Kids fishing extravaganza returning to Cherokee

The 22nd annual Talking Trees Trout Derby will invite children from across the area to fish in Cherokee Aug. 4-5.
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Carolina Mountain Club celebrates 100 years: CMC birthday party draws a crowd

As temperatures neared 90 degrees on the sunny afternoon of Sunday, July 16, the forested Carolina Mountain Trail offered a…
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Reflecting on the CMC story
 

Reflecting on the CMC story

If you want to go faster, go by yourself. If you want to go further, go with a group. — Adapted…
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Ecusta Trail project receives $45 million

An effort to build a 19.4-mile rail trail between Brevard and Hendersonville got a huge boost following the award of…
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Hike Boogerman Trail

Hike through old growth forests, streams and past the historic Palmer house during a trip along the Boogerman Trail in…
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Smokies to reconstruct Lakeview Drive

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is using nearly $19 million in funding from the Great American Outdoors Act to…
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Explore the soundscape of nature

Author and biologist David George Haskell will delve into the captivating world of sonic communication and its profound impact on…
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Spend ‘golden hour’ with Jim Costa

Western Carolina University biologist and best-selling author Jim Costa will discuss his newest book, “Radical by Nature,” during a special…
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“Grandma Gatewood” re-enactor to dramatize A.T. experience

Actress Anne VanCuren will transform into the first woman to complete the Appalachian Trail during a dramatic re-enactment at 5…
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Weigh in on DuPont’s future

The DuPont State Recreational Forest in Henderson and Transylvania counties is launching a master planning process, with an online survey…
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Visit the Native Plant Conference

The Cullowhee Native Plant Conference returns to Western Carolina University July 19-22, with the public invited to take part in…
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Land navigation course offered

Learn how to stay found with a land navigation course offered 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, July 20, at…
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Land trusts work to protect Brushy Mountains
 

Land trusts work to protect Brushy Mountains

A pair of land trusts has worked together to permanently protect 1,125 acres spanning parts of Wilkes, Alexander and Iredell…
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Despite cool June, N.C. on pace for fifth-warmest year
 

Despite cool June, N.C. on pace for fifth-warmest year

On the heels of an unseasonably cool May, based on the average statewide temperature of 71.1F, June finished up as…
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Living better together: New Balsam Mountain Trust director aims to make people and wildlife better neighbors

Located up a narrow mountain road in a building about the size of an average single-family house, the Balsam Mountain…
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Celebrate birds and old trees

A pair of lectures planned for the Highlands Nature Center over the next couple weeks will explore the complexities of…
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Master Gardeners available to chat

Learn more about gardening at the Master Gardener Booth, available 8 a.m. to noon on the second and third Saturday…
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Dress, drain and defend to prevent mosquito-borne illness

Recent cases of malaria in Texas and Florida have caused alarm about the potential for the disease to spread in…
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Document diversity at Deep Creek

Record wildlife and remove litter from the Deep Creek area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Bryson City…
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Meet the bright lights of summer nights

Learn about lightning bugs — and how your yard care choices can help reverse their decline — during a program…
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Forest plan documentary film premieres
 

Forest plan documentary film premieres

A feature documentary exploring the release of the Pisgah-Nantahala Forest Plan will have its premier screening at 7 p.m. Thursday,…
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Sports registration open in Jackson
 

Sports registration open in Jackson

It’s time to sign up for sports with Jackson County Parks and Recreation.
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See electric vehicles up close

An information session and display of electric vehicles will be offered 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday, July 22, at…
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Look Rock Tower closed for radio upgrade
 

Look Rock Tower closed for radio upgrade

The observation tower and access trail at Look Rock in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on the Foothills Parkway…
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Building the vision: Pisgah View State Park aims for 2025 open

Harold McCarson isn’t surprised to see a deer standing in the road as he steps out of the familiar white…
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Plane crash debris removed from Browning Knob

In the early morning hours of Tuesday, June 27, the National Park Service airlifted the wreckage of a 1983 plane…
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Bridge work planned for the Parkway

Over the coming weeks, maintenance work will begin on six bridges on the Blue Ridge Parkway, including two in the…
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Celebrate a centennial

The Carolina Mountain Club is inviting the community to help celebrate its 100th birthday 1-5 p.m. Sunday, July 16, at…
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Max Patch restrictions extended

Restrictions on use at Max Patch in the Pisgah National Forest will remain in effect through June 30, 2026, extending…
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Haywood group campaigns to phase out single-use plastics
 

Haywood group campaigns to phase out single-use plastics

The Environmental Action Community of WNC is celebrating Plastic-Free July with an initiative encouraging all Haywood County restaurants, cafes and…
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WNC represented in conservation awards
 

WNC represented in conservation awards

Two Western North Carolina people and organizations were recognized in this year’s Governor’s Conservation Achievement Awards, presented by the N.C.…
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Delve into the world of rattlesnakes
 

Delve into the world of rattlesnakes

Free screenings of the wildlife documentary “RATTLED: Conserving Rattlesnakes in Appalachia” will be offered at 2 and 3:30 p.m. Sunday,…
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Outdoor activities offered for youth
 

Outdoor activities offered for youth

Youth have multiple opportunities to get outdoors this month with a variety of events offered by Haywood County Recreation and…
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Notes from a plant nerd: St. John’s wort

Among the many plants that signify the start of summer, perhaps none is more showy than St. John’s wort (Hypericum…
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To forestall a flood: Statewide mapping effort aims to prevent future floods

With less than two years gone since Tropical Storm Fred destroyed lives and property  along the Pigeon River in Haywood…
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Turkey season in 2023 brings record harvest

North Carolina’s five-week wild turkey season had its highest ever recorded harvest of 24,089 birds, surpassing the previous record of…
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Water monitoring available for local swim holes

Make sure the water’s clean before taking a swim using the Swim Guide app, a resource offering a weekly update…
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Event to focus on reducing plastic pollution
 

Event to focus on reducing plastic pollution

A community conversation about reducing plastic pollution will be held at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, July 6, at Grace Episcopal Church…
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Journey through time with a geologist

Geologist and author Bill Jacobs will discuss the captivating geologic history of the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau during a free lecture at…
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Walker Sisters Cabin reopens

After being closed since late 2021 for renovations, the Walker Sisters Cabin in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is…
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Word from the Smokies: An annual checkup for salamanders

Pay a visit to Chimneys Picnic Area in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park during the first days of spring,…
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Earthquakes rattle Canton area

An earthquake that shook the Canton area during the early morning hours of Sunday, June 4, was the largest in…
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Native Plants Act gets unanimous Senate approval

The N.C. House of Representatives is considering a bill titled the North Carolina Native Plant Act after it unanimously passed…
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N.C. logs record 2022 bear harvest

A record number of black bears were killed during the 2022 bear hunting season, according to records from the N.C.…
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Changes proposed for stormwater infrastructure grants
 

Changes proposed for stormwater infrastructure grants

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality is proposing changes to its priority rating system for stormwater infrastructure grants and offering…
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Help rehab beloved Smokies trail

Volunteers are needed to help trail crews in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park rehabilitate the Ramsey Cascades and Little…
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Help band birds

Help scientists band birds this summer with the “A Bird’s Eye View” program at Highlands Biological Station June 22, July…
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Natural Connection: Statewide 'Year of the Trail' celebration aims to get more people invested in the outdoors

The General Assembly declared 2023 the “Year of The Trail,” in hopes of getting more people to appreciate the state’s…
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Forest loss could harm water quality, study finds

A new study from researchers focusing on the forest-water connection in the Southern U.S. found that, over the coming decades,…
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National outdoor economy groups to meet in Cherokee

 The fifth annual Outdoor Economy Conference in Cherokee will serve as the backdrop to a convening of the Confluence of…
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