Snorkel the Pigeon

Discover the amazing diversity of life in the Pigeon River with an event on Saturday, July 25, at Jukebox Junction…
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Tour a working farm

Tour 10-Acre Garden and enjoy a wood-fired pizza Saturday, July 25, at the Ten Acre Garden in Bethel. 
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Fall event cancellations announced

With rising case counts showing that the Coronavirus Pandemic is far from over, a new round of cancellation announcements has…
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Dillsboro to host Jackson County Farmers Market
 

Dillsboro to host Jackson County Farmers Market

The Jackson County Farmers Market will set up at Innovation Station in Dillsboro, Wednesdays 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. 
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New shelter-in-place medical course offered
 

New shelter-in-place medical course offered

A new online course from Cullowhee-based Landmark Learning is teaching first aid skills for people who are sheltering in place. 
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Smokies creates emergency manager position

Liz Hall has been selected as the Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s first emergency manager.
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Tribe receives USFS grant for forest management

A grant from the U.S. Forest Service will help the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians expand and connect the Hall…
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Freedom on foot: Cashiers man shares trail running passion through guide company

These days, Brendon Voelker’s life revolves around running, but eight years ago the Texas native was still struggling to complete…
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Campgrounds, rec areas reopen in the Pisgah

New re-openings have been announced for the Pisgah National Forest. 
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Man drowns after rescuing minor
 

Man drowns after rescuing minor

A visitor to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park perished last week when he tried to save a younger family…
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Motorcycle accident results in fatality
 

Motorcycle accident results in fatality

A motorcycle fatality occurred on Newfound Gap Road in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park shortly after 5 p.m. Monday,…
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Sanitation supplies available for farmers markets
 

Sanitation supplies available for farmers markets

A new campaign from EmPOWERing Mountain Food Systems aims to make farmers markets safer for the public and vendors alike. 
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DuPont considers entry fees
 

DuPont considers entry fees

Visitors to DuPont State Recreation Forest could have to pay an entrance fee in the future following Gov. Roy Cooper’s…
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Trees for sale
 

Trees for sale

Tree seedlings are now available from the N.C. Forest Service, with nearly 50 species of conifers, hardwoods and native understory…
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Garden offers music-filled summer evenings

The popular ArborEvenings after-hours series at the N.C. Arboretum will return this year with a toy-filled twist. 
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America, mile by mile: Cross-country trip reveals country’s beauty, diversity

Back when the trip was a new idea, I don’t think either of us took it seriously. Three weeks on…
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LEGOs in the garden

The arrival of the N.C. Arboretum’s newest exhibit was delayed due to COVID-19, but Nature Connects: Art with LEGO Bricks…
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Butterfly murals installed in Cullowhee garden

Four larger-than-life butterflies now greet visitors as they enter the Cullowhee Community Garden, each representing a species that helps pollinate…
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Planning effort seeks to form regional multi-use trail network

A plan that would create a 150-mile-plus trail network through Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, Madison and Transylvania counties is now out…
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Farmers market starting in Cashiers
 

Farmers market starting in Cashiers

Locally Grown on the Green farmers market offers local produce 3 to 6 p.m. each Wednesday during the growing season…
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New Smokies podcast launches

A new podcast series from the Great Smoky Mountains Association brings the science, stories and sounds of the Great Smoky…
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Connecting farmers with food-insecure
 

Connecting farmers with food-insecure

A new initiative from the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project is facilitating direct connections between farmers and food relief efforts. 
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Final decision reached on Buck Project

The U.S. Forest Service has signed the final decision notice for the Buck Project, which will encompass more than 32…
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N.C. climate plan released

After 11 months of stakeholder engagement and collaborative work, the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality has submitted the N.C. Climate…
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Senate votes to fund conservation needs

Outdoors groups are hailing a recent vote by the U.S. Senate to pass legislation supporting funding for public lands as…
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Hiker fatality in the Smokies
 

Hiker fatality in the Smokies

A hiker on the Abrams Falls Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park died following a cardiac event Monday,…
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Grandfather Mountain mourns loss of Gerry the black bear

On Saturday, June 20, Grandfather Mountain bid farewell to Gerry the black bear. Gerry was humanely euthanized following a long history of…
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Cades Cove now vehicle-free all day on Wednesdays

Cades Cove Loop Road will now be vehicle-free on Wednesdays through Sept. 30 as part of a pilot study to…
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Funding available for WNC farms

Grants and loans to help small and mid-scale farmers in Western North Carolina navigate the COVID-19 crisis are now available…
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Waynesville opening pool, public restrooms
 

Waynesville opening pool, public restrooms

Most public restrooms in Waynesville reopened on Friday, May 22, and the pool, water park and locker rooms at the…
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Park reopens campgrounds, visitor centers

Some campgrounds, visitor centers and previously closed roads in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are reopening.
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Land trust closes on 448 acres for outdoor rec in Canton

After a year of planning, the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy has closed on a 448-acre purchase in Haywood County that…
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Cove Creek Road to Cataloochee reopens

A contractor for the N.C. Department of Transportation has opened Cove Creek Road in Haywood County to traffic after completing…
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Parkway reopens facilities

Several previously closed facilities along the Blue Ridge Parkway reopened June 13. 
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Parkway visitors generated $1.1 billion in 2019, report finds
 

Parkway visitors generated $1.1 billion in 2019, report finds

A new report from the National Park Service shows that the Blue Ridge Parkway’s 14.9 million 2019 visitors spent $1.1…
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Grant bolsters Burke County park project

A $464,000 grant from the U.S. Forest Service’s Community Forest Program will support the Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina’s ongoing…
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Conservation purchase complete in McDowell

A 38-acre conservation purchase on the North Fork Catawba River in McDowell County will add to the body of public…
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Making history: In the summer of ’67, former college president was Smokies’ first black naturalist

The year that Joe Lee turned 21, the Brown vs. Board of Education decision turned 13, the Civil Rights Act…
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Wildlife Commission hires new director

Major Cameron Ingram has been selected as the new executive director of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission and will transition…
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Report pine snake sightings

Pine snake sightings are wanted as part of an effort to help biologists learn more about the reptiles’ distribution in…
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Watch for giant hornets

The Asian giant hornet has yet to be detected in North Carolina, but the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer…
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National forest lifts fire restrictions, some recreation closures

The Pisgah National Forest has begun to reopen many trails and roads and partially lift restrictions for dispersed camping, and…
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Trout waters to open

Delayed Harvest trout waters will open on June 6 in North Carolina, affecting 34 streams and two lakes. 
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Second Lady Pence visits the Smokies: Applauds reopening, mental health benefits of outdoor recreation

Visiting Clingmans Dome is like being in the clouds, Second Lady Karen Pence said when she visited the site Tuesday,…
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Nantahala announces new chief ranger

A new district ranger has been selected for the Nantahala Ranger District of the Nantahala National Forest. 
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New management at Parkway trading post
 

New management at Parkway trading post

A nonprofit based at the Cradle of Forestry in America is the new manager for the Northwest Trading Post located…
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NOC now open
 

NOC now open

The Nantahala Outdoor Center has reopened, with most river and land-based trips now available. 
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Park enters second phase of reopening

The opening of Clingmans Dome Road on Tuesday, May 19, was followed by an additional wave of reopenings on Saturday,…
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A.T. trailheads to open in four states

Appalachian Trail trailheads and access points on U.S. Forest Service lands in the Southeast will reopen on Friday, May 22.
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Trump names FSA director for N.C.
 

Trump names FSA director for N.C.

Eddie Woodhouse has been named the new executive director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency in North…
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