Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Partnership Teams up with Darby Communications

December 17, 2018

Shaping the future of Southern Appalachian National Forests

Asheville, NC – December 17, 2018 — Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Partnership (NPFP), a Western North Carolina-based alliance of diverse stakeholders, has teamed up with neighboring boutique agency Darby Communications. Effective immediately, Darby Communications will help actualize NPFP’s mission to create a lasting voice for innovative management and public investment in the forests of North Carolina’s mountains for future generations.

In early 2019, the United States Forest Service (USFS) is scheduled to release its revised draft management plan for 1.1 million acres  of revered forest in Southern Appalachia. The plan will provide a framework for how the Nantahala and Pisgah forests, and their resources, will be managed for the next twenty years. For over half a decade, NPFP has been active in the plan’s revision process, working in parallel with the USFS. Striving to find win-win forest management solutions, NPFP represents a variety of key stakeholder interests including conservation groups, wildlife/angling/hunting organizations, recreational clubs and forest product businesses.

“After six years of hard work, we believe that our efforts will strengthen Western North Carolina’s economy and preserve tradition for decades to come,” says Kevin Colburn of the Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Partnership. “We trust that Darby Communication’s accomplished industry knowledge will help us share our untold story of the radical center- a real bipartisan effort to achieve collaborative forest management.”

Reaching beyond local implications, Darby Communications will work towards shining a regional and national spotlight on NPFP’s collaborative approach. Upon USFS’s release of the Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Management plan, a crucial 90-day public comment period begins, during which time Darby Communications will assist the NPFP in disseminating important and timely  information, ensuring all constituents have the opportunity to voice their opinions on the proposed management plan.

“Our roots run deep here in Western North Carolina and we couldn’t think of a better way to honor the hard work of the Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Partnership,” says Coral Darby, founder of Darby Communications. “Beyond its local impact, the NPFP’s collaborative approach has the potential to highlight the importance of grassroots movements, inspiring change on the national level.”

With 6.8 million visitors annually, the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests provide a wide array of benefits to the public, including clean air and water, fish and wildlife habitat, and timber and wild foods, as well as outdoor recreation and tourism opportunities. The forest plan will become a blueprint for the future of Southern Appalachia, with the potential to unite different groups—rural and urban, locals and newcomers, loggers and conservationists, hunters and hikers—in a shared vision for the region.

The Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Partnership is raising the bar for grassroots movements and resource management plans nationally. Together with Darby Communications, the NPFP aims to draw local and national attention by raising awareness of collaborative forest management, educating the public and encouraging civic engagement.

For more information on the Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Partnership or for press inquiries please contact Katie Richter at katie@darbycommunications.com.

About Darby Communications

An Asheville-based public relations agency dedicated to meeting and surpassing the needs of their clientele with customized PR and digital marketing campaigns, Darby Communications works with many of the outdoor, fitness and wellness industries most respected companies. The firm’s clients include AquaTech, Astral, Aventura, Diamond Brand Gear, Ecōths, Feetures, Headsweats, Hyland’s, Industrial Revolution, Johnson Outdoors, LifeSaver, Sierra Designs and Tailwind Nutrition. For more information, visit www.darbycommunications.com and follow us on Instagram.

About Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Partnership

In 2013, the Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Partnership was formed by a variety of forest stakeholders to foster civic engagement and positive guidance in creating the best possible management plan revision for the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests. The Partnership strives to create a lasting voice for innovative management and public investment in the public forests of North Carolina’s mountains for generations to come. For more information, visit https://npforestpartnership.org.