The A.T. just got a little longer
The Appalachian Trail has a new official length. It increased by 3.9 miles from last year to 2,189.2 miles due…
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Venus flytrap poachers caught
Four men, ages 22 to 49, were arrested with 970 Venus flytraps in their possession earlier this month at the…
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Access on Lake Emory gets better
A new canoe portage around the Lake Emory dam is expected to open in Franklin sometime in late spring.
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Couple conserves private tract in Jackson
A new conservation agreement finalized by the Land Trust for the Little Tennessee will protect 104 acres in Cullowhee from…
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Smokies visitation tops 10 million
For the first time in more than a decade, Great Smoky Mountains National Park saw more than 10 million visitors…
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Smokies makes must-see list of World Heritage sites
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is part of a new online travel itinerary from the National Park Service that…
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Clean Water Fund awards $1.3 million to land conservation in western counties
Projects in Haywood and Swain counties will benefit from an additional $4.5 million of Clean Water Management Trust Fund dollars…
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Insect wars hoped to take a bite out of pests
Pitting insect against insect, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission released predator beetles last month on the Sandy Mush Game Land,…
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Bird count catalogues avian diversity in WNC
Birders turned out throughout Western North Carolina — and the globe — to participate in an avian enthusiast’s favorite winter…
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Community support delivers new kitchen to Outdoor Mission Camp
Outdoor Mission Camp in Maggie Valley, an affiliate of Youth for Christ USA, is being outfitted with a new kitchen…
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Dog fight in the forest: Woman crusades for legal change after hunting dog attack
Kadie Anderson was packing up camp after a night in the backcountry with her two Australian shepherds when the peace…
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Double the fun
I had the pleasure of participating in two Christmas Bird Counts (CBCs) this past weekend. The first was the Balsam…
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Blue Ridge Biofuels expands
Blue Ridge Biofuels, an Asheville-based biodiesel company, is planning to expand to a new facility in Catawba County.
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Dig in to the white-collar side of farming
Learn the business side of farming with the Appalachian Farm School, a pilot agricultural business training program for farmers in…
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Haywood Waterways invites you to take the plunge
There’s something alluring about plunging into icy midwinter water — enough so that it spawns polar plunge fundraisers for sundry…
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Sparrowing at Kituwah
A quest for sparrow sightings will commence during the morning of Jan. 14 at Kituwah, an area of about 300…
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Land trust gets new executive director
Land Trust for the Little Tennessee has a new executive director in Sharon Fouts Taylor, who will move into the…
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Wildlife commission roles out proposed hunting and fishing regs
A public hearing on proposed changes to hunting, fishing and wildlife management regulations will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday,…
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School on the slopes: Cataloochee’s expanded kids program spreads the joy of sliding
Rain was beginning to set in on a fog-ridden day on the slopes when Annie Dephouse gave her 5-year-old charge,…
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Forest Stewards honored for conservation forestry
A Cullowhee-based forest management group was recently recognized for its work by Root Cause, a regional initiative to raise awareness…
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Haywood Waterways does good work
Editor’s note: The following is a submission from Haywood Waterways Association reflecting on the organization’s work to protect and improve…
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Roan Mountain viewsheds protected by land trust
A 76-acre tract along the Appalachian Trail on Roan Mountain has been permanently protected thanks to the Southern Appalachian Highlands…
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Trending in nature: WNC outdoors enthusiasts talk about trends in outdoor rec
When Jim Brendle put together the first Smoky Mountain Relay in 2009, it was a pretty small affair. With only…
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Sounds in the night
By Burt Kornegay • Contributing writer It was around 10:30 p.m., just as we were going to bed, when my wife…
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Golden poster-bird
It seems like the golden-winged warbler (GWWA) has become the non-game poster bird for everything from clearcuts to shelterwood cuts…
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Nantahala Brewing supports the A.T.
Nantahala Brewing Company in Bryson City celebrated the Christmas season with a generous donation to Friends of the Great Smoky…
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Forest Service wins public engagement awards
U.S. Forest Service employees in North Carolina recently received a handful of awards for their work in 2014, including a…
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Women-only ski lessons launch in January
A six-session program aimed at female skiers and snowboarders will begin on Wednesday, Jan. 7, at Cataloochee Ski Area in…
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Land trust adds to wildlife corridor in Jackson County
A new conservation easement in Jackson County will provide a critical wildlife corridor, connecting three other easements and located less…
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Seasonal road closures begin in national forest
Seasonal road closures are starting to kick in for the U.S. Forest Service. In the Appalachian Ranger District of Pisgah…
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Christmas on the Chimney: Claus gears up for Christmas, spreads the joy of climbing
It was still a couple weeks till Christmas, but Santa Claus already had his boots shined and suit cleaned in…
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Extreme commenting on plan for national forests
Yogi Berra said it best — “It’s like déjà vu all over again.” When I read Holly Kays’ Nov. 12…
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Hunger initiative to build bridges with local agriculture
A $10,000 grant will go toward building up food banks in Western North Carolina in partnership with agribusiness. The award,…
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Permaculture school launches in Asheville
A 12-week permaculture school in Asheville will launch in 2015, teaching students how to create landscapes that maintain the health…
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Comment call for red wolf rules
A series of three public hearings in January will take public input on the future of protection for the reintroduced…
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Internships for Smokies fans
Five summer internship positions are available for undergraduates looking to get involved with Discover Life in America’s mission to learn…
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Alum Cave Trail restoration to close trail in 2015
Just after putting the final touches on the Chimney Tops Trail this month, the Trails Forever program in Great Smoky…
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Congressional act could expand National Parks
The National Parks System could see its largest expansion in decades after bipartisan legislation in Washington, D.C. was introduced proposing…
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Aquatic invaders found in Macon County
For the first time, gill lice have been found in brook trout in the Southern Appalachians. The parasitic crustaceans are…
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Smokies Association finishes $3.4 million investment in N.C.
The opening of the Swain County Visitor Center in downtown Bryson City this year represented the culmination of a $3.46…
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Hike against hunger: Whittier man hikes A.T. to celebrate 65th birthday, raise money for food pantry
Hiking the Appalachian Trail had been in the back of Andy Smith’s mind for a while, ever since a coworker…
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WCU dorm gets LEED certification
Western Carolina University’s Harrill Residence Hall has become the university’s second building to be LEED-certified for its comprehensive energy-efficient and…
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Giving Tuesday nets Smokies $18,000
Friends of the Smokies raised more than $18,000 for Great Smoky Mountains National Park on GivingTuesday, far more than its…
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Smokies hires superintendent
For the first time since Dale Ditmanson retired in January 2014, Great Smoky Mountains National Park has a permanent superintendent.…
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Franklin greenway gets some extra acreage
The Little Tennessee Greenway will offer users a bit more space to enjoy the outdoors following Dick and Melissa Jones’…
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Graffiti for a good cause
Ten high school students from the Haywood Community Learning Center recently armed themselves with colorful spray paint to mark the…
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Tuscola takes all in FFA event
Tuscola High School students dominated Future Farmers of America’s Land Judging competition this year. The competition tests students’ ability to…
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Trail crews drill for backcountry emergencies
Appalachian Trail license plate funds are helping to make the woods a little safer for the volunteers who maintain the…
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A feathery Christmas: Birders head outdoors for annual bird count
There’s plenty of tradition and symbolism that goes along with the holiday season, but for birders no tradition is more…
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Tracking the sicklefin: Understanding rare fish’s lifestyle important for conservation
The sicklefin redhorse is a sneaky kind of fish. It wasn’t discovered as a species until 1992, and even with…
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