2025 MountainTrue Watershed Gala Auction

This auction and the associated Watershed Gala event on February 28th support the MountainTrue western regional office's clean water programs. Our flagship activities are our volunteer water quality monitoring program through Georgia Adopt-A-Stream and Swim Guide. We provide equipment, tools, and training for 42 volunteers who sample water chemistry and E. coli monthly at 47 locations on streams and rivers throughout Towns & Union counties in north Georgia and Clay & Cherokee counties in NC. We also collect E. coli samples weekly at 24 popular public swimming/river access areas from Memorial Day to Labor Day every summer, reporting the results to the international Swim Guide website. We use these data to find and resolve water quality problems and to champion clean water policies in the Southern Blue Ridge.

OUR MISSION: MountainTrue champions resilient forests, clean waters and healthy communities in the Southern Blue Ridge. mountaintrue.org

OUR VISION: MountainTrue envisions thriving communities in our mountain region that are connected to and help sustain both each other and our natural environment. To achieve this, MountainTrue fosters and empowers residents throughout the region to engage in community planning, policy and project advocacy, and on-the-ground projects.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES:
We value social and environmental justice and believe that all people have the right to live in healthy communities. We are committed to working towards vibrant, connected, equitable communities where everyone can enjoy lives that are healthy, full of opportunity, free from oppression, and enriched by our region’s natural environment.

We value the integrity of natural systems – air, land, water, and native plants and animals – and believe in protecting and restoring them for the benefit of all generations.

We value mountain communities that are vibrant, livable, and respectful of their connection to and dependence on the region’s natural environment.

We value the unique environment of the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains and believe our regional perspective enhances both regional and community-based solutions to shared problems.

We value community engagement in principled advocacy and believe both sound public policy and responsible individual actions are needed to protect both our natural environment and the communities we live in.

We value collaboration and believe working with diverse constituencies is fundamental to MountainTrue’s success.

We value integrity, equity, expertise, flexibility, accountability, and transparency in all activities and operations.

The 17th Annual Hiwassee Watershed Gala is set for Friday, February 28, 2025, starting at 5:30 p.m. in the Charles Suber Banquet Hall at Young Harris College. Make your reservations before February 20th! https://mountaintrue.org/gala2025/

The Watershed Gala is an upscale social gathering that celebrates good water quality, still being measured in many rivers, lakes, and streams, and recognizes those who work to sustain it. The event is also the MountainTrue Western Regional Office’s largest fundraiser, with proceeds supporting water quality monitoring and improvement programs locally.

This year’s event will feature the following menu of heavy hors d’oeuvres, along with wine, beer, sodas, and water. Popular local musician Troy Underwood will provide his bluesy, soul, and folk sounds for the evening. Join us for an evening of laughter, fun, and camaraderie…and to honor the winner of this year’s Holman Water Quality Stewardship Award: Johnny Strawn of the Cherokee County, NC, community of Hanging Dog!