Gone Batty

Spencer Beals and the Save the UNCA Woods Movement

Feb 25, 2026

An environmental renaissance is happening right now if you know where to look. When I was growing up in the 90s, we had heroes like Captain Planet teaching us about eco-stewardship and protecting the natural world around us. Growing up on movies like The Lorax and Fern Gully, I had big plans to save the rain forest. Somewhere between then and now saving the planet fell out of vogue. Recycling is now derided as being a misleading initiative created by corporations and has fallen by the wayside. When did it stop being cool to be eco-conscious? Well fear not, because one local artist is bringing back.

Spencer Beals has taken up the cause of protecting the UNCA woods, one of the last remaining urban green spaces in Asheville. Like the Lorax, he speaks for the trees- and also the creatures of the forest. At a recent Save the Woods event, he shared about the value of the 45 acres up for development and talked about it being home to a female great horned owl who nests there. Known around Asheville for pioneering sketchbook club, Spencer did the most 90’s thing ever in protest- he put together a sanctioned music festival in the woods. The festival, held on private land adjacent to the UNCA Woods, featured a screening of the 1972 Lorax movie and music by DJ Lil MeowMeow. The community turned out to support their beloved woods- but they weren’t the only ones! The Save the Woods festival caught the attention of filmmakers in New York who drove down to create a documentary about the movement.

The private patch of woods that housed the festival, are also now home to the Batland Community Art installation. Originally placed in the UNCA woods, Spencer relocated the installation here after UNCA had it removed. Spencer has also started a bird watching club that meets every day at four pm at the Asheville botanical gardens.

It’s hard not to feel something when Spencer talks about defending the UNCA woods. He is passionate about ecology and has a few pieces that tell ecological stories about unique eco-systems and their losses- but also their continued survival despite all odds. During the festival he described what was depicted in his piece titled Eyes of Appalachia, which features the life cycle of the eastern newt wrapped around it. For me, one of the most powerful moments of the night was hearing how deeply the piece resonates with Spencer. He became emotional while describing the eastern newt persevering against all odds saying, “despite everything it has endured and the total collective suffering that the southern Appalachians have faced, it chooses to have children and to teach those children how to steward the land”. The artwork itself has endured against adversity- having been recovered from his River Arts studio which was ravaged by Helene.

Combining art and activism, Spencer has vowed to protect this last Asheville greenspace and partnered with Save the UNCA Woods to help bring needed attention to the situation. He says the Save the Woods movement has the support of Asheville, and it’s easy to see why. Even though it’s been 16 months since Helene, much of the Asheville community is still struggling emotionally and otherwise from the devastation and trauma. Now urbanization is reducing what forests they have left. On a Save the Woods Facebook post from June 2025, Heather Rayburn, one of the Save the Woods organizers, cited concerns including. ‘increased heat island, erosion, wildlife loss, noise, traffic, harm to neighborhoods and community cohesion’ if the woods are destroyed. Save the Woods supporters have pointed to better options for the planned 5,000 seat soccer stadium, like land owned by the university that is already developed or non-forested. Spencer shared he hopes the Chancellor realizes how important this space is for the community and that she drops the plans to develop the woodlands for a soccer field. He suggests UNCA invests in the land as an arboretum or sculpture garden, believing in its potential to be a “Central Park” in Asheville. Spencer believes the best way to help the movement is to ‘come explore the forest for yourself’. He encourages people to walk through the woods and ask themselves, “are we really in the position to throw away a beautiful, intact, 45-acre urban forest that’s a three-minute drive from the city”. He went on to say, “you lose one, you lose two, we’ve lost so many, that when you look at this place you’ve got to celebrate it, breathe life into it, and have the entire community pour forward their support”. Calling the woods the “lungs of the city” Spencer encourages us all to stand up for the forest. As for the chancellor and the Board of Trustees, Spencer wants them to commit to conservation, believing the movement can win.

There has never been a better time to invest in our planet and our green spaces. With more of our raw land facing pressure from developers, we can expect to see an increase in wild animals roaming neighborhoods and downtown areas. Once uncommon, Downtown Granite Falls has had bear sightings- including one in our driveway. Coyotes have become a common suburban scapegoat, often blamed for missing pets. These encounters will become more frequent, thanks to habitat loss. This is our time to intervene and break the cycle. We have more opportunities than ever to spread awareness and help environmentalism make a comeback.

One way you can become more environmentally conscious is by educating yourself. Learn about your local forest and ecosystems and share this knowledge with your community. Encourage your local government to create parks, oppose destructive development, and protect existing green spaces. Recently in Granite Falls, the community showed up to express concerns around a large 136-acre, 600 home development that was being planned. They were able to successfully sway the council and the project was vetoed. There are also many other ways you can help local conservation efforts, like volunteering and consuming responsibly. All our small efforts can add up to big changes. As the saying goes, “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the second best time is now”. I believe we have a responsibility to leave things better for the generations that follow us. Woodlands and green spaces in urban areas are a resource that are finite. Spencer said it best, when talking about the meaning behind the Save the Woods festival- “…we’re going to steward this land for our children”. We must be good stewards, if not for ourselves, then for the generations that follow us. People and natural spaces can co-exist- we just have to be mindful and responsible in how we go about it.

Interested in visiting the Batland installation? Park on 36 Vivian Avenue, Asheville.

Save UNCA Woods!