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Fish for free(dom) on Independence Day
 

Fish for free(dom) on Independence Day

Fishing for a fun and inexpensive way to celebrate Independence Day? The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission invites anglers and would-be…
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Group getting the word out on recycling
 

Group getting the word out on recycling

The Macon County Public Library was recently recognized as a community leader in recycling.
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Bear carcass baffles law enforcement
 

Bear carcass baffles law enforcement

A bear carcass marked in white paint with a message seemingly taunting law enforcement officials was dumped onto a road…
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Urban archery and tally ho!
 

Urban archery and tally ho!

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission has decided that creating an urban bowhunting season would be a wonderful resource municipalities…
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Bridging the gap between young, old
 

Bridging the gap between young, old

With each passing day, the first-person accounts of what life was like in the Smokies before Google, iTunes or even…
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Outdoor gear store in Franklin celebrates expansion
 

Outdoor gear store in Franklin celebrates expansion

Franklin’s downtown outdoor gear store just got bigger.
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Canoe series starts this weekend in the gorge
 

Canoe series starts this weekend in the gorge

June kicks off the first of a three-part event at the Nantahala Outdoor Center, near Bryson City, called the Canoe…
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Eat to support the Blue Ridge Parkway
 

Eat to support the Blue Ridge Parkway

Eateries in Western North Carolina have agreed to donate a portion of their proceeds to the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation…
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Learn to co-exist with mountain black bears
 

Learn to co-exist with mountain black bears

Mountain visitors and residents can learn more about their black bear neighbors at an upcoming seminar. A program called “Understanding…
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Predator birds come to Waynesville
 

Predator birds come to Waynesville

Get ready for live talons, Waynesville. Doris Mager, better known as “The Eagle Lady,” will appear with her birds of…
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Book details the fall and the rise of elk in the East
 

Book details the fall and the rise of elk in the East

A new book has been published detailing the story of the grand, four-legged keepers of the Great Smoky Mountains Park:…
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From slaughterhouse to garden sanctuary
 

From slaughterhouse to garden sanctuary

The Macon County Master Gardener Association is hosting an open house from 1 until 4 p.m. June 15 at the…
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Like a good neighbor
 

Like a good neighbor

The folks in the mountains of Western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee share more than a common boundary, they share…
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Great Smoky Mountains Association looks back
 

Great Smoky Mountains Association looks back

The Great Smoky Mountains Association has turned 60 years old, and although it has changed during the years, its mission…
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Unique bog protected
 

Unique bog protected

Botanists are cheering the recent acquisition of a 38-acre tract that’s home to a mountain bog near Cashiers thanks to…
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Serendipitous beach trip
 

Serendipitous beach trip

Conscientious, detailed vacation planning; anticipating the “what ifs” and having contingency plans; route planning and hashing out all the logistics…
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Audobon Society, here I come
 

Audobon Society, here I come

Maybe someone heard my plea. For the last two weekends, the rain, for the most part, has stayed away, giving…
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Health department urges precautions against mosquito-borne illnesses
 

Health department urges precautions against mosquito-borne illnesses

Warm weather brings with it a greater risk for mosquito-borne illnesses, but health officials say precautions can be taken to…
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The Owl Prowl is back in Highlands
 

The Owl Prowl is back in Highlands

A birds of prey program will put participants face to face with live raptors and give them a chance to…
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Don’t touch that fawn!
 

Don’t touch that fawn!

They are awfully cute, and often times look abandoned, but the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is reminding the public not…
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See winged hunters up close and personal
 

See winged hunters up close and personal

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park will be the site of an upcoming birds of prey program, featuring live raptors…
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Planetarium and stargazing on the agenda at PARI
 

Planetarium and stargazing on the agenda at PARI

A summer night sky viewing event and open house will be held at 7 p.m. Friday, June 14, at the…
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Time to SWEAT on the Appalachian Trail
 

Time to SWEAT on the Appalachian Trail

Volunteers are being sought to work in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on its Wilderness Elite Appalachian Trail Crew…
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Site near Cowee mound saved from development, turned over to tribe
 

Site near Cowee mound saved from development, turned over to tribe

A mountainside in Macon County once destined for a housing development is now destined to be a community forest area…
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Sylva farmers market gives veggies, takes plastic
 

Sylva farmers market gives veggies, takes plastic

You don’t have to barter with chickens at the Jackson County Farmers Market, or even pay with cash for that…
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Outdoor writer explores Mountain-To-Sea Trail
 

Outdoor writer explores Mountain-To-Sea Trail

Danny Bernstein will discuss her third hiking book, Mountains-To-Sea: Trail Across North Carolina, at 3 p.m. Saturday, June 1, at…
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Trout waters set to open; youth go first
 

Trout waters set to open; youth go first

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will open approximately 64 miles of trout streams and two lakes known as delayed-harvest trout…
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Great Smokies celebrates National Trails Day
 

Great Smokies celebrates National Trails Day

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park will celebrate National Trails Day on Saturday, June 1, with a volunteer workday on…
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Author climbs Clingmans Dome in new book
 

Author climbs Clingmans Dome in new book

Clingmans Dome towers over the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains as the highest point in both the national park…
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Upcoming summer camps
 

Upcoming summer camps

Smokies summer camp near Cherokee Great Smoky Mountains National Park is hosting a three-day camp, “Smokies Summer Science Investigations,” for…
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Bringing the classroom outside
 

Bringing the classroom outside

Highlands Middle School became home to a new outdoor classroom earlier this month.
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A hangover of hoverers
 

A hangover of hoverers

As we turn to bask in the full glow of the summer sun, mornings begin to heat up quickly. As…
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Triathlons aim to make  treachorous lake swims safer
 

Triathlons aim to make treachorous lake swims safer

The swim leg of a triathlon is notoriously daunting. Of the sport’s three heats — swimming, biking and running —…
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Bringing back the brookie: Successful restoration paints bright future for native trout
 

Bringing back the brookie: Successful restoration paints bright future for native trout

In the early 1900s, Florence Cope Bush, author of Dorie: Woman of the Mountains, described native brook trout as being…
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A record-breaking weekend of birding
 

A record-breaking weekend of birding

Last week, we set the stage for the 29th annual Great Smoky Mountains Birding Expedition (GSMBE). The group starts at 9…
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Going toe to toe with Mother Nature
 

Going toe to toe with Mother Nature

It is said that humans are fickle creatures, and if that is true, then the weather must be at least…
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Hit Mast General to help conservation
 

Hit Mast General to help conservation

The Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy will get a boost on Saturday, June 1, when Mast General Store locations in Waynesville…
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More recycling bins for WCU
 

More recycling bins for WCU

Western Carolina University received 75 new recycling bins through the Alcoa Foundation Recycling Bin Grant Program and have begun placing…
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Max Patch restored, off-roaders pay
 

Max Patch restored, off-roaders pay

The off-roaders responsible for causing damage to the popular Pisgah National Forest hiking spot Max Patch have reached a plea…
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Calling on volunteers for bird monitoring
 

Calling on volunteers for bird monitoring

Volunteers are needed to assist in a breeding bird monitoring and education program throughout the spring and early summer at…
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Plant a row for the needy
 

Plant a row for the needy

United Christian Ministries of Jackson County is asking gardeners to plant an extra row in their plots this year to…
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Environmental forums start up
 

Environmental forums start up

A forum on community and environmental change will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, May 25, at…
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Visitors need to plan ahead to see fireflies
 

Visitors need to plan ahead to see fireflies

The Elkmont synchronous firefly viewing will take place June 6-13 in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  Every year, thousands…
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Waterfall trail looking for sweat donations
 

Waterfall trail looking for sweat donations

Volunteers are needed in Panthertown Valley during Memorial Day weekend on Saturday, May 25, to help complete a new section…
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Youth soccer camps
 

Youth soccer camps

The Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department is offering British and Brazilian soccer camps for youth this summer. The Brazilian soccer…
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Book turns hikes into scavenger hunts
 

Book turns hikes into scavenger hunts

A book that aims to make hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park fun and educational for kids, Scavenger…
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Win a gem at the Ruby Run
 

Win a gem at the Ruby Run

The Ruby Run 5K and 10K will be held at 8 a.m. Saturday, June 1, in Franklin. The annual race…
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Star gazing event at Purchase Knob
 

Star gazing event at Purchase Knob

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is hosting a star gazing event at 8:30 p.m. Friday, May 31, at the…
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A biological journey through history down the Little Tennessee
 

A biological journey through history down the Little Tennessee

A guided trip down the Little Tennessee River aims to teach paddlers about the area’s cultural and biological history and…
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A record-breaking weekend (part one)
 

A record-breaking weekend (part one)

What could be more fun than a weekend of fellowship and great birding? Maybe setting a new record for total…
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