Adopt-A-Trail in Panthertown

Contact us to inquire about Adopt-A-Trail partnership opportunities for 2026-2027.
We recognize the incredible support provided by our community partners and generous donors.

2026-2027 COMMUNITY PARTNERS

• Duke Energy Foundation – Panthertown Valley Stewardship and Resiliency
• National Forest Foundation* and U.S. Forest Service – Panthertown Valley Restoration
• N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources – Sustainable Trails Training

* The National Forest Foundation (NFF) is the official nonprofit partner of the U.S. Forest Service and transforms America’s love of nature into action for our forests. Working across 193 million acres of National Forests and Grasslands, the NFF leads collaborative efforts that restore land and water, strengthen wildfire resilience, and expand recreation access. The NFF’s work is national in scale, local in practice, and generational in impact. Learn more at nationalforests.org.

2025-2026 COMMUNITY PARTNERS

Our conservation, stewardship, and education programs are funded with the generous support of our Friends, community business partners, and by $137,730 in grants awarded:

• Cedar Creek Club Charitable Fund ($8,000)
• The Church of the Good Shepherd ($7,500)
• The Community Foundation of WNC Cashiers Community Fund ($5,000)
• Cullasaja Women’s Outreach ($8,000)
• The Glass Foundation ($10,063)
• North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources ($86,667)
• North Carolina Native Plants Society ($500)
• Lake Toxaway Charities ($4,000)
• Wade Hampton Golf Club Donor Advised Fund ($8,000)

and with the generous support of

Friends of Panthertown is a local member of:

• Brevard/Transylvania Chamber of Commerce
• Cashiers Area Chamber of Commerce
• Highlands Chamber of Commerce
• Jackson County Chamber of Commerce
  

Other Local Partners

• B.E.A.R. Task Force
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Western North Carolina
• Blue Ridge School and Early College
• Boys & Girls Club of the Plateau
• FIND Outdoors
• Fontana Regional Library System: Albert Carlton-Cashiers Community Library
• Fontana Regional Library System: Hudson Library, Highlands
• Fontana Regional Library System: Jackson County Public Library, Sylva
• Friends of the Jackson County Greenways
• Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust
• Jackson County Parks and Recreation
• Jackson County Public Schools
• Jackson County Tourism Development Authority
• Macon County Middle School Outdoor Club
• Mainspring Conservation Trust
• MountainTrue
• Nantahala Area SORBA
• North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
• North Carolina Native Plant Society – Oconee Bell Chapter
• Pinnacle Park Foundation
• Southwestern Community College
• Summit Charter School
• Trout Unlimited – Tuckaseigee Chapter
• Uncomplicated Kitchen
• Watershed Association of the Tuckasegee River
• Western Carolina University
• Wild Remembering

Other Regional/National Partners

• American Hiking Society
• American Trails
• Blue Ridge National Heritage Area
• Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics
• National Wilderness Stewardship Alliance
• Public Lands Alliance
• U.S. Forest Service

2024-2025 COMMUNITY PARTNERS

In 2024 we received $43,000 of grants from Cedar Creek Club Charitable Fund ($7,000), The Church of the Good Shepherd ($7,500), The Community Foundation of WNC Cashiers Community Fund ($5,000), Cullasaja Women’s Outreach ($5,000), The Glass Foundation ($3,000), North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources ($5,000), Lake Toxaway Charities ($3,000), and Wade Hampton Golf Club Donor Advised Fund ($7,500).

2023-2024 COMMUNITY PARTNERS

In 2023 we received $150,977 of grants from Jackson County Tourism Development Authority ($40,000), National Forest Foundation* and the U.S. Forest Service ($34,045), National Wilderness Stewardship Alliance ($26,752), Stephen C. Leuthold Family Foundation ($10,000), Wade Hampton Golf Club Donor Advised Fund ($7,500), Cedar Creek Club Charitable Fund ($7,500), North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources ($5,000), The Community Foundation of WNC Cashiers Community Fund ($5,000), The Church of the Good Shepherd ($5,000), Cullasaja Women’s Outreach ($4,300), Lake Toxaway Charities ($2,500), and Rotary Club of Cashiers Valley ($2,500).

* The National Forest Foundation works on behalf of the American public to inspire personal and meaningful connections to our National Forests. By directly engaging Americans and leveraging private and public funding, the NFF leads forest conservation efforts and promotes responsible recreation. Each year the NFF restores fish and wildlife habitat, facilitates common ground, plants trees in areas affect by fires, insects and disease and improves recreational opportunities. The NFF believes our National Forests and all they offer are an American treasure and are vital to the health of our communities. Learn more at nationalforests.org.

2022-2023 COMMUNITY PARTNERS

In 2022 we were awarded $58,000 of grants from North Carolina Department of Justice ($35,000), The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina Cashiers Community Fund ($8,000), Cedar Creek Club ($5,000), Wade Hampton Golf Club ($5,000), and a national award from the American Trails Fund ($5,000).

Friends of Panthertown
STEWARDS OF PANTHERTOWN SINCE 2005

The mission of Friends of Panthertown is to
1) work in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service to
2) conserve Panthertown as a backcountry natural resource and to
3) enable sustainable recreation.