We love Moody Cove. And if you’ve visited us at Navitat, you can no doubt understand why. If you haven’t yet zipped through our corner of the world, here are just a few words to describe our home: Quiet. Secluded. Calming. Invigorating. Alive. We could go on… but you get the idea. It’s pretty amazing.
CEO Ken Stamps and Environmental Programming Leader Sarah Marcinko along with Navitat Canopy Guides Brittany, John, Kat, Bob and Mike.
Choosing Moody Cove as our home was no happy accident; the Navitat team spent months of time and energy surveying more than 300 properties in the Asheville area before finding this land and finally saying, “Yes. This is the place.” And in the 16 months since we first opened, Moody Cove has become a special place not only to those of us who work here, but also to all of our zipping friends who have taken to the trees.
We’re committed to protecting this special place. In fact, we aim to leave Moody Cove even better than we found it. To that end, we work to control invasive exotic plants on site and restore the land with native trees, shrubs, and perennials. Navitat’s full stewardship plan includes our commitment to minimally invasive building practices, on-going conservation efforts, and environmental education at all levels.
Some of the Navitat Asheville crew plants 525 native grasses and perennials near the Welcome Center
While lots of businesses invest in landscaping to bring elements of natural beauty to their location, at Navitat our goal is merely to mimic the natural environment with any planting we do. To capture the essence of the surrounding plant communities, we are working to integrate native landscaping designs into our natural resources plan for the site. Around the Welcome Center, guests will now see more than 500 newly planted native grasses and perennials including black-eyed Susan, goldenrod and little bluestem grass.
Last spring, we planted approximately 400 native tree saplings in areas surrounding the Welcome Center and on slopes alongside the road leading to the start of the tour. In addition to bringing new life to the forest, the trees were planted to bring stability to steep slopes helping to reduce erosion. Whenever possible, we look for ways to lessen our impact on the land and, in fact, leave it better than we found it… after all, we owe it to this special place. We are so fortunate to call Moody Cove home. Now ya’ll come see us, ya’ hear?!
***Many thanks to our Environmental Programming Leader, Sarah Marcinko, for her continued hard work in the areas of conservation, education, stewardship, and land management on behalf of Navitat. Now out on maternity leave with their new bundle of joy, we’ll sure miss Sarah while she is away. Welcome to the world, baby girl! We can’t wait until you’re old enough to zip…
The Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) is the most shade tolerant and long-lived tree in Eastern North America. The dense, evergreen canopy of mature hemlock forests provide important habitat for white-tailed deer, ruffed grouse, turkey, songbirds, and other wildlife. In addition, a variety of aquatic species, including North Carolina’s only native trout, the brook trout, is more likely to be found in streams drained by hemlocks than those drained by hardwoods. Hemlocks help moderate stream temperatures and regulate water flow. They are also an important commercial tree to rural communities.
Eastern hemlock forests have significantly declined since the accidental introduction of the hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae) to the Eastern U.S. in the 1950’s. Native to Asia, this aphid-like insect consumes precious nutrients from hemlock needles and causes the tree to drop its leaves. Without needles, hemlocks cannot grow or produce new shoots, which can result in tree death within just a few years. The hemlock woolly adelgid attacks trees of all ages and sizes, and infested trees seldom recover without intervention.
The loss of eastern hemlocks is expected to have dramatic and long-term ecological impacts on southern Appalachian forest structure and function, including the loss of wildlife habitat and changes in hydrologic processes. Moreover, the reduction in shading may increase stream temperatures and produce conditions unsuitable to the survival of the brook trout and other cold water species. Increased nutrient inputs as a result of erosion following extensive hemlock mortality can result in the deterioration of water quality in watersheds that provide public drinking water.
The small white balls, seen here, are easily identifiable as egg sacks of the hemlock woolly adelgid.
Nearly all of the hemlocks in Moody Cove are infested with the hemlock woolly adelgid. Navitat is committed to saving as many of our trees as possible, and we have established a long-term hemlock woolly adelgid management plan. We have identified priority trees for treatment and have begun control using soil injection methods. Our hope is to preserve the character of Eastern hemlock forests here in Moody Cove and raise awareness about this ecologically important species.
You’ll often hear those of us at Navitat rave about what an amazing home we have. Moody Cove is a 242-acre slice of solitude and beauty that we love sharing with folks. It really is special.
We’ve intentionally built our business, from the canopy tour to our Welcome Center, in the least invasive way possible so that we can preserve the natural beauty we find here. We’re serious about minimizing our impact on the land and, in fact, Navitat is busy finding ways to be good stewards to the home we’re so fortuante to have. We want to someday leave this place (hopefully many years from now!) better than we found it.
One of our main goals at Navitat is to create a place where people can learn about our natural environment in a new and totally different way. A second goal is to create a place where respect for the land translates into deep care for the plants and animals that call this place home. To that end, our Environmental Programming Leader, Sarah Marcinko, is leading the way for Navitat in terms of environmental education and land management.
From plans to erradicate harmful invasive plant species in Moody Cove to treating the Eastern Hemlocks currently affected by the hemlock woolly adelgid, Navitat is investing in our home in ways that will positively affect the environment for years to
