Dear Friends,
I began writing this letter to you on the autumn equinox, Sunday, September 22, looking forward to a new season at Southern Highlands Reserve. Little did I know what would befall our beloved mountain region less than a week later.
With our staff, volunteers, partners, neighbors, and all the residents of our region, I feel a deep sadness in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Fall in Western North Carolina is one of the most magical experiences to behold, with slanted sunlight illuminating dramatic autumn colors, temperatures dipping, and the promise of the holidays just around the corner. This fall has been very different for all of us.
We have all self-selected to be here, for different mostly intangible reasons: the beauty of the area, the sense of safety, the strong connection to the natural world — some of us don’t even know why we’re drawn to it. Maybe it’s in our DNA. And though what each of us went through this fall is varied, everyone I’ve encountered has remained steadfast in their love for this region. We have pulled together in ways unimaginable until disaster occurs. In Brevard, one of the most beautiful occurrences in the days following the storm was how we connected even though we’d lost the means of communication that always connects us. Every day the City of Brevard put out a new bulletin and posted copies at City Hall. People would grab a handful and drop them off to neighbors so we would have the most up-to-date information. We made grocery runs for each other to save on gas. Groups of teenagers rode around on bikes. We lived like neighbors, looking out for one another, offering what we had, accepting help, surviving the unknown together.
Southern Highlands Reserve, Brevard, and Lake Toxaway generally fared well compared to so many other areas in our region. The loss of life, homes, businesses, property, and livelihoods is widespread, and the toll is immense. Basic infrastructure in many communities will take months if not years to restore. And the emotions surrounding this natural disaster will live on in our hearts and minds for decades.
If you’re wondering what you can do to help, please donate to vetted charities working on the ground in hard-hit communities. Please shop local to help businesses that depend so heavily on robust fall tourism that never came this year. If you’re out of town, please consider purchasing gift cards online from our stores, service providers, restaurants, breweries, bars, galleries, and artists. For the latest information on different areas of our region, please start here to navigate to all we have to offer.
On an upbeat note, we are delighted to report that our greenhouse is nearing completion, and we began moving red spruce and other plants into their new home before the storm. Every time I walk through the doors, I look around for the choir that should be singing — it is that beautiful to this lifelong gardener’s eyes. The yearlong transformation from two well-worn hoop houses to this stunning structure has not been easy on our team, accustomed to unparalleled peace and tranquility at our workplace, but we have weathered the construction process well. Along with our founders, Betty and Robert Balentine, whose vision 20 years ago is the genesis and essence of all that we are, I am amazed at all we have become together.
Throughout these trials, our commitment to partnerships and to restoring fragile ecosystems remains steadfast. We are part of nature, and we need each other. Now more than ever conservation work has to be a priority. We are wholeheartedly committed to this work in our community, in our county, in our region. We’re getting up, dusting off, and figuring out how to move forward together.
With gratitude,
Kelly M. Holdbrooks
Executive Director