Going for the three-peat: Franklin outdoor store opens two new locations in 2018

When Rob Gasbarro and Cory McCall met in 2008, their friendship formed around hiking and biking the mountains surrounding Franklin,…
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Deer carcass import restrictions enacted
 

Deer carcass import restrictions enacted

A new wildlife rule has been implemented in North Carolina prohibiting the importation of whole deer carcasses and restricting importation…
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Sweet potato pest causes N.C. quarantine
 

Sweet potato pest causes N.C. quarantine

A statewide quarantine is in effect for the Guava root nematode, a serious pest of sweet potatoes that also affects…
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New Foothills Parkway section to open

A long-awaited section of the Foothills Parkway between Walland and Wears Valley in Tennessee will officially open on Saturday, Nov.…
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Smokies trails reopen after 2016 wildfires

For the first time since wildfires ravaged the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in fall 2016, the Bull Head and…
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Walk the ‘Missing Link’ of the Foothills Parkway

A celebration of the completed Foothills Parkway section known as the “Missing Link” will be held Thursday, Nov. 8, with…
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Haywood agricultural leader awarded state’s highest honor

Longtime Haywood County farmer and agricultural community leader Bill Yarborough has been recognized with the highest honor the state has…
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N.C. governor signs climate change order
 

N.C. governor signs climate change order

Gov. Roy Cooper has signed an executive order directed at “North Carolina’s commitment to fight climate change and lead transition…
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Bote Mountain Trail partially reopen
 

Bote Mountain Trail partially reopen

A 2.9-mile section of the Bote Mountain Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is now open to hikers…
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Making tracks: Kids trails program earns recognition after decade of growth

In 2008, the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation launched a new program aiming to get kids and families out exploring the…
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The Naturalist's Corner: Flashback

It wasn’t long after we crossed the Mississippi River at Vicksburg, headed west into Louisiana, that we began to see…
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New website for state trails
 

New website for state trails

A new N.C. Trails website has launched, providing a hub for the N.C. Trails Program and offering quick and easy…
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Bringing kids to the single-track: Plan in the works for children’s mountain bike trail in Jackson

If a partnership between Jackson County and the Nantahala Area Southern Off Road Bicycle Association comes to fruition, kids in…
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Fall color will likely be dimmer than normal

Autumnal vibrancy will depend on weather conditions over the next few weeks, according to Western Carolina University’s fall color soothsayer. 
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Live animal programs offered for schools
 

Live animal programs offered for schools

Schools and other educational organizations in Western North Carolina have the opportunity to bring wildlife education programs to their home…
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Emerald ash borer found in Jackson County
 

Emerald ash borer found in Jackson County

The emerald ash borer has been found in Jackson County for the first time, making Jackson the 37th county in…
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Outdoor gear industry to expand in WNC
 

Outdoor gear industry to expand in WNC

The outdoor gear industry in Western North Carolina is expected to take off in the coming years thanks to a…
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New species discoveries in the Smokies total 1,000

The All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory has reached a major milestone with the announcement that it’s added 1,000 new species to…
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Canton student part of record-setting livestock sale
 

Canton student part of record-setting livestock sale

Canton resident Caleb Henson was part of a class of N.C. State Fair junior livestock show winners that drew a…
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Sewage spill causes halt to water recreation
 

Sewage spill causes halt to water recreation

A sewage spill occurred in Haywood County Oct. 15 when a septic tank pump truck became involved in an accident…
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Uniquely positioned: Grant aims to grow outdoor gear industry in WNC

An effort is underway to make North Carolina’s 24 western counties into the next outdoor gear industry hub, and the…
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Signs the Chinese are very good hoaxers

I’m sure many can remember what President Donald J. Trump, a legend in his own mind, has had to say…
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Birder honored for volunteerism
 

Birder honored for volunteerism

Tom Tribble, president of the Elisha Mitchell Audubon Society in Asheville, has been named Audubon North Carolina’s 2018 Volunteer of…
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Stream cleanup nets a ton of trash

A countywide stream cleanup held Sept. 22 in Haywood County removed 2,205 pounds of trash from area waterways thanks to…
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New Smokies magazine released

The Great Smoky Mountains Association has released a new issue of its award-winning Smokies Life magazine.
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Friends of the Smokies gets bear management grant
 

Friends of the Smokies gets bear management grant

Proactive bear management in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park got a boost thanks to a $4,000 grant Friends of…
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Mainspring to solve minnow mystery

Mainspring Conservation Trust is partnering with the Tennessee Valley Authority in a study to better understand what triggers thousands of…
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Canoe Slalom a success

More than 50 people competed in the ninth annual Cullowhee Canoe Slalom Sept. 22, raising more than $300 for the…
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Climate change – deadly serious

The last installment of “The Naturalist’s Corner” began kind of tongue-in-cheek, referring to climate change in Trumpian terms of a…
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Planting for pollinators: Waynesville couple seeks to educate on the benefits of native bees

Brannen Basham spends more time puttering around the yard than the average homeowner, but the result is not what most…
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New signs at Joyce Kilmer

Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest now has a new trailhead map, replacing a sign that was previously stolen. 
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New Blue Ridge Parkway Association director hired

The Blue Ridge Parkway Association has hired Frederick “Tubby” Kubik as its new executive director, replacing previous director Tom Hardy,…
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Former Folkmoot director takes on Nature Center

Karen Babcock, former director of Folkmoot USA in Waynesville, has been hired as the WNC Nature Center’s new executive director. 
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Brannon named Environmental Educator of the Year
 

Brannon named Environmental Educator of the Year

The Highlands Biological Station and Nature Center’s Patrick Brannon was recently named 2018 Environmental Educator of the Year by the…
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Symbol of connection: A decade of collaboration yields 300-mile MST trail section

From towering mountains to shimmering seas, North Carolina has a little bit of everything — and for the trail that…
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Mandatory bear canisters proposed for A.T. campers
 

Mandatory bear canisters proposed for A.T. campers

Increased bear activity is prompting the U.S. Forest Service to consider broadening the list of places in Western North Carolina…
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Woman injured in bear encounter

A Swannanoa woman sustained serious, though non-life-threatening, injuries Tuesday, Sept. 18, after an encounter with a black bear. 
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Golf tourney a win for charity
 

Golf tourney a win for charity

The Maggie Valley Lions Club raised more than $10,000 for local charities with its 10th annual Golf Tournament and Silent…
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National park volunteers receive regional recognition
 

National park volunteers receive regional recognition

Great Smoky Mountains National Park volunteers received regional recognition through the George and Helen Hartzog Awards Program for Outstanding Volunteers…
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Kayak donated to SCC

Phil and Connie Haire have donated a kayak to Southwestern Community College’s Outdoor Leadership Program.
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New signs tell Cowee story
 

New signs tell Cowee story

The ancient Cowee mound in Macon County, once home to a thriving Cherokee town, now has interpretive signs to pay…
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Search underway for missing woman near Clingmans Dome

A full week after Ohio resident Mitzie Sue “Susan” Clements, 53, went missing in the Clingmans Dome area of the…
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Agriculture losses from Florence top $1 billion
 

Agriculture losses from Florence top $1 billion

Initial estimates for crop damage and livestock losses in North Carolina due to Hurricane Florence are expected to top $1.1…
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River access restored at Beechertown Road
 

River access restored at Beechertown Road

Repairs have been completed to Beechertown Road and the Nantahala River access there in the Nantahala National Forest near Franklin. 
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Oil Nut, that most curious fruit

For Elizabeth and me, the fall season is one of the most invigorating times to get out in the woods…
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Mountains at a running pace

Andrew Shepherd has only been a runner for about two years. But when he took up the hobby, he was…
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Poor acorn crop leads to increased bear encounters

A nighttime breath of fresh air turned traumatic for 75-year-old Swannanoa resident Toni Rhegness when she spotted three bear cubs…
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Chimney Rock reopens

Chimney Rock State Park is now reopen, complete with a working elevator, after a tough year that included extensive damage…
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MST birthday weekend logs 2,700 miles

An initial tally shows that 434 hikers cumulatively covered 2,756 miles of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail during its birthday weekend Sept.…
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Celebration crashers

My bride and I celebrated our anniversary by ditching the kids and renting a cabin near Blue Ridge, Ga., for…
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