A Commitment to Wilderness Preservation

In the spring of 2018, Wes undertook what he thought was a small art-related fundraising project (the above oval bumper decal), and soon ended up assuming the role of Executive Director of the Wilson Creek Clean Up Fund, 501c3 Non-Profit organization. He assembled an advisory board of similarly committed individuals, and rebranded the effort as ACleanWilsonCreek.org

After a lifetime of literally "drawing" inspiration from the wilderness, it was time to bring Bear Trail Art into the realm of more actionable support for these natural gifts that are threatened in many ways by man's intrusion. 

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. 

Get Involved, Volunteer! If you are passionate about protecting our remaining wilderness and watersheds, we can use your help! We welcome individual volunteers and groups, Scouting troops, and conservation/science/natural history educators for programming. We use volunteers for River Patrol, Trail Maintenance, and presenters for outreach programs. All volunteers are educated on our purpose and River Patrol protocols, safety, and appropriate interpersonal interactions with River visitors.  Bruce Gray (right) has been Mission Control of this clean up effort since 2008, and started the Wilson Creek Clean Up Fund  in 2017, now branded as A Clean Wilson Creek. Want to Volunteer? Click Here to complete a form and we will be in touch!

Your Participation is Crucial and Appreciated! Whether you help through monetary donations, volunteering your time, or spreading our story through word-of-mouth or social media, know that you are appreciated. This operation is costly and we can't take a day off given the current situation.  Your support helps us work toward solutions while continuing the daily River Patrols UNTIL we achieve successful solutions! THANK YOU!

We also encourage thoughtful and respectful letters of support or concern to the following governmental agencies that provide oversight of this area:

District Ranger Nick Larson

Grandfather Ranger District, 

Pisgah National Forest
109 Lawing Drive
Nebo, NC 28761
(828) 652-2144

Mr. Stan Kiser

County Manager

Caldwell County 

PO Box 2200
905 West Avenue NW
Lenoir, NC 28645

(828) 757-1300 

Kip Hollifield

Mountain Region Supervisor

NC Wildlife Resources Commission

1701 Mail Service Center, 

Raleigh, NC 27699-1700

828-803-6046