“Our collective love for these places is pulling the work through our boots and through our hands.” – Sam Evans

In this Southern Currents episode, Bill traveled back to Southern Appalachia nearly a year after Hurricane Helene, a storm that reshaped the region’s communities and forests hundreds of miles inland. He sat down with longtime conservation allies, Josh Kelly of MountainTrue, Ben Prater of Defenders of Wildlife, Sam Evans of the Southern Environmental Law Center, and, later Jill Gottesman of The Wilderness Society, to reflect on what recovery really looks like. The conversation moves from personal stories of evacuations, power outages, and neighbors sharing water, to bigger questions about resilience, both human and ecological.

The guests paint a vivid picture of the storm’s impact: towns flooded, water systems down, ridges stripped of trees, and thousands of landslides. They describe how recovery has brought moments of hope, like communities pulling together and rare species like the Hellbender holding on, but also deep frustration with misguided cleanup efforts, opportunistic logging, and lack of housing support. Beyond the immediate damage, the group wrestles with broader truths about Appalachian forests, how they have bounced back from industrial logging in the past, yet now face climate change, invasive pests, and policy shifts that threaten old growth and biodiversity.

Together they explore questions that linger long after the storm: How do we rebuild without making things worse for rivers and forests? What does real resilience look like in communities facing both economic strain and environmental upheaval? How do we ensure public lands are managed for people and ecosystems, not just short-term profit? And where can we still find joy and hope, in a child catching a toad in a creek, spring wildflowers pushing through a landslide, or neighbors organizing to protect the places they love?

We cover:

• Living through the storm – personal stories of neighbors checking in, families evacuating, and communities pulling together when power, water, and communication all went down
• Community resilience – the ways people organized to share resources, volunteer, and support one another, even while facing job loss and a worsening housing crisis 
• Recovery challenges – how well-intended cleanup efforts sometimes caused more harm than good, with heavy equipment in rivers and pressure to cut timber in sensitive forests
• Wildlife and rivers – concern for species like the Hellbender salamander and freshwater mussels, and what storm damage and recovery practices mean for river health
• Forests in transition – the massive blowdown of trees, landslides, and selective loss of oaks, paired with broader questions about forest health, old growth, and resilience
• Public lands and policy – debate over how national forests are managed, from salvage logging and timber targets to the erosion of collaboration and public input
• Climate stressors – wildfire risk, shifting seasons, and the accelerating impacts of climate change on ecosystems once thought of as stable refuges
• Finding hope – small but powerful moments of joy, from wildflowers sprouting through landslide soil to children discovering creeks, and the deep community love for Appalachian landscapes

Sources and mentions from today’s episode:

Press, Media, Books, & Films

• “Stalking the Elusive Hellbender” – The New York Times
  A feature reflecting on the salamander’s resilience after Hurricane Helene.
• “The Last Dragons” – Freshwaters Illustrated
  A documentary on the Hellbender salamander, mentioned during the discussion.
• “Joy Is the Justice We Give Ourselves” – Drew Lanham
  A book of poetry and reflections that was referenced as a source of inspiration.

Organizations, Coalitions & Campaigns

• MountainTrue
• Defenders of Wildlife
• Southern Environmental Law Center 
• The Wilderness Society
• North Carolina Outdoor Recreation Coalition
• ENO (Eagles Nest Outfitters) 

Places and Landmarks

• Asheville, North Carolina
• Davidson River, Pisgah National Forest
• Marshall, North Carolina
• Bent Creek, Pisgah National Forest
• Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness
• Great Smoky Mountains National Park
• Nantahala-Pisgah National Forest
• Appalachian Trail

Government and Policy References

• U.S. Forest Service
• National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
• Endangered Species Act
• FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency)
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

When we started planning this episode and thinking about who could best give voice to the devastation of Hurricane Helene and the hope (and sometimes harsh realities) found in recovery, we put together this Southern Appalachian ‘Conservation Dream Team’, four people who bring unmatched expertise and full hearts to the work of protecting wild places and the communities around them.

The Wild Idea crew (Bill, Anders, and Laura) has worked alongside them for years on wilderness campaigns, forest plans, and other conservation efforts across the Southern Apps. We know them not only as colleagues but as trusted partners and dear, dear friends. We have deep respect for the way they always show up with knowledge, integrity, and grit, and we are grateful for the inspiration they bring to us and to so many others who love these mountains.

Ben Prater
Ben has spent his whole career fighting for wildlife and wild places, and around here he is the go-to guy if you want to understand how nature and people can better coexist. He leads Defenders of Wildlife’s work across the Southeast, focusing on endangered species, habitat connectivity, and the health of ecosystems we all depend on. Ben brings a sharp mix of science, policy, and heart to the table, whether he is talking about red wolves, freshwater mussels, or migratory shorebirds.

Sam Evans
Sam has been holding down the fort in Asheville since 2011, leading the Southern Environmental Law Center’s work on national forests and parks. He is the guy you want in the room when big decisions are being made about places like the Nantahala, Pisgah, and Cherokee National Forests, because he knows how to cut through the noise and keep the focus on conservation and the public’s right to be heard. Sam grew up in Jasper, Alabama, and first fell in love with wild places in the Sipsey Wilderness of the Bankhead National Forest. These days, you will still find him most weekends wandering old growth forests and backcountry trails, and during the week he works to make sure those wild places stay protected for generations to come.

Josh Kelly
Josh knows the forests of the Southern Appalachians about as well as anyone. With MountainTrue, he tracks how these ecosystems are doing, speaks up for stronger protections, and helps people understand what is at stake when storms, logging, or climate change take their toll. He is a true believer in the resilience of these mountains, but he is also honest about the challenges. Whether hiking a ridge, wading into a river, or meeting with neighbors, Josh brings science, policy, and community together to give the forests he loves a real shot at a healthy future.

Jill Gottesman
Jill brings steady commitment and creative problem-solving to her work with The Wilderness Society. Based in Asheville, she has been a key voice in efforts to protect the Southern Appalachians, from old-growth forests to the communities that depend on them. After Hurricane Helene, Jill helped rally outdoor industry partners and local groups to get winter gear and supplies straight to people who needed them most. She believes that protecting wild places is inseparable from supporting the communities around them, and she carries that belief into everything she does.

The Wild Idea is independently produced by Wild Idea Media. If you believe conversations like this matter, you can help us keep them going by subscribing, leaving a review, sharing the episode, or signing up for our newsletter at thewildidea.com. Together, we can protect what connects us.