Mission

Southern Appalachian Wilderness Stewards (SAWS) is a conservation non-profit dedicated to educating, cultivating, and empowering an engaged public in the stewardship of protected public lands.

What We Do

SAWS' work centers on connecting people to their natural environment through direct engagement. Our programs couple education and training with hands-on work experiences. Each year, SAWS recruits a talented cohort of public lands stewards to accomplish wilderness projects developed in collaboration with our local and regional partners. This collaborative effort strategically leverages limited resources, while accomplishing critical work on our region's public lands, including: trail maintenance, rehabilitation, and construction; educating recreating visitors on wilderness relevancy, the principles of Leave No Trace, and public land regulations and safety guidelines; engaging schools and community and recreation groups on public lands conservation, stewardship, volunteerism, and wilderness; and conducting research for the US Forest Service. Our work helps to maintain and protect our region's wilderness areas, while building a new generation of conservation leaders, equipped with the tools, knowledge, and passion to be good stewards of public lands.