Laura Rice is the executive director of Friends of the Ecusta Trail, a nonprofit organization supporting the transformation of a former rail line into a multi-use greenway connecting Hendersonville to Brevard in Western North Carolina.

In this episode, Laura shares the story behind the Ecusta Trail, from its earliest days to the stretch that’s open today, and what it will take to complete all 19 miles and connect Hendersonville to Brevard, end to end.

She talks about what you can expect on the section that’s already open, how the trail is shaping the communities along it, how she found her way into this role, and what makes her hopeful about the future of this region.

Ecusta Trail
ecustatrail.org

Theme Music
The song "Goa" was written by Lyndsay Pruett and performed by the Jon Stickley Trio.

Lang Hornthal is the Executive Director of EcoForesters, an Asheville-based nonprofit professional forestry organization dedicated to conserving and restoring Appalachian forests through education and stewardship.

In this episode, Lang discusses the organization’s work and how the aftermath of Hurricane Helene has reshaped the forests around us, and the way EcoForesters approaches its mission.

Lang also zooms out to talk about forestry more broadly, and his own path into this work, from running a rustic furniture company to graduate school, where he became fascinated by a simple question: why do so few private landowners have a forest management plan, and what would it take to change that?

EcoForesters
ecoforesters.org

Theme Music
The song "Goa" was written by Lyndsay Pruett and performed by the Jon Stickley Trio.

Kevin Westmoreland and Joe Scully are the co-owners of Corner Kitchen, a venerable restaurant in Asheville, North Carolina’s Biltmore Village that reopened this August, nearly a year after Hurricane Helene flooded the entire first floor of the restaurant.

Prior to opening Corner Kitchen in 2004, Kevin had a background in corporate operations and management roles, and Joe was a seasoned, classically trained chef. The duo met through their sons in 2001, and a friendship blossomed into a business partnership that also includes Chestnut, a restaurant in downtown Asheville.

In this episode, Joe and Kevin discuss the long road back after Helene and the emotions they felt when Corner Kitchen re-opened this August. They also recall the early days of Corner Kitchen and how they rebounded from another devastating flood that shut down the restaurant just six months after opening in 2004.

Corner Kitchen

thecornerkitchen.com

Chestnut

chestnutasheville.com

Theme Music

The song "Goa" was written by Lyndsay Pruett and performed by the Jon Stickley Trio.