Virtual book club will explore climate change solutions

A virtual book club through the Highlands Biological Foundation this fall will cover the book Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan…
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Join the Bucket Brigade

The Bucket Brigade is looking for people who are tired of passing by the same trash each day and want…
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Full house: Photo prompts concern about conditions at Max Patch

Mike Wurman visited Max Patch for the first time in May 2014, and the experience changed his life.  Wurman, an…
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Delayed Harvest regulations begin

Delayed Harvest Trout Water restrictions will take effect in North Carolina on Thursday, Oct. 1.
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Jackson County Farmers Market celebrates 20 years

Back in the 1990s, Karen and Johnny White were in a nomadic phase of life, spending several months traveling the…
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Retired Wildlife Resources director wins lifetime achievement award

Gordon Meyers, retired executive director of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, has received the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’…
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PARI named International Dark Sky Park

The Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute in Transylvania County has been awarded the prestigious designation of International Dark Sky Park, recognizing…
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Research shows parks are important to Americans

A recently released report from the National Recreation and Park Association shows that most U.S. adults — 82 percent of them…
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Smokies investigates racially charged vandalism on Foothills Parkway

Racially charged vandalism in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has prompted an investigation searching for those responsible. 
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Waynesville rec opens additional facilities

The Waynesville Recreation Center and Old Armory will reopene for additional activities at 30 percent capacity at 7 a.m. Tuesday,…
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Jackson rec announce reopening plans

The Jackson County Recreation Centers in Cullowhee and Cashiers will reopen on Monday, Sept. 14, but with significant operational changes. 
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Mild fall color display predicted for WNC

The fall color forecast is looking dim for 2020, according to the annual prognostication offered by Western Carolina University biology…
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Drive through Winter Lights

The annual Winter Lights event at the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville will be offered as a drive-thru experience this year…
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Online ag classes offered for youth

An online series of agriculture workshops for kids ages 8 to 11 will soon launch for the fall, offering a…
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Man dies following cardiac distress in the Smokies

A man was pronounced dead after suffering a cardiac event on Friday, Sept. 25, along Laurel Creek Road in the…
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From end to end: Against ATC wishes, thru-hikers summit Katahdin

When Karly Jones began the Appalachian Trail on Feb. 27, the weather was cold and the trail crowded. She quickly…
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Local youth show strong at livestock expo

Several local youth have been named winners at the WNC Youth Livestock Expo, which took place at the WNC Ag…
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Photo prompts concern about conditions at Max Patch

An updated and expanded version of this story is now available here.  A widely circulated drone photo showing Max Patch…
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Fairview teen wins national volunteer award

Fairview resident Virginia Ward has received the 2019 Youth Award as part of the George and Helen Hartzog Awards for…
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Drowning victim found in Big Creek area

Emergency responders have found the body of a 25-year-old man reported missing at 7:36 p.m. Monday, Sept. 14, after falling…
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Smokies telethon canceled, donations still needed

Due to the pandemic, Friends of the Smokies has had to cancel its annual Friends Across the Mountains Telethon, which…
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Haywood’s biggest pizza party: Pizza nights at Ten Acre Garden grow community

At 5 p.m., the August sun is hot and high overhead as my husband and I walk through the hodgepodge…
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Beyond the waterfalls: Asheville writer releases first written history of DuPont State Forest

Danny Bernstein’s fascination with DuPont State Recreational Forest began soon after she moved to Asheville in 2001.  “The first hike…
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Hemlock initiative to continue

On Sept. 2, Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler and WNC Communities Executive Director Jennifer Ferre cosigned a pledge to continue support…
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Smokies deputy chosen for NPS superintendent job in California

Clay Jordan will soon leave the Great Smoky Mountains National Park after landing a job as superintendent of Sequoia and…
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Conservation projects protect key National Forest inholdings

Two parcels totaling 219 acres will eventually be added to the Nantahala National Forest thanks to a recently completed conservation…
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Legacy in the land: Terry Rogers inducted to WNC Agricultural Hall of Fame

Nobody who knew Terry Rogers was surprised by the sprinkling of jokes that pervaded his acceptance speech.  One was a…
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More facilities reopen in the Smokies

Previously closed facilities in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will reopen on Thursday, Sept. 3, for the first time…
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Tour de Smokies fundraising challenge begins

At midnight Friday, Sept. 4, a pair of experienced Smokies hikers embarked on a 900-mile challenge in the Great Smoky…
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Early morning Parkway shooting under investigation

Law enforcement is investigating an early morning shooting that occurred just before 3 a.m. Friday, Sept. 4, near milepost 364…
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AmeriCorps members complete trail work

High-priority trail work on the Black Mountain Crest Trail in the Nantahala National Forest is now complete thanks to a…
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Scouts practice shooting skills

After a weeklong virtual campout in July, Cub Scouts from Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties converged at Camp Daniel…
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GSMA publishes children’s chapter book

A new fictional chapter book for young readers is now available from the Great Smoky Mountains Association. 
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Road closed for logging operations

Courthouse Creek Road, located on the Pisgah Ranger District near Pisgah Forest, is closed to motorized use through Dec. 31.
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Erosion issues ongoing at Millennial Campus

Despite multiple outstanding environmental violations, a new student housing complex located on Western Carolina University’s Millennial Campus off Killian Road…
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Smokies cyclist dies following accident

A cyclist passed away in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park last week following an accident on a downhill section…
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Cataloguing biodiversity: WCU lands grant for biological collections

A collection of 47,000 plants and animals currently tucked away in various rooms of Western Carolina University’s Stillwell building will…
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With 900-mile challenge, hikers hope to raise $60K

A pair of experienced Smokies hikers will soon embark on a 900-mile challenge in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park…
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Report unsolicited seed shipments

Numerous people in North Carolina have reported receiving unrequested shipments of seeds from foreign sources, and the N.C. Department of…
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Change of plans for Master Gardener classes

The Haywood County Master Gardener course typically offered from January through April each year will move to August through October…
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Lake Junaluska cancels 5K

Lake Junaluska’s Friends of the Lake 5K will not take place in 2020. 
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Duke pauses aerial spray program following complaints

Angela Faye Martin’s husband Brent had already left the house to scout a future hike for the guide service they…
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Smokies resource education chief named

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Superintendent Cassius Cash has named Stephanie F. Kyriazis as the park’s new Deputy Chief of…
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Bringing backcountry to the back door: Early plans unveiled for Chestnut Mountain park

The project may still be in its early stages, but plans are beginning to take shape for the 448-acre park…
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Congress passes legislation to fund parks, conservation

President Donald Trump signed the Great American Outdoors Act into law on Tuesday, Aug. 4, guaranteeing funding for much-needed maintenance…
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Mainspring hires new employee

Rachel Newcomb has been hired as a conservation outreach associate for Mainspring Conservation Trust. 
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Mainspring conserves Cherokee mound

A culturally significant 40-acre property in Macon County has now been conserved, thanks to Mainspring Conservation Trust. 
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More Parkway facilities reopen

The Blue Ridge Parkway has reopened four previously closed campgrounds in North Carolina and Virginia, but some seasonal facilities remain…
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National forests welcome new leadership

In the midst of a summer characterized by coronavirus-related disruptions on top of the closing of the public comment phase…
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New Kids in Parks Trails created in Robbinsville

The Cheoah Ranger District on the Nantahala National Forest has two new Kids in Parks TRACK Trails, designed to turn…
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