Winged wonders: Butterfly house is a living exhibit at the N.C. Arboretum
It’s one of those summer days that’s so hot and humid it’s impossible to walk even two steps without sweating,…
Read More
New agritourism guide is out
The new Buy Haywood agritourism guide is now available, celebrating the 10th anniversary of this initiative to promote homegrown Haywood…
Read More
Man airlifted following 40-foot fall
A man was airlifted from the Graveyard Fields area of the Pisgah National Forest July 12 after falling 40 feet…
Read More
Repairs underway on the Blue Ridge Parkway
Repairs on the Blue Ridge Parkway will continue through August between mileposts 383 and 389 near Asheville, part of a…
Read More
Fly fishing hall of famers
The Fly Fishing Museum of the Southern Appalachians Hall of Fame will have six new members when its second-ever class…
Read More
The Naturalist's Corner: MOU – MIA
Issues surrounding the management of the country’s national forests have always been thorny. It’s easy to see why — there…
Read More
Under the Pigeon: Snorkeling workshop gives an up-close look at aquatic diversity
The clear water of the West Fork Pigeon River tumbling from its mountain headwaters takes on a yellowish hue through…
Read More
Endangered snail thrives after wildfire
After the fall 2016 wildfires concluded, biologists feared that the flames had devastated populations of the rare noonday globe snail…
Read More
Becoming a trail town: Sylva embraces the Mountains-to-Sea Trail
White dots will soon pepper the sidewalks of downtown Sylva as the town sets out to claim its identity as…
Read More
Brownfield lands a beehive
A restored brownfield property in Franklin is now home to a hive of Carniolan honeybees.
Read More
Water quality projects receive Pigeon River Fund grants
Environmental groups working to improve water quality, aquatic habitat and recreational access recently saw $182,000 in grants from the Pigeon…
Read More
WNC water plants honored for extra-clean water
The N.C. Division of Water Resources has honored 49 water treatment plants statewide for surpassing federal and state drinking water…
Read More
The Naturalist's Corner: Escargot — no
There was much concern regarding the noonday globe snail, Petera clarkia nantahala, after the Tellico Fire burned through the Nantahala…
Read More
Whitewater Falls to reopen
The Whitewater Falls viewing area is on track to reopen by July 4 after being closed since wildfire destroyed it…
Read More
A magical thing: Retiring Parkway superintendent reflects on 37 years with the Park Service
Mark Woods will retire as superintendent of the Blue Ridge Parkway on July 3, but on July 4 he’ll don…
Read More
Land purchase protects crown jewel of the A.T.
Views from the breathtaking Hump Mountain in the Roan Highlands are now protected thanks to a 324-acre purchase the Southern…
Read More
Rec access to expand on the Chattooga
A plan to make recreational access to the Chattooga River ecologically sustainable calls for construction of three kayak launch sites,…
Read More
Above it all: Fryingpan hike offers vast views, diverse plant life
It’s just a short walk from the Blue Ridge Parkway to Fryingpan Tower — 1.5 miles roundtrip — but in…
Read More
NASA comes to WNC
A new nationwide outreach program will bring NASA resources to Western North Carolina, with the Fontana Regional Library selected as…
Read More
Bear canisters required on Avery Creek
Bear-safe food storage is now mandatory within 1,000 feet of Avery Creek Road following an Emergency Food Storage Order issued…
Read More
Study catalogues trout fishing’s economic impact
A recent study quantifying the economic impact of trout fishing showed that 149,000 trout anglers in North Carolina fished 1.6…
Read More
Duke funds will help improve fisheries
Coldwater fisheries will get a boost thanks to a $95,000 grant that Duke Energy’s Water Resources Fund awarded to Trout…
Read More
Help makeover Rainbow Falls
Volunteers are needed to help rehabilitate the 6-mile Rainbow Falls Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, with workdays…
Read More
Bat populations remain low due to white-nose syndrome
Results are back from this year’s winter bat surveys in Western North Carolina, and numbers have remained low following the…
Read More
Ash borer found in Asheville
The emerald ash borer has made it to Asheville, with its arrival to Craftsman Circle providing the first evidence of…
Read More
Waterrock Knob planning begins
Planning is underway for the management of 5,329 acres that the Blue Ridge Parkway acquired around Waterrock Knob last year.
Read More
New fence will protect Smokies museum garden
Elk will stay out of the crops at the Mountain Farm Museum following construction of a historically accurate fence funded…
Read More
The Naturalist's Corner: That’s a wrap
Another spring, another season of bird points in the can. Each spring brings its own unique set of adventures, dilemmas…
Read More
Trails that dance: Cherokee opens 10.5-mile trail system with plans to expand
The snip of a ribbon declared the destination that mountain bikers are hailing as “amazing” and “world-class” to be open…
Read More
Invest in WNC’s great outdoors
The National Forest Foundation has named the Pisgah-Nantahala National Forest as a Treasured Landscape, a designation that unlocks funding to…
Read More
A.T. plates fund conservation
Proceeds from North Carolina Appalachian Trail license plates resulted in $30,000 worth of awards to 12 projects intended to preserve…
Read More
Parkway superintendent to retire
Blue Ridge Parkway Superintendent Mark Woods has announced his retirement from the National Park Service following four years in the…
Read More
Life on the road: Asheville couple trades stability for life of mobile adventure
Ching Fu and Jerud Crandall had professional careers and a comfortable home when they left it all behind in 2015,…
Read More
Students fight stormwater pollution
Students from the Haywood Community Learning Center did their part to reduce stormwater runoff through a service project to mark…
Read More
Parkway delivers $1 billion economic impact
In 2016, Blue Ridge Parkway visitors spent $979.3 million in communities near the park, supporting 15,649 jobs for a cumulative…
Read More
Franklin greenway could expand with land purchase
A 13.9-acre land purchase in Franklin could help expand the Little Tennessee River Greenway.
Read More
Kids plant trees for the future
A tree planting in celebration of Arbor Day was held at Hazelwood Elementary School in Waynesville, using rooted cuttings of…
Read More
Sleuthing for salamanders: New DNA technique boosts salamander science
A new scientific tool developed at the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont will allow salamander-studying scientists to trace the…
Read More
Drought-free in N.C.
For the first time since March 2016, all 100 counties in North Carolina are free of drought or dry conditions.
Read More
Smokies names Franklin woman employee of the year
Franklin resident Lisa Brown has been named the Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s Employee of the Year.
Read More
Timber harvest has started in Harmon Den
A 96-acre timber-harvesting project is underway in the Harmon Den area of the Pisgah National Forest, in Haywood County.
Read More
Movie documents record-breaking A.T. hike
A new movie telling the story of Karl “Speedgoat” Meltzer — who broke the Appalachian Trail speed record by hiking…
Read More
Road closed in the Pisgah
A construction project on Cathy Creek Road in the Pisgah Ranger District of the Pisgah National Forest will cause a…
Read More
Habitat enhancement continues on Lake Jocassee
Now in its third year, the Keowee-Toxaway Habitat Enhancement Program funded by Duke Energy has $1.3 million in available funds,…
Read More
Local man takes state leadership in agriculture education
A Waynesville man has been tapped to lead the state’s Project Food, Land & People program, a national education curriculum…
Read More
Wildfires as classrooms: WCU students study fire’s effects on Dicks Creek drainage
What was once a wildfire became an outdoor classroom for students in Western Carolina University’s Natural Resource Conservation and Management…
Read More
End in sight for Foothills Parkway
The final phase of construction is underway for the Foothills Parkway — which is administered by the Great Smoky Mountains…
Read More
The bugs are back in to-own, the bugs are back in town
The weather hasn’t been too cooperative this spring with regards to my Forest Service bird point count. First weekend in…
Read More
