Monarchs get a home at Shelton House
The gardens at the Historic Shelton House in Waynesville are now attracting monarch butterflies, thanks to the efforts of the…
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Pisgah students go big at Resource Conservation Workshop
Two Pisgah High School students will end their summer in possession of newfound natural resources-related knowledge following the Resource Conservation…
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WNC gets new Wildlife Commission members
Western North Carolina will have two representatives on the 19-member N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission following a round of appointments by…
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Sunday hunting laws loosen
A new state law will expand hunters’ ability to pursue their sport on Sundays.
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New Smokies science program to target schools
A new science education program will soon launch in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park thanks to a $1 million…
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The Naturalist's Corner: Beach bump
Friends and followers of “The Naturalist’s Corner” know I’m keeping a year-list of birds I see/hear this year. As I…
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To try a tri: Race day is a whirlwind for a first-time triathlete
As I stood freezing on the dock above 67.3-degree Lake Logan, the main thought running through my head was a…
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Emerald ash borer confirmed in Haywood County
The emerald ash borer has been discovered in Haywood County, making it the 32nd confirmed county to which the invasive…
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The solar eclipse is coming
News of the upcoming solar eclipse has been hard for Western North Carolinians to avoid this season, and the big…
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Plotting Cullowhee Dam’s future: Organizations weigh environmental and financial costs of repair and removal
Nearly a century old, the aging Cullowhee Dam is at a crossroads — with risk of failure increasing, Western Carolina…
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Become part of the garden tour
While Western North Carolina is still in the thick of summer 2017, the Haywood County Master Gardeners are already looking…
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Smokies volunteers honored
The team of skilled volunteers that organized the mission to connect with the next generation of park users during the…
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Gleaners needed
The harvest is rolling in, and Haywood Gleaners is looking for volunteers to help get the leftovers from the field…
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NPS re-establishes partnership with Oconaluftee Job Corps Center
For the first time in 10 years, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is operating a career development center aimed…
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The Naturalist's Corner: Rock Hill on the river
My family and I were in the Rock Hill, S.C.-Charlotte area a few weeks back to visit my sister and…
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Fontana algal bloom persists
An algal bloom observed in the Tuckasegee arm of Fontana Lake during late June continues to develop, prompting the N.C.…
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Duke Energy work proposed in national forest
The Nantahala National Forest is reviewing a proposal from Duke Energy that would allow the company to upgrade its electrical…
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High schoolers become eclipse experts
A Solar Eclipse Education Program at the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont will turn high school students into experts…
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Haywood gets a honey extractor
The number of Haywood County beekeepers is on the rise, and a new honey extraction facility is now available for…
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WNC’s deadliest waterfalls
The attraction between people and waterfalls is nothing new, with a couple waterfall deaths per year typical between the Great…
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North Carolina creates outdoor rec recruitment position
North Carolina now has a position for a dedicated outdoor recreation recruitment director tasked with developing the state’s outdoor recreation…
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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,…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Brownfield lands a beehive
A restored brownfield property in Franklin is now home to a hive of Carniolan honeybees.
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Whitewater Falls to reopen
The Whitewater Falls viewing area is on track to reopen by July 4 after being closed since wildfire destroyed it…
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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…
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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…
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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,…
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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…
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NASA comes to WNC
A new nationwide outreach program will bring NASA resources to Western North Carolina, with the Fontana Regional Library selected as…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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.
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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…
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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…
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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…
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