Dreaming of Toyko: A conversation with Michal

Since the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Michal Smolen has been hopping continents to finish out the post-Rio racing season,…
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Park, tribe work to institute plant gathering privileges for tribal members

A meeting between leaders of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians brought tribal…
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Fall color forecast a waiting game

September temperatures will make or break fall color quality this year, according to Western Carolina University’s new fall foliage forecaster…
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Emerald ash borer found in the Pisgah

An infestation of destructive emerald ash borers has been confirmed in the Appalachian Ranger District of the Pisgah National Forest…
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Hiking for Hope: Robbinsville man raises $70,000 for children with A.T. hike

It was nighttime in the White Mountains, and Steve Claxton was pretty sure he wouldn’t make it till morning. Rain…
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Must have been an omen

When I checked my email Friday morning (9/9), I had a message from Chris Kelly, mountain wildlife diversity biologist with…
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Carbon offsets program starts

A relaunched carbon offsets program will give business, organizations and individuals in Western North Carolina a way to turn their…
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Homebuilding company wants to sell Plott Balsam tract for conservation

High in the Plott Balsams, there’s a swath of property riddled with panoramic views, sparking waterfalls and high-elevation solitude that…
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The value of a view: Thousands of acres added to the Parkway for Park Service centennial

It’s not unusual for Waterrock Knob, which boasts some of the best views on the Blue Ridge Parkway, to see…
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Telethon for the Smokies

Friends of the Smokies raised $205,562 at its 22nd annual Friends Across the Mountains Telethon last week, with the hundreds…
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New education chief comes to the Smokies

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park has a new chief of resource education in Nigel Fields, who Superintendent Cassius Cash…
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Can’t see the forest for the webs

From what I gather from Facebook and overhear in the checkout line, the view I encounter every morning on my…
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Get your gleaning on

The harvest is coming in, and for a contingent of growers and volunteers in Haywood County, that means gleaning season.
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Species mapper unveiled in the Smokies

Anyone with an internet connection can now pull up a map showing where they might encounter any of 1,800 Smokies…
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Cherokee students become Smokies experts

Students at Cherokee Middle School have spent the last two years digging deep into the ecology, culture and history of…
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Speaking for the trees: Waynesville launches arboretum effort

As manager of Waynesville’s urban forest, it’s safe to say that Jonathan Yates likes trees. So when Diane Kornse of…
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Locals succeed in Lake Logan races

Nearly 1,000 athletes converged on Lake Logan this month, pushing for a finish in challenging half-ironman and triathlon competitions at…
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A real can of DNA worms

A new whole-genome (the entire genetic makeup) study published in Science Advances on July 27 is giving the already muddied…
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Ma Nature doesn’t see things the way we do

The red-cockaded woodpecker (RCWO) is a small – cardinal-sized – woodpecker native to eastern pine forests. It once ranged from…
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Forest Service evaluates potential wilderness areas

The cadre of groups helping the U.S. Forest Service work toward a new management plan for the Pisgah-Nantahala National Forest…
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Meteors galore are on the way
 

Meteors galore are on the way

A high-intensity meteor shower will light up the sky next week, and the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute will host an…
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Messages to the future: Park Service, outdoor camp work to mold diverse new generation of outdoor enthusiasts

The air on the Cataloochee Divide Trail is heavy with humidity and the promise of an afternoon storm, but the…
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Pursuing the Pinnacle: Mountain bikers push to create new trail system in Sylva

For the past decade, Sylva’s Pinnacle Park has had Sae Smyrl envisioning a lofty future for the hiking area. A…
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Wildlife education offered in schools
 

Wildlife education offered in schools

Mountain Wildlife Days, a weekend of wildlife-oriented fun, raised $2,600 this summer to go toward wildlife education programs in Western…
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National Trails Day breaks records
 

National Trails Day breaks records

The numbers are in, and this year’s National Trails Day, organized at locations across the country by the American Hiking…
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Kids get out for a day on the farm

Kids spent a day learning about gardening and raising animals — while also enjoying swimming, fishing and hay rides — with a…
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Local naturalist releases hiking guide
 

Local naturalist releases hiking guide

Naturalist Ken Czarnomski — in partnership with the the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority — has released the third installment…
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High schoolers conquer the Rockies

After biking more than 300 miles through the Rocky Mountains, the group of five high schoolers involved in Western Carolina…
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Fatalities prompt caution when visiting waterfalls

Two fatalities related to waterfalls occurred in the Pisgah National Forest last week.
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Conservation groups plead for red wolf program to stay
 

Conservation groups plead for red wolf program to stay

Petitions bearing nearly half a million signatures urging protection of the endangered red wolf made their way to the U.S.…
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LEGO masterpieces celebrate the natural world
 

LEGO masterpieces celebrate the natural world

Nature-inspired LEGO creations will add an extra incentive to hit up the N.C. Arboretum the next few months, with the…
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Winged wonder: Bird study gets up close with WNC’s avian residents

Cloud cover keeps the summer morning cool as Mark Hopey makes the rounds below Cowee Mound. By 8:30 a.m., he…
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Planning begins for logging project in Haywood
 

Planning begins for logging project in Haywood

Round tables and large, neon sticky notes characterized last week’s kickoff of a planning process to cut timber and create…
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Wading through nostalgia
 

Wading through nostalgia

Give a Loosiana boy a reason to don his hip boots and strap on a headlight and you’ve got a…
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Program turns high school students and teachers into park rangers
 

Program turns high school students and teachers into park rangers

Students and teachers from communities around the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are starting six weeks of hands-on learning and…
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WNC angling to take over television
 

WNC angling to take over television

Jackson County will be displayed on national television this week with the airing of Anglers & Appetites, a show that…
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Rule will allow tribal members to gather plants on park land
 

Rule will allow tribal members to gather plants on park land

Native Americans will soon be allowed to gather plants on national park land for traditional purposes following the National Park…
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Ginseng lottery open
 

Ginseng lottery open

The lottery is open for permits to harvest one of Western North Carolina’s most valuable plants. 
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Voting contest yields funds  for Smokies tower restoration
 

Voting contest yields funds for Smokies tower restoration

Clingmans Dome Observation Tower will get a makeover thanks to a $250,000 grant that supporters of the Great Smoky Mountains…
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Sylva teen to compete in national angling competition
 

Sylva teen to compete in national angling competition

A Sylva teen is preparing to prove himself on the national stage of fly-fishing after qualifying for the U.S. Youth…
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Tackling the Beast: Prepping for a 60-mile mountain bike challenge isn’t easy
 

Tackling the Beast: Prepping for a 60-mile mountain bike challenge isn’t easy

By Jamie Arnold • Contributing writer It’s a 95-degree Sunday afternoon. Most folks are at the lake, or lounging on the…
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Combination science lab and amusement park
 

Combination science lab and amusement park

Weightless for two seconds is not a moonwalk but at the top of the Space Shot at Huntsville, Alabama’s (Rocket…
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Comments sought on A.T. campsite construction
 

Comments sought on A.T. campsite construction

Fifteen new tent sites could go in along the Appalachian Trail on its route through the Standing Indian Basin in…
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Croquet group starts in Waynesville
 

Croquet group starts in Waynesville

A croquet group has formed in Waynesville, meeting 10 a.m. to noon Wednesdays at Vance Street Park.
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Insect affecting WNC white pines
 

Insect affecting WNC white pines

A tiny insect is being blamed for declining health in eastern white pine trees in six North Carolina counties including…
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Severe drought comes to WNC
 

Severe drought comes to WNC

For the first time since September, severe drought is affecting North Carolina — including portions of Haywood, Jackson, Macon and…
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Greenway bridge open in Jackson
 

Greenway bridge open in Jackson

A new bridge allowing access to the Jackson County greenway’s terminus at Locust Creek is now open to pedestrians, marking…
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Land conserved on Cold Mountain
 

Land conserved on Cold Mountain

The Cold Mountain Game Lands in Haywood County will likely get larger following a 162-acre purchase by the Southern Appalachian…
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Zahner lecture series kicks off
 

Zahner lecture series kicks off

The Zahner Conservation Lecture Series at the Highlands Nature Center kicks off its initial program on July 7
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Remembering the removal: Wayside markers trace the Trail of Tears in WNC
 

Remembering the removal: Wayside markers trace the Trail of Tears in WNC

A growing collection of roadside signs has been popping up along rural drives and main thoroughfares in Western North Carolina…
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