A vision for the Tuck: New WATR director looks to make strides in water quality improvement
The Watershed Association of the Tuckasegee River has a new leader. Two years after former executive director Roger Clapp retired…
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The story behind the man: First-ever Horace Kephart biography explores a complex man and momentous life
Horace Kephart has been dead for 88 years, but his name and his story still pull an undercurrent through Western…
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Life at two miles an hour: A.T. hikers share their stories
From flip-flops to overnights to the quintessential northbound thru-hike, there are many different ways to experience the Appalachian Trail on…
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The Naturalist's Corner: Eastern box turtle, our state reptile
Editor’s note: This article first appeared in a June 2001 issue of The Smoky Mountain News Taksi was a legendary…
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Smokies plates celebrate milestone
Twenty years after the program launched, drivers in Tennessee and North Carolina have passed the $15 million mark in support…
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N.C. deer harvest declines in 2018-19
Deer harvest in North Carolina declined 9 percent from the previous three-year average in the 2018-19 season, despite the fact…
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Believing Bigfoot: Locals log Sasquatch evidence in North Carolina’s mountains
Jeff Carpenter knows the woods. A native of Otto who’s spent most of his adult life the next county over…
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Boating fatalities abnormally high in 2018
On the heels of a year when more people died from boating accidents in North Carolina than in any other…
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Trillium Gap Trail rehab has begun
A two-year trail rehabilitation project is now underway at the Trillium Gap Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park,…
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Bethel student wins art contest
Eighth grader Gracie Burgess, of Bethel Middle School, will see her artwork worn by eighth-graders across Haywood County during Kids…
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Hiking club achieves nonprofit status
As of March 18, the Nantahala Hiking Club is officially a 501c3 nonprofit.
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Cost-share available for organic certification
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is now accepting applications from producers looking for help to cover the cost of organic…
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Landslide closes Jackson trail system
A landslide on Forest Service Road 4650 in Jackson County has resulted in closure of the Wayehutta OHV Trail System.
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Plans complete for Macon/Jackson timber project
An environmental analysis is now complete for the Southside Project, expected to improve forest health, diversity and wildlife habitat in…
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Magnolia trifecta
It’s May! That means my 2019 Forest Service bird survey has begun — another six weeks of roaming the wilds…
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Professor receives honor from New York Botanical Garden
Jim Costa, executive director of the Western Carolina University Highlands Biological Station and a professor of biology at WCU, has…
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Make way for elk (and trout): Haywood, Jackson counties seek designation as state’s elk and trout capitals
If you want to see an elk, the Elk Capital of North Carolina would probably be a good place to…
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Year of the bird: Killdeer nest prompts planning shuffle for Greening Up The Mountains
Every year, Sylva’s population quadruples on the last Saturday in April as more than 10,000 people flock to the tiny…
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Crews conquer fire in Linville
The Brushy Ridge Trail near Linville Gorge reopened last week following successful containment of a 3-acre fire there April 30.
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Farm Bill causes changes for loan limits
The 2018 Farm Bill resulted in higher farm loan limits from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, among other changes.
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The Naturalist's Corner: Bald eagles, gators and manatees, oh my
It was another great Spring Break along the Gulf Coast of Central Florida. We stayed in Homosassa Springs on the…
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Facilities reopen in the Smokies
This year’s opening schedule for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is now final, with most facilities having opened in…
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Flowers with stories: Nodding Trillium Garden opens in Cullowhee
No matter what scale of time you’re using, the newly opened Jean Pittillo Nodding Trillium Garden in Cullowhee has deep…
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Blue Ridge grant awards to stimulate heritage projects in WNC
The Blue Ridge National Heritage Area Partnership (BRNHA) has awarded 19 grants totaling $190,171 to support projects across the North…
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Bill aims to restore permanent funding for conservation
The U.S. Senate is considering a bill that would provide permanent funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
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I-26 project will prompt Parkway realignment
An upcoming widening project on Interstate 26 in Buncombe and Henderson counties will impact the Blue Ridge Parkway.
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Prescribed burn proposed for Panthertown
Comments are wanted on a U.S. Forest Service proposal to burn 814 acres in Panthertown Valley, located in the Nantahala…
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Hiking through history: Little Cataloochee offers a window to the past
One hundred years ago, the parking area and campground just past the fields in Cataloochee Valley where elk often hang…
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Longtime Lake Junaluska landscaper retires
After 27 years of service, legendary Lake Junaluska landscaper Roddy Ray has retired.
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WCU takes adventure college title
For the fifth time, Western Carolina University has been voted the top adventure college in Blue Ridge Outdoors’ online readers’…
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Roadside wildflower displays win awards
Wildflower displays along Western North Carolina highways have earned local N.C. Department of Transportation offices statewide recognition.
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The Naturalist's Corner: The PR of Pittman-Robertson
Ran across this little gem of a blurb on U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) Facebook page: “Sports men and…
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Overlook clearing completed on the Blue Ridge Parkway
The view from the Pink Beds Overlook at milepost 410 on the Blue Ridge Parkway is looking a lot better…
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SCC’s outdoor leader gets recognized
Paul Wolf, who heads up Southwestern Community College’s outdoor leadership program, received recognition at the 2019 Southeast Regional Conference of…
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New wildflower trail to open
Nodding Trillium Garden, the Pittillo Family Nature Preserve, will hold a grand opening of its wildflower garden trail on Wednesday,…
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Farmland conservation project concludes in Haywood
A 385-acre tract of productive, scenic farmland in Haywood County has now been permanently protected thanks to efforts from the…
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Forest Service facilities open for the season
Seasonal road openings are beginning on the Pisgah and Nantahala national forests.
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Solar array complete in Murphy
A new solar project is now complete at Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino and Hotel in Murphy following a ribbon-cutting…
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The Naturalist's Corner: Breath still bated
Maybe it’s March Madness, maybe it’s simply madness, but I’m looking at the Lake Junaluska eagles and thinking “they’re gonna…
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Outdoors store opens on WCU campus
Western Carolina University once more has an outdoors store on campus following the closure of Blackrock Outdoor Company.
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Cradle of Forestry to open season with living history
The 2019 season of events at the Cradle of Forestry in America will kick off Saturday, April 6, with the…
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Founder’s grandson reopens RollsRite Bicycles
When John Mudge opened RollsRite Bicycles in 2002, his grandson Zack Moss was only 9 years old. Moss grew up…
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New relay planned for Western NC
A relay race set to debut this year will offer teams of four the challenge of traveling from Asheville to…
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‘Leader of leaders’: New Smokies chief ranger brings impressive career to America’s most visited park
After decades roving the backcountry of some of the largest parks in the Western United States, Lisa Hendy is returning…
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Conservation easement protects Parkway view
A recently conserved 50-acre property is the third conservation easement that George Rector and Joan Byrd have donated to Mainspring…
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Smokies ranger earns national award
A National Park Service ranger who has focused on the scientific and educational significance of the Great Smoky Mountains National…
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Waynesville Parks and Rec wants opinions
The Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department is looking for feedback on its programs through a survey now online.
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Fly fishing museum seeks donations
Donations are wanted to help create a display set for the Fly Fishing Museum of the Southern Appalachians and Appalachian…
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The Naturalist's Corner: Bated breath
I am sure I’m not the only one hoping the Lake Junaluska eagles are successful this nesting season. It seems,…
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Cullowhee gets new welcome sign
A new sign along Old Cullowhee Road now welcomes visitors and residents alike to Cullowhee’s historic center, thanks to efforts…
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