About SAWS

Southern Appalachian Wilderness Stewards (SAWS) is an award-winning conservation non-profit organization setting standards of excellence that inspire, connect, and equip people to steward wild landscapes. Founded in 2010, SAWS was born from a need for stewardship across the southeast. In just over a decade, SAWS has grown to be a leader in wilderness stewardship, training, and education, not only in the south, but across the nation.

 

SAWS believes that taking care of our wild public lands and connecting them to the next generation matters and shares responsibility to help create access to the outdoors. SAWS visions a world where wilderness is bountiful, cared for, and valued by all, and works towards that vision everyday by 1) taking care of wild public lands in the Southern Appalachians; 2) providing transformational opportunities in the outdoors that inspire and connect the next generation of conservation stewards; 3) increasing public awareness, access, and relevancy to SAWS and wild public lands, and 4) building organizational sustainability and fiscal resiliency. 

​​

Headquartered in Asheville, NC with an office in Roanoke, VA, we focus our efforts on federally designated wilderness and remote public lands throughout the southern Appalachian region. SAWS regularly works on seven national forests including the National Forests in North Carolina, Francis Marion and Sumter, Chattahoochee-Oconee, Cherokee, Daniel Boone, George Washington & Jefferson, and Monongahela National Forests.

​

We are passionate and knowledgeable about wilderness and taking care of the special places in our backyard. Through stewardship jobs and volunteerism, workforce development, education, partnerships and community engagement, we are working to build wilderness relevancy; connect more people with meaningful, transformational experiences on public lands; and increase access to the outdoors.