WORX Project Campus in Fairview Protected
The WORX Project campus is now protected, adding to land that was purchased for the Fairview Community Forest—together, over 250 acres of new conservation land. The WORX Project offers outdoor education for local students with a focus on potential career paths. The campus will be surrounded by a new community forest that will offer public access to 11 miles of hiking and mountain biking trails.
In July, Conserving Carolina purchased 226 acres of the former Camp Woodson to create the Fairview Community Forest. Then, in December, Conserving Carolina purchased an additional 27.5 acres that was nicknamed the “donut hole”—the land at the center of the camp that is home to the WORX Project.
Through this unique partnership, students at the WORX Project will have access to a large expanse of forest land where they can explore and learn, while the Fairview community will have new trails for hiking and biking.
Sara Jarrell, director of the WORX Project, says:
“Conserving the WORX campus alongside Conserving Carolina reflects our commitment to both the land and our community. We envision this space as a living classroom—one that connects youth to hands-on skills and trades that strengthen our regional economy and create pathways to meaningful careers.”
Conserving Carolina plans to transfer the 27.5-acre WORX Project property to Camp Grier, the nonprofit that runs the WORX Project. This land will be protected by a permanent conservation easement. Conserving Carolina will continue to own the surrounding 226-acre Fairview Community Forest property, although the trails and public access will be managed by Camp Grier.
The WORX Project serves young people, including middle and high school students in Asheville and Buncombe County public schools. It was founded in 2023 and has served over 700 public school students between the ages of 11 to 18. It also serves young people ages 16 to 24 in workforce development programs in collaboration with other local nonprofits.
Programs for public school students focus on hands-on vocational education that leads to economic opportunities—including jobs in Western North Carolina’s outdoor economy. Students explore career fields that include environmental stewardship, solar energy, forestry and saw milling, sustainable agriculture, the bike industry, construction, and culinary services. Offering opportunities to enjoy the trails and the forest, the WORX Project is also an outdoor summer camp, free for any students who want to go.
Related: School in the Woods: Students Discover Potential Career Paths at the WORX Project.
Conserving Carolina worked with the Presbytery of Western North Carolina to purchase the Camp Woodson property, which was once a Presbyterian summer camp. The camp was later home to a state-run program for youth in the juvenile corrections system, helping them to get a new start in life.
Conserving Carolina’s executive director Kieran Roe says, “We are grateful for the patience and generosity that the Presbytery showed as they worked with us to ensure that this land will continue to make a positive difference in the lives of young people in our community.”
In addition to the Presbytery, numerous partners made it possible to conserve the land. Funders include the NC Land and Water Fund, US Forest Service Community Forest Program, the NC Environmental Enhancement Grant Program, Buncombe County Land Conservation Program, Fred and Alice Stanback, Conservation Trust for North Carolina, Fernandez Pave the Way Foundation, James G. K. McClure Educational and Development Fund, and Hathaway Family Foundation.
There was more good news for the Fairview Community Forest last month when Buncombe County announced a grant that will fund trail construction. The community forest is expected to open in the spring, with the first three miles of trails open to the public, and a total of 11 miles of trails in the works.