School partners with land trust for wetland conservation
Though the wetland bordering U.S. 441 on the North Carolina-Georgia line isn’t that noteworthy on first glance, it’s an ecological…
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Foundation pledges $600,000 for Parkway projects
The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation will spend $600,000 in 2015 on projects to benefit the Parkway and the plant and…
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When the bats leave the belfry: Fungus cuts down bat population, sparks speculation on species, ecosystem future
Sarah Davis loves bats. They’ve been the wintertime residents of Linville Caverns for as long as she can remember, a…
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Solarize WNC forums demystify solar energy for the masses
A forum on how to transition to solar energy will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 7, at the…
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Locals take gold and silver in Assault on BlackRock
The fifth annual Assault on BlackRock trail race is now in the rearview mirror, with 82 brave souls battling freezing…
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Bike rodeo comes to Jackson County
The Jackson County Bike Rodeo is calling all kids to come out 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, April 11,…
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Clingmans Dome Road opens for the year
Clingmans Dome Road in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park opened last week, six days ahead of its scheduled April…
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Bear encounter causes camping restrictions
Graveyard Fields is closed to overnight camping following a bear break-in to a tent in the popular recreation area, and…
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Winter ends for Cataloochee
Cataloochee Ski Area closed for the season Sunday, ending 141 days of open slopes for 2014-15. The season outstripped the…
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Richland Creek restoration expands with new funding
A recently awarded $200,000 grant will pay for two years of work to improve water quality and raise public awareness…
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Brookies get a boost in the Smokies
Following a seven-year brook trout restoration project, Lynn Camp Prong in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is now open…
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Grants awarded to fight hemlock adelgid
The battle against the hemlock wooly adelgid in North Carolina will continue with help from a bevy of grants from…
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Spiffed-up shelter hits the Macon County AT
With a higher-than-normal volume of thru-hikers expected next season, the Nantahala Hiking Club is getting prepared with upgrades to the…
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Commission calls on turkey hunters
A study of lymphoproliferative disease virus, a malady affecting wild turkeys, is calling in help from hunters.
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Tribe granted authority over water standards
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is now able to administer its own water quality certifications, becoming the 49th tribe…
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Cherokee to weigh in on fish conservation
The Watershed Association of the Tuckasegee River will hold its annual meeting celebrating Earth Month at 6 p.m. Monday, April…
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WCU students win bass angling title
A pair of Western Carolina University students took first this spring, in the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Eastern Regional, presented…
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Bat protection prompts Smokies caving restrictions
After closing the area in September to protect wintering bats, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will reopen Whiteoak Sink…
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Life in bear country: Bear encounter sparks camping closure, bear canister requirement
A pair of hikers camped near the Lower Falls in Graveyard Fields got a rude awakening March 16 when a…
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Put the forest first!
I was commiserating with a friend who works for the Forest Service just after it was announced that they were…
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WNC air quality to be unpacked
The Annual Ozone Season Kickoff will unveil the state of Western North Carolina’s air quality in 2014 with a program…
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Nature for the whole family
By Danny Bernstein • Guest columnist When I first thought about taking my granddaughter, Hannah, on an outdoor experience, I looked…
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Nation’s best paddlers to compete at NOC
The Nantahala Racing Club’s Whitewater U.S. Open will keep the river churning at Nantahala Outdoor Center March 27-29.
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Logging, prescribed burning aims to bolster wildlife habitat
A U.S. Forest Service project aiming to improve wildlife habitat and forest health will allow logging, fire, thinning and other…
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Learn to tread lightly at Wilderness Skills Institute
Registration is now open for the fifth Wilderness Skills Institute, a training program for Wilderness stewardship and management, held at…
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Grit and wonder: 2015’s thru-hikers reflect on trail hardships and thrills
If the stack of boxes piling up on the counter of the outfitter store at Nantahala Outdoor Center is any…
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Hail, hail the gang’s still here
I’ve recently been seeing lots of posts like these on Carolina Birders’ FaceBook page: “… My pine siskins have departed,…
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Mark your calendar for Spring
The weather is wintry, but spring is just around the corner. Mark your calendar for some of these upcoming springtime…
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Fees increase at Glenville campground
For the first time in more than 18 years, fees at the Ralph J. Andrews Campground on Lake Glenville, which…
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Report spottings of the latest invasive plant: the fig buttercup
A new invasive plant species is springing up in moist, nutrient-rich soils across eastern North America and has been spotted…
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Waynesville pursues bike-friendly roads
Big white stencils of helmeted bikers now adorn a growing number of streets throughout Waynesville.
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WNC gear builders to show their stuff
Outdoor lovers will get a chance to see some of the best locally made gear during Outdoor Gear Builders of…
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Public greenhouse space up for grabs in Haywood
Gardeners can get a head start on the growing season by renting greenhouse space for their seed trays at the…
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Prescribed burn planned for Cataloochee
A 550-acre prescribed burn will start soon near Cataloochee Valley in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
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Sales strong for Smokies plates
Friends of the Smokies got its largest-ever fourth-quarter check from sales of the Smokies bear license plate, accruing $105,080 for…
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WNC teens strut environmental know-how
Teams of middle and high school students from across Western North Carolina went head-to-head over their knowledge of environmental science…
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Paddling for Gold: NRC’s world-class whitewater stars are paddling hard this winter to secure a place on the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team
By Michael Beadle It’s 26 degrees on a November morning, and Jamie Tidmore has just finished another whitewater kayaking run…
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Eureka! Dilemma dissolved
I can’t understand how imminent ornithologists, in particular, and biologists, scientists and researchers in general have overlooked the obvious truth…
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Blazing a trail: Work starts on first Bartram Trail addition since the 1990s
It’s been nearly 20 years since Burt Kornegay first started looking into land along Hickory Knoll Road in Macon County,…
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Brevard company recognized in international competition
Brevard-based SylvanSport has been named a finalist in the internationally renowned Edison Awards for its product GO, a lightweight pull-behind…
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Celebrate the diversity of the Smokies
The public is invited to mingle with researchers from around the world March 19-21 during the annual conference of Discover…
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Jump on the solar train with Solarize WNC
A campaign to introduce homeowners and businesses to the option of solar energy is underway in Jackson, Haywood, Macon and…
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Renowned nature photographer to talk in Sylva
Les Saucier, a professional nature photographer, will speak at the Sylva Photo Club at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 14, at…
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AT lay-over, Fontana Dam knighted as official trail town
Hiker Haze Weekend will welcome the season’s first Appalachian Trail thru-hikers at Fontana Village Resort March 25-26, along with a…
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Bring on the bikes: Mountains to coast bike ride to kick off from Waynesville
The plans are set: Waynesville’s getting invaded this fall, and the army will be 1,000 strong. Semi trucks will haul…
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Volunteers sought to adopt tree plot
Smokies rangers are looking for tree-lovers who want to try their hand at science to adopt a tree monitoring plot…
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Buy Haywood guide seeks new listings
An agritourism guide for Haywood County is looking for new listings to help visitors and locals alike explore everything from…
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Weigh in on Cold Mountain Game Land management plans
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is working on a plan to guide management at the Cold Mountain Game Land in…
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WNC farmers expand business through grants
Farmers in Western North Carolina will branch out with new crops and alternative growing methods, thanks to 31 grants totaling…
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Life on LeConte: Winter on the top demonstrates the harshness and beauty of nature
Sipping hot tea while swaddled beside a propane heater, warmth beaming as wind whips snowflakes around the mountaintop outside. A…
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