WNC Environmental Summit
WNC Environmental Summit
Friday, March 20, 2026 | 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
Haywood Community College auditorium
This free event is open to adult and student participants. A conference setting, combined with interactive booths and hands-on workshops, will provide educational opportunities for regional groups to come together, share ideas, encourage one another, and take action to make a difference. Register to attend below. For school group registration, please contact sroberts@haywood.edu.
This event is designed to connect like-minded, like-spirited people to each other and to connect people to place. The work is to inspire HOPE and conservation through action. This is closely tied with the vision: 1) to teach science through the lens of culture, 2) to provide meaningful and fun learning opportunities for youth and adults, and 3) to inspire discussion and the desire to learn more!
About the Summit
The 2026 Spring Keynote Speakers:
Cash Daniels, known as The Conservation Kid, is a youth environmental activist from Chattanooga, Tennessee, and a CNN Hero, National Geographic #Slingshot Challenge recipient, and Jane Goodall Roots & Shoots Youth Council member. Through river cleanups, conservation projects, and storytelling, Cash empowers young
people to become environmental leaders. Cash shares powerful real-world stories from
the field and delivers practical, youth-driven solutions to today’s environmental
challenges. His message is clear and motivating: you don’t have to wait to make a
difference; leadership starts with action, curiosity, and care for the world around
you.
Atsei Cooper is a citizen of the Eastern Band of Cherokee in North Carolina. She is an Indigenous
archaeologist, community worker, artist, and botanical enthusiast. Cooper's preferred mediums
consist of acrylic painting, pen and ink, block printing, Indigenous style beadwork,
and digital artwork. Cooper prefers to call her nation by its original name, Anigiduwagi,
the People of Kituwah.
Panel Presentations and Youth Action Labs
- Panel presentations include Change and Resiliency in Waterways of WNC and Forestry, Fish, and Wildlife Conservation, featuring regional specialists and partners.
- Youth Action Labs, specifically built for our Middle and High School participants, will provide hands-on activities and ways for participants to take action as leaders to address environmental threats. The labs aim to empower youth voices and leadership!
- Additionally, with Balsam Mountain Trust, Rachael Hart will present on Wildlife Conservation (A Live Animal Presentation).