What makes a place idyllic?

Start with an emerald river that flows from ancient mountains. Add an abundance of living creatures that co-evolved over millennia. Bring in humans who honor their place in the interconnected web. And rebuild a vital stream that supports us all.

Your support and engagement helps ensure the health of this watershed for the ages! We can’t do it without you.

The YELP Assistant position is an 11 week paid internship between May 23 – August 5 for young BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) adults aged 18-22.

Interns are responsible for helping to lead an educational, environmental service work internship for BIPOC high schoolers. Interns work in the field locally in the greater Asheville area, as well as in the Great Smoky Mountains, completing environmental service work, learning from experts and relevant community partners, and developing their own group initiatives.

The intern does not need to arrive with these skills. Part of their internship will include learning to canoe and kayak, how to collect scientific data, hiking etiquette, and nonviolent communication leadership training.

More information can be found through the Job Description linked above.

Questions? Email [email protected] or [email protected]

Learn more about the YELP Program here.

1. Bricks-And-Mortar

2. Public Education

3. Planning, Survey and Designation

Asheville Gallery of Art
March 2022 Exhibit, New Members Show
“Color Dance”

Asheville Gallery of Art’s March exhibit, “Color Dance” will feature works by four new gallery members: Anne Marie Brown, Raquel Egosi, JoAnn Pippin, and Cindy Shaw. The show will run March 1-31 during gallery hours, 11am-6pm. An event to meet the artists will be held at the gallery on First Friday, March 4, from 5-8pm at 82 Patton Avenue.

These four exciting artists have selected “Color Dance” as the theme for their show. Paintings are generally static, and are confined within a frame. The combined creative energy of these artists has seemingly moved beyond these limits, to create beautiful expressions of dynamic, moving shapes, captured within a spatial environment. They wish their works to evoke thoughts, emotions, and awareness to celebrate the sentient meaning of life.

Please join us for “Color Dance” to revel in the paintings presented by these new gallery artists. They will deliver dynamic color, vibrancy, and hue into scenes that will dance their way into your heart.

Anne Marie Brown
Anne Marie began painting when, as a florist, she would paint small watercolors of her floral designs. She has exhibited in outdoor shows for over ten years and has had exhibitions in numerous galleries. Now settled in the mountains, she is inspired to paint the sweeping vistas and flora and fauna within. Anne Marie works in watercolor, gouache, oil, and acrylic, and hopes the images that touch her heart and canvas will touch yours as well.
Color is music to my eyes. The song that is created on the canvas makes my heart dance.

Raquel Egosi
Raquel’s art career began in 1996 in Brazil. Studying with acclaimed artists and attending a variety of painting classes, she was active in her local art community, collaborating and setting up art shows. She currently participates regularly in gallery shows and museum exhibitions. Her art sells internationally and she leads workshops for mixed media techniques in both the United States and overseas.
Constructed using a variety of mixed media, my compositions are exceedingly rich in color and texture, with partial or fully figurative and abstract elements.

JoAnn Pippin
JoAnn’s passion is to explore different watercolor techniques, with her subjects. Her paintings have been exhibited in juried art shows throughout the US, and her focus is on color, composition, and texture, to create light and mood through technique.
The theme “Color Dance” is especially meaningful to watercolorists, because we literally watch color dance and blend when we add wet paint to wet paper. It is not simply mixing colors on the palette and placing them in our work, but the excitement of observing the action as they blend and mingle to create wonderful new hues.

Cindy Shaw
Cindy originally trained as an Architect and worked for many years on projects as well as teaching. However, when her husband’s career took her to rural Italy, she purchased art supplies and began to paint. While there, she enjoyed exploring the Italian countryside and capturing “le viste belle!”. Returning home to the USA, she has continued to grow and develop as an impressionist artist over the past decade.
“Color adds depth and meaning, not only to our paintings, but also to our outlook on life. Color can be joyful, dramatic, and exciting.”

For further information about this show, please contact the Asheville Gallery of Art at (828) 251-5796, visit the gallery’s website at www.ashevillegallery-of-art.com, or go to the gallery’s Facebook page.

In response to statewide demand for healthcare
professionals, Blue Ridge Community College announced today an
expansion of the Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) Program. The hands-on
nursing education program added 20 seats, now serving up to 74 students
each year. ADN students learn from highly qualified faculty in state-of-the-art
simulation labs at the College’s Health Science Center in Hendersonville or
Transylvania County Campus in Brevard. Blue Ridge is actively accepting
applications for qualified students. Scholarships and tuition assistance are
available, and more details can be found at http://blueridge.edu/nursing.
“Blue Ridge Community College’s team of experienced and compassionate
instructors plays a vital role in preparing aspiring nurses for jobs today and in
the future,” said AdventHealth Hendersonville Chief Nursing Officer Maureen
Dzialo, MS, RN, NE-BC. “They help students in our local community find
rewarding careers with endless possibilities for advancement. AdventHealth
values their exceptional program and the students that graduate from Blue
Ridge.”
Graduates of the two-year program are prepared and eligible to take the
National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) to become registered
nurses and provide hands-on care in a variety of health care settings. In 2021,
Blue Ridge students’ first-time pass rate for this exam was 96%.
“Pardee UNC Health Care is proud to partner with Blue Ridge Community
College to help train the next generation of nurses,” said Carol Stefaniak, DNP,
RN, NE-BC, VP Clinical Services and Chief Nursing Officer at Pardee UNC
Health Care. “Their nursing program graduates are of the highest caliber year
after year, and as we work to recruit a qualified workforce while facing a
national shortage of nurses, we are grateful to Blue Ridge for actively working
to fill that pipeline.”
Educating and training the next generation of nursing professionals is a crucial
step toward meeting the needs of area residents. It also positions the
workforce to respond to increasing demand for healthcare workers.
Furthermore, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that 2.6 million
healthcare occupation jobs will be added between 2020 and 2030.
“Nursing is a rewarding profession that aligns the passion to make a difference
in our community with the desire for a dependable career path,” said Blue
Ridge Community College Dean of Health Sciences Leigh Angel, MSN, RN. “As
essential members of the interdisciplinary healthcare team, nurses use expert
knowledge and clinical reasoning to manage complex care needs – all while
compassionately caring for others during each stage of life.

Buncombe County is seeking project ideas to help the community recover from and respond to COVID-19 and its negative economic impacts. Nonprofits and public organizations can submit projects now for consideration to be funded by federal COVID Recovery Funding. This is the second Request for Proposals issued by the County as part of COVID Recovery Funding, which Buncombe County was allocated $50.7M through the American Rescue Plan Act. So far, the county has awarded $23.1M to 27 projects, leaving $27.6 M available still to award. Buncombe County Commissioners have selected ten categories for this round of proposals: Affordable Housing Aging/Older Adults Business Support/Economic Development Environment/Climate Homelessness K-12 Education Infrastructure and/or Broadband Mental Health/Substance Use NC Pre-K Expansion Workforce If you are interested in applying, the deadline is Tuesday, April 12 at noon. Learn more here. The county is also holding a workshop that will help you better understand what projects the County is looking to fund and best practices on creating a successful application. Learn more about the scope of projects Buncombe County is looking for and have a chance to ask questions. All questions and responses from the session will be posted in the form of an addendum, and a recording of the session will be published. The virtual funding workshop will be held on Monday, March 14 from 1:30-3 p.m. Register here.

As part of the East Asheville Library’s LEED certification, the library has two level 2 (240 volt/30 amp) electric car chargers and special parking spots for both electric and other clean air vehicles, such as hybrids. The chargers add about 25 miles of range per hour of charge time and should be able to charge all types of electric vehicles. Tesla vehicles do require an adapter that comes with the vehicle when purchased.

These features are part of Buncombe County’s long-term plan for sustainable and eco-friendly facilities. To learn more about the Library’s LEED certification, stop by the library and ask for more information.

Learn More About the New Online Playbill

We’re going green!

Flat Rock Playhouse is now producing online playbills! View the online playbill at your leisure before and after the performance!

You can view the online playbill ahead of time by clicking the link in your concierge email, which will be sent approximately 7 days before your performance.

The below instructions are for viewing the online playbill once at the theatre.

As we plan our summer gardens, the challenges of growing tomatoes here in Western North Carolina come to mind.  In our newest video, Master Gardener Phil Roudebush will help us maximize our yields of these luscious fruits.  He will talk about tomato varieties and how to successfully control diseases through cultural practices and appropriate chemical usage.  Phil has years of experience with tomatoes and you are sure to learn something new.

This month, Asheville GreenWorks will deploy four new self-serve clean-up stations at area libraries. Each station will be stocked with supplies that individuals can check out to run their own clean-ups.   Locations: Enka/Candler Library 1404 Sand Hill Rd, Candler, NC 28715   Swannanoa Library 101 W Charleston Ave, Swannanoa, NC 28778   Weaverville Library 41 N Main St, Weaverville, NC 28787   Skyland/South Asheville Library 260 Overlook Rd, Asheville, NC 28803   Library staff will NOT maintain these boxes. Please direct all questions or requests to [email protected]

Stories from the House is a virtual tour of our 1840s-era brick mansion as seen through the eyes of many of the people who walked these same hallways over a century ago and whose stories represent a microcosm of the history of western North Carolina. In 1918 vs. 2020, we took an in-depth look at the 1918 influenza epidemic in Western North Carolina through newspaper clippings, advertisements, ephemera, photographs, and oral history and place the events of 1918 into context with our present-day response to the coronavirus pandemic. Old Shiloh was one of Asheville’s first communities established by emancipated people. The community moved to its present-day location – New Shiloh – after George Vanderbilt, in an effort to expand his land holdings as he planned to build his Biltmore Estate, purchased the land and buildings and agreed to relocate the Shiloh church and cemetery.

If you’re behind on your water bill or afraid your water might get cut off, a new resource might be able to help you. On Jan. 4, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners approved more than $450,000 in federal funding for the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP). The initiative is aimed at preventing water disconnections and helping reconnect drinking and wastewater services.

The LIHWAP will be administered by Buncombe County-based Eblen Charities. The nonprofit will make payments directly to utilities on behalf of qualifying households. The program is slated to run through Sept. 30, 2023 or until funds are exhausted.

Eligibility requirements

Households that currently receive Food and Nutrition Services (FNS), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or Work First services, or those that received Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) services from Oct. 1, 2020-Sept. 30, 2021, are automatically eligible to receive this benefit if their water services have been cut off or are in danger of being cut off.

For additional eligibility information or to apply, please contact Eblen Charities at (828) 255-3066.

The Preservation Society of Asheville and Buncombe County (PSABC) was formed in 1976, with interest in preservation sparked by observance of the U. S. Bicentennial, and in response to threats to local buildings and sites posed by neglect, insensitive alteration, and large-scale transportation projects. Disinvestment in downtown, plans for the open cut through Beaucatcher Mountain, and a proposal to turn Montford Avenue into a through street connecting to U.S.19-23 spurred formation of the volunteer group, which quickly incorporated and initiated work as a community non-profit.

Online Education Programs

If you are able, consider making a donation to our Community Funded Ticket program, which provides no-cost tickets to our live events to those who could not afford to attend. Donate Here Vaccines and Public Health in WNC: Past and Present In this two-hour event, three historians discuss previous epidemics, pandemics, and public health campaigns in WNC and Appalachia, including the 1918 flu, smallpox, and polio, as well as the community and government efforts to combat these crises. These historians are followed by an immunologist and a virologist—both professors of biology at Appalachian State University— who present information on Covid-19 variants as well as data on lives saved by vaccines. Watch Now The Brevard Rosenwald School Betty J. Reed discusses her research into the Brevard Rosenwald School and other segregated schools in WNC. This school, also funded by Julius Rosenwald, served African American students in Transylvania County from c1923-1966 and, according to Reed, represents “a microcosm of Black education in southern Appalachia.” Reed, a native of Western North Carolina, is an independent scholar who has spent over twenty-five years researching the history of schools in the region, especially those functioning during the era of segregation. Watch Now Buncombe Co. Remembrance Project This project acknowledges the personal and community trauma inflicted on individuals of color after the Civil War, the Equal Justice Initiative’s research related to lynchings, and the three lynchings of record that occurred in Buncombe County, NC. Dr. Joseph Fox is a life-long educator, mentor, and community advocate. He has advocated for students of a darker hue for more than 30 years in his role as a community college instructor, as well as his role as a former Department Chair of Business Administration at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College. Watch Now

Hands On Asheville-Buncombe has teamed up with the WNC Chapter of Project Linus. Project Linus blankets provide love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need. They are handcrafted by caring volunteers who want a child in crisis to know that someone cares about them. It is hoped that each blanket will become a treasured possession. The gifts of new handmade blankets and afghans lovingly created by volunteer “blanketeers” provides a rewarding and fun service opportunity for interested individuals and groups for the benefit of children. Blankets are given to the WNC Project Linus chapter for distribution by hospitals, social workers, or police.

Since this project is done from home,we ask volunteers to provide their own equipment and supplies.

What is your 20-year vision for Buncombe County? The initial phase of gathering community feedback is in full swing, and we are excited to announce that in addition to the public meeting schedule, self-guided activities are now available at engage.buncombecounty.org.

Input from those who live and work in Buncombe County will be used to create a Comprehensive Plan that identifies the community’s vision, strategies, goals, and recommended actions for the next 20 years. Now you can share your thoughts on your own time and schedule with a self-guided option to provide input. The self-guided option includes a presentation regarding planning influences in the county, a self-guided poll, priorities and actions activity, and a mapping activity. These activities are also available in Spanish.

In the next stages of plan development, the information shared during this initial public input phase will help identify potential solutions and actions, upon which the community will provide additional feedback.

The Buncombe 2043 Comprehensive Plan provides the framework for growth in unincorporated Buncombe County and addresses other quality of life matters for the County as a whole. The plan will take a regional approach, being mindful of other plans, such as the City of Asheville and the Town of Black Mountain comprehensive plans.

To get caught up on everything about the Buncombe 2043 Comprehensive Plan including a short video overview, visit Comprehensive Plan 2043.

Ya se puede acceder a las actividades autoguiadas para el Plan Integral 2043 de Buncombe

¿Cuál es su visión de 20 años para el condado de Buncombe? La fase inicial de recopilación de opiniones de la comunidad está en proceso, y nos complace anunciar que, además del calendario de reuniones públicas, ya puede acceder a las actividades autoguiadas ingresando en engage.buncombecounty.org.

Los aportes de los habitantes y trabajadores del condado de Buncombe se usarán para crear un plan integral que represente la visión, las estrategias, los objetivos y las medidas recomendadas de la comunidad para los próximos 20 años. Ahora puede compartir sus opiniones cuando quiera con la opción de participación autoguiada. Esta opción incluye una presentación sobre las influencias de la planificación en el condado, una encuesta autoguiada, una actividad de prioridades y medidas, y una actividad de mapeo. Estas actividades autoguiadas también están en español.

La información compartida durante la fase inicial de participación pública ayudará a identificar posibles soluciones y medidas en las siguientes etapas de la elaboración del plan, sobre las que la comunidad hará comentarios adicionales.

El Plan Integral 2043 de Buncombe brinda un marco para el crecimiento de las zonas que no están incorporadas en el condado de Buncombe y aborda otros asuntos relacionados con la calidad de vida del condado en su totalidad. En el plan, se adoptará un enfoque regional, en el que se tendrán en cuenta otros planes, como los planes integrales de la ciudad de Asheville (en inglés) y del pueblo de Black Mountain (en inglés).

Para acceder a la información sobre todo lo relacionado con el Plan Integral 2043 de Buncombe, incluido un breve video de descripción general, visite Plan Integral 2043.

The City of Hendersonville will be offering Spring bulk leaf collection for City residents during the month of March. Bulk leaf collection will begin on Tuesday, March 1, and conclude on Thursday, March 31.

This is a service automatically provided to city residents and they do not need to call to request leaf pick-up. Residents are asked NOT to bag their leaves; simply rake leaves as close to the street, curb, or sidewalk as possible without placing the leaves in the roadway or on the sidewalk. Keeping leaf piles out of the roadways and sidewalks helps prevent them from being washed down to the storm drain which can cause flooding. This leaf collection process is separate from brush collection crews; therefore, residents will need to keep their brush and leaves in separate piles during the month of March until Spring bulk leaf collection is complete.

Leaf piles are picked up from homes approximately every seven business days but, depending on the volume of leaves placed out for collection, the piles could be picked up sooner or later than that time.