Join Mandy for Oak & Grist's Study Hall as she talks about the artifacts and treasures found in our waterways post-Helene and the journey they take to get back to their owners.

Mandy Wallace Bio: Prior to Hurricane Helene, Mandy worked for a local Asheville outfitter as an outdoor program director and raft guide on the French Broad River. Following the devastating flooding that resulted from the storm, Mandy jumped into cleanup mode and has not looked back since. She was a member of the “OG Debris Team” which came together in March of 2025 - putting ten river folks back to work 40 hours a week removing debris from waterways throughout western North Carolina. She now leads MountainTrue volunteer cleanup events and also created the “Found Items Project” which reunites personal items found during river cleanups with their people. 

Mandy and her husband Jim reside in Fletcher, NC with their three dogs. When they are not cleaning up rivers - they are floating them. Some of their favorites include the Rogue River in Oregon, the Buffalo River in Arkansas, and of course — the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon.