in the first place.

9/11 Day of Service

9/4/2015

This year’s 9/11 Day of Service and Remembrance took place on the French Broad River in Buncombe County. Asheville GreenWorks and RiverLink provided canoes and a game plan for improving the river and bonding as a team. The group collected many bags of trash and cleared a large amount of debris from the river including dozens of tires and scrap metal.

This service project has become a tradition for Project Conserve, as the French Broad River is always in need of a little love and care.

Members work together to carefully lift and move an injured patient in this scenario

Members join together to remove a tractor tire from the river bed

Page 3 The The Leaf Leaf letlet

Wilderness First Aid & CPR Training

Rhododendron Lake: Members and volunteers pose for a photo with dozens of trash bags full of non-native invasive vegetation.

(Top & Bottom Left) Horseshoe Bend: Members establish a pollinator station by planting native plants in an unused lawn.

Life After AmeriCorps Training Part 1

11/9/2015

On November 9, the Project Conserve team met at Lenoir-Rhyne University in Asheville. Elisa Jacobs elaborated on the process of choosing and applying to graduate school and some specific graduate programs offered by Lenoir-Rhyne. Through a unique partnership with Lenoir-Rhyne, Project Conserve members, alumni, and CMLC staff receive a tuition discount when they enroll in the university.

In addition to the graduate school presentation, our training day also featured a very valuable workshop on budgeting presented by OnTrack. Later in the term, OnTrack will return with a training on Credit.

Page 4 The The Leaf Leaf letlet

2015 – 2016 Trainings and Service Days, continued

Thank

you

for your kind

donations!

Make a Difference Day

10/23/15 & 10/25/15

On October 23, ten Project Conserve members volunteered with the Blue Ridge Conservancy (a past Project Conserve host site!) in Boone, NC. There, members removed non-native invasive plants, brush and woody vegetation to restore an historic pasture.

On October 25, CMLC and AmeriCorps Project Conserve hosted three Make-A-Difference Day service projects across Henderson County. Volunteers improved local conserved lands at The Park at Flat Rock, Rhododendron Lake Nature Park in Laurel Park, and the Horseshoe Bend property near the French Broad River in Horseshoe. Overall, members removed and filled several dozen garbage bags with non-native invasive plants material, maintained more than 100 native saplings across 2 acres of a community park, mapped dozens of bird boxes for future maintenance, and planted more than 300 plants to support native pollinators including the at-risk monarch butterfly.

Afterward, we gathered at the CMLC office to celebrate the day’s service with refreshments generously donated by Underground Bakery, Greenlife / Whole Foods, and Ingles. Over 60 community volunteers, AmeriCorps members, and CMLC staff and board participated in the two service days.

Thanks so much to everyone who helped to make our Project Conserve Make a Difference Day a success!

In the best selling book The Four Agreements don Miguel Ruiz gives four

principles to practice in order to create love and happiness in your life. Adopting and committing to these agreements is simple. Actually living and keeping these Four Agreements can be one of the hardest things you will ever do. It can also be one of the most life changing things you will ever do.

As you practice living these four practices your life will dramatically change. In the beginning these new habits will be challenging and you will lapse countless times. With practice these agreements become integrated into your being and every area of your life and become easy habits to keep. - Summary taken from www.ToltecSpirit.com

Recommended Readings

December 7: Appalachian Culture Peer Training

January 18: MLK Day of Service

January 22-24: Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Training

February 26-28: Life After AmeriCorps Training and Mid-Year Member Retreat

March 14: Outdoor Skills Peer Training

April 15: National Volunteer Week Service Day

Desiree Adaway recommends:

The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom

by Don Miguel Ruiz

April 29: America’s PrepareAthon Service Day

May 20: AmeriCorps Day

June 13: Water Quality & Ecology Peer Training

June 24: Disaster Mitigation Service Day

July 11: Agriculture Peer Training

July 29: Project Conserve Graduation

Conservation Roundtable & Diversity Training 11/16/2015 Project Conserve members and host site supervisors gathered at Foothills Equestrian Nature Center (FENCE) in Tryon for our Conservation Roundtable and Diversity Training.

The Conservation Roundtable was a great opportunity for Project Conserve members to get to know other host sites on the team. Each host site supervisor / representative brought a display and/or materials for their organization. Project Conserve members had a chance to network with representatives from each host site, learn more about their activities, and explore opportunities to work together.

After a delicious Thanksgiving potluck lunch, we gathered back in the afternoon for our Diversity training, led by Desiree Adaway. This inspiring and motivating training helped us take a closer look at diversity and inclusion in the context of our service and emphasized the importance of building relationships with diverse community stakeholders.

2015 – 2016 Trainings and Service Days, continued

Upcoming Project Conserve Calendar

Page 5 The The Leaf Leaf letlet

Do you know of an organization who is interested in hosting an AmeriCorps Project Conserve

Member?

Host site recruitment for the 2016-2017 service term has begun! Applications are due January 2016, and decisions will be made at the end of February 2016. To apply, request an application from

Amy Stout at projectconserve@carolinamountain.org.

Do you know someone interested in becoming an

AmeriCorps Project Conserve Member?

Service descriptions and application instructions will be available in March!

PROJECT CONSERVE ALUMNI

The mission of AmeriCorps Project Conserve is to serve western North

Carolina by building stronger, more educated and involved communities

that understand the threats to their local environment, are equipped with

the tools and resources to take direct conservation action, and have signifi-

cant opportunities to engage in conservation activities through volunteer-

ing. Through the efforts of these dedicated communities and the direct

service of AmeriCorps Project Conserve members, we hope to ultimately

increase the amount of land and habitat conserved, protect and enhance

water quality, and support energy conservation throughout the region.

Amy Stout, Program Director projectconserve@carolinamountain.org 828-697-5777, ext. 208

Kristen Lee, Program Coordinator kristen@carolinamountain.org 828-697-5777, ext. 213

AmeriCorps Project Conserve Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy 847 Case Street Hendersonville, NC 28792 Phone: 828-697-5777 Fax: 828-697-2602 E-mail: projectconserve@carolinamountain.org.

AmeriCorps Project Conserve is administered by Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy and funded by the Corporation for National and Community Service, the North Carolina Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service in the office of Governor Pat McCrory, and the critical support of our host sites and community partners.

AmeriCorps engages more than 75,000 members in intensive service annually to serve through nonprofit, faith-based, and community organizations at 25,000 locations across the country. These members help communities tackle pressing problems while mobilizing millions of volunteers for the organizations they serve. Since 1994, more than 900,000 Americans have provided more than 1.2 billion hours of service to their communities and country through AmeriCorps.

For more information, visit NationalService.gov. AmeriCorps is a program of the Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency that engages more than 5 million Americans in service through its AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, Social Innovation Fund, and Volunteer Generation Fund programs, and leads the President's national call to service initiative, United We Serve.

www.americorpsprojectconserve.org

Page 6

Hey, Project Conserve ALUMNI!!

We miss you and would love to know what you’re up to! Please contact us by emailing projectconserve@carolinamountain.org and

give us a shout! Please be sure to include:

your current and updated contact information

host site and service year(s)

current job/ position title/ location

and any other exciting news you’d like to share!