In June 2025, Asheville City Soccer Club in collaboration with UNC-Asheville released a proposed plan that would destroy 54 acres of local woodland to build a soccer stadium/event venue-centered development. The UNCA urban woods are a treasured amenity for hikers, dog walkers and nature enthusiasts and have been used by UNCA natural sciences classes and faculty for education and research for decades.

Over one hundred bird species have been recorded in the woods including the iconic great-horned owls, the spectacular pileated woodpeckers, spring and fall migrants, the warblers that are currently delighting us with their melodious songs, and year long residents that come out of the woods to our backyard bird feeders. 

The woods are also home to over twenty five species of butterflies, to bats, to small mammals, and to box turtles. Black bears also frequently travel through the woods. Learn more about wildlife in the UNCA urban forest. 

Native plants such as trillium and violets, together with dogwoods and cherry trees make spring in the woods a delightful time with their colorful blossoms.

What you can do to prevent ACSC from participating in this ecological disaster?