A Clean Wilson Creek logo designed by Wes Waugh.
Join us for a film about Wilson Creek
Film description:
Wild & Scenic is a short documentary about Wilson Creek, which is located in Caldwell County, North Carolina, and is known for its wild and scenic beauty but has had a history of ecological destruction due to timber harvesting. Now the area is used by many from all over the state for daily outdoor recreation such as biking, fishing, rafting and camping. Due to the lack of waste infrastructure, high traffic, and ecological abuse, a team of devoted volunteers have started a non-profit to keep the river clean.
About the Speakers
Jesse Barber is a documentary photographer based in the Appalachian region of North Carolina. His work focuses on the culture of rural communities and the influence of traditional values, such as those related to labor and religion.
Raised in the rural South, Barber has an understanding of the nuanced perspective in small communities, and he seeks to expand our understanding of how religion, labor and history intersect with the land today.
Wes Waugh is a watercolor landscape painter who has made the North Carolina High Country his home for the past 38 years. He began learning to paint at the age of twelve, has held over fifteen exhibitions, and still serves as a workshop instructor, product consultant, guest presenter, and juror for art-related businesses and organizations.
Simultaneously, Wes held a full-time teaching and administrative position in the Student Learning Center at nearby Appalachian State University until his retirement in May 2020 after thirty-four years. He is also active as a wilderness conservationist and currently serves as the Executive Director of the nonprofit organization “A Clean Wilson Creek”, dedicated to the protection and preservation of this North Carolina National Wild and Scenic River south of Grandfather Mountain.
Wes enjoys fly fishing, hiking, backpacking, gardening, and landscaping, and the ongoing restoration of a 1910 historic home in downtown Boone, NC. He also is devoted to spending time with his wife, Lynne (also an Appalachian State employee), and daughters Andie, twenty-one, an N.C. State junior, and Gigi, sixteen, a sophomore at Watauga High School.
About A Clean Wilson Creek
A Clean Wilson Creek is now a small army of folks committed to protecting this National Wild and Scenic River in it's natural state for future generations. Wilson Creek begins as a small stream on the side of Grandfather Mountain and forms into an incredible national treasure over the next 23 miles. We provide funding for daily River Patrols (365 days a year) that removes trash left by recreational users, and we also address abuse of this wilderness area from vandalism. We have a Core Team (Trout Team 6) and a number of associates and consultants who help us with stream protection, conservation education, and community, state and local government outreach. We also have corporate/small business funding partners and hopefully, we will have YOU on our side as well.