News

LOCAL BRIEFS: Mills River grants, Bradford pear trees, Earth Day

Bradford pear bounty is 9-11 a.m. Saturday, April 12, at the city Operations Center. [CONTRIBUTED]

By Lightning Reports, Published: April 9, 2025

Mills River invites nonprofits to apply for grants

The Mills River Town Council is accepting applications from nonprofits that have programs that serve the town.
Each year, the council hears requests from local nonprofits for the purpose of promoting partnerships for the benefit of Mills River residents and to strengthen community organizations. Past recipients include the Mills River Farm Market, Mills River Life Enrichment Center, Literacy Connection and Smart Start Partnership for Children.
The council will convene at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 24, to hear the requests from 501(c)(3) nonprofits. Organizations interested in partnering with the town are encouraged to attend in-person. For an application contact Patty Brown at patty.brown@millsriver.org. Applications must be submitted by 5 p.m. April 14.

City hosts Bradford Pear Bounty Saturday

To help combat the spread of invasive species, the Hendersonville Tree Board and N.C. State University are sponsoring the Bradford Pear Bounty, an invasive tree replacement program that rewards property owners for removing harmful species from their land.

Through this program, participants who remove invasive trees from their property can receive free native trees or plants in exchange. To qualify, you must own property within the city or its ETJ (extraterritorial jurisdiction) and register on the Bradford Pear Bounty website. Several local tree-care service providers are also offering discounts for those participating in the program. For a list of participating vendors visit treebountync.com/removal-discounts.

The event is 9-11 a.m. Saturday, April 12, at the city Operations Center, 305 Williams St. Participants must provide a photo of an invasive species they have removed or treated with herbicide. Only homeowners are eligible to register and receive replacement trees. More than 200 native trees will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Pre-registration is required. Registration does not guarantee a tree, so early arrival is encouraged. To register and learn more visit www.treebountync.com.

Environmental advocacy is focus of Earth Day program

The Henderson County League of Women Voters will celebrate Earth Day with a program from 2:30 to 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 22, at the Hendrick-Rhodes Veterans Center at Five Points, 900 North Main St.

“Local Environmental Advocacy — Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” will be a discussion about the local environmental scene and the Environmental and Conservation Organization, which helped lead the way. Formed in 1987, ECO worked to protect the environment of Henderson County. In 2014 ECO merged with two other regional organizations to form Mountain True.
Program presenters will include two former executive directors of ECO, Mary Jo Padgett and David Weintraub. Katie Breckheimer will facilitate. For more information visit lwvhcnc.org.