With the sound of chainsaws echoing through the valley below, volunteers with Team Rubicon pushed their way through heavy brush encircling The Mountain Retreat and Learning Center.
Cutting back trees and shrubs, the crew members created fire breaks and cleared away thousands of pounds of natural debris. The goal was to ensure the long-term safety of The Mountain should a forest fire come near the property.
“We got word that there was a project up here in Highlands that could use our attention, so we looked into it and decided it fit our skills, and here we are,” Team Rubicon project commander Darren Bean said. “When you look at this property and what its used for throughout the year, a fire up here could be devastating. Especially, if it cut off the one road in and out of the property.”
Bean explained that Team Rubicon, which has become a leading volunteer organization in relation to disaster response nationwide, has two sets of projects on their radar throughout the year.
“We have ‘Gray Sky’ projects, and those are the super intense natural disaster response operations we do. Things like hurricanes, blizzards, and other natural disasters,” Bean said. “But we also have a list of ‘Blue Sky’ projects that we can complete when the weather is good and we have some down time. This project at The Mountain is a ‘Blue Sky’ project.”
Team Rubicon volunteer Davis Picklesimer, who also serves as a Highlands firefighter, was the one who got the word out to Bean about bringing a team of volunteers to The Mountain.
“Team Rubicon is an incredible organization and they do so much good,” Picklesimer said. “When I saw the scope of work that was needed here in Highlands, it made sense to reach out and see if (Team Rubicon) would be able to lend their resources to us.”
More than 100 Team Rubicon volunteers responded to the request for service. Thanks to the work of several project coordinators, who developed a schedule that met the availability of the volunteers, the organization was able to have 26-30 volunteers each day for eight days at The Mountain.
“You know we are the ones who come out do the work, cut the trees, haul the brush, run the chippers, etc., but the people who coordinate the volunteers do the hard part,” Bean said. “Our volunteers came in from across North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee. When we call, they answer, and that’s a testament to their commitment to the Team Rubicon mission.”
Team Rubicon was founded in 2010 by a group of veterans who made a trip to Haiti following a devastating earthquake. Since that response, Team Rubicon has grown to include more than 150,000 volunteers nationwide. For more information about Team Rubicon, and the work the organization does, visit teamrubiconusa.org.