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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Segway tours make debut in Waynesville
The train was the first to arrive in Waynesville back in 1886; then, the rise of the automobile; but, this…
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Advocates want to save little-known old growth pockets
Hidden among the expanse of forestland in Western North Carolina are little-known pockets of trees that are several centuries old.…
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Park releases new species of predator beetles
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is planning to release two new predatory beetles to stop the spread of the…
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Haywood soccer season kicks off
Haywood County is now signing up players for its adult summer soccer leagues.
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Volunteers needed at Pisgah wildlife center
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is seeking volunteers to help at its Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education to accommodate a…
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Azaleas in full bloom in Stecoah
The azalea garden at Stecoah Valley Center is in full bloom, but will only be for the next few weeks.…
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Water cents
What falls freely from the sky, rumbles, swooshes, rolls, trickles across the planet; seeps into the earth beneath our feet…
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Fishing class conjures images of Brad Pitt and leaping carp
Ever since I first watched Brad Pitt fly fishing in the film “The River Runs Through It,” I knew I…
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Get ready for 12 hours of Tsali
A grueling, 12-hour mountain bike race will be held from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. Saturday, May 11, at the…
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French Broad trail map comes online
For paddlers looking to master the French Broad River, a new map is available online detailing the river’s paddle trail.…
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Market vendors get shelter form the storm
The Haywood County Health Department pitched in and gave away tents, tables, coolers and other equipment to vendors at area…
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Park reopens trails damaged by tornado
Two trails that have been closed since 2011 after receiving extensive damage from a tornado in the western end of…
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When it rains – the tough go hiking
We’ve had a good run in the watershed. The Town of Waynesville has sponsored spring and fall guided hikes in…
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Smokies offers Mountains-to-Sea Trail hike and presentation
Folks interested in hiking a section of the Mountains to Sea Trail and learning a bit more about the storied…
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Land trust earns top honors
The Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust has received national accreditation for its work in protecting treasured lands.
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EcoFest to put ‘green’ living at your finger tips
Haywood County is about to experience its newest festival: EcoFest, an ode to sustainability, agriculture and the environment. This year…
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Macon enviro group applauds local recyclers
Macon Pride, a county-based environmental organization, has recognized Caterpillar Precision Seals in Franklin for what it deems an exemplary recycling…
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Calling recruits to the bugle corps
Can you make it in the corps? The Great Smoky Mountains National Park needs volunteers to join the Elk Bugle…
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WCU one of the greenest colleges in country
For the third consecutive year, Western Carolina University has been listed by The Princeton Review as one of the most…
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Backpackers cautioned to keep food away from bears
As spring and backpacking season returns to the mountains, so does bear danger in the woods. A recent bear encounter,…
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Get your green on
EcoFest will showcase more than four dozen demonstrators, vendors, information booths and organizations sharing tips and practical advice on how…
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Winter floods close some Smokies trails, repairs pending
A section of the Noland Creek Trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park will be closed to hikers and horseback…
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Homecoming
The blue-headed vireo sang to me of spring sometime around the first week of April. Blue-headeds are generally the last…
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Have what it takes to be a junior ranger?
Great Smoky Mountains National Park will celebrate the National Junior Ranger Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday,…
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Be a responsible ramp picker this spring
Spring means ramp season in Western North Carolina, but the ramp population in Southern Appalachians is being hurt by over-harvesting.
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Races, paddling, music and more at NOC
Visitors to the Nantahala Gorge this weekend can take in a full lineup of freestyle paddling competitions, outdoor activities, film…
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Honeybee disappearance baffles experts
Beekeepers in Western North Carolina were hit especially hard this winter by a mysterious rash of bee disappearances. Amateur Haywood…
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Sign up for the WNC trail event of the decade
A national convergence of Appalachian Trail fans and hiking enthusiasts will descend on Western Carolina University this summer for the…
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Bugle Corp recognized for their volunteerism
In honor of National Volunteer Week, Friends of the Smokies is recognizing the work of the Elk Bugle Corps. The…
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Protected watershed offers rare public hike
A guided hike to the usually off-limits Waynesville watershed will be held from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, April…
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Protestors call for action on global warming
A group of about 30 demonstrators gathered last Monday at the public fountain on Main Street in downtown Sylva to…
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Earth Day rant
Earth Day 2013 is Monday, April 22. The first official “Earth Day” occurred in 1970 and environmentalists celebrated. Environmental lawyer…
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Beginners luck, or magic touch?
Fire is a life source. Without fire or some other form of heat, it’s nearly, if not impossible, to survive…
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Volunteers needed to liaison with elk viewers
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is recruiting volunteers to impart wildlife viewing etiquette in high-traffic tourist areas at the…
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Delve into nature with Highlands Nature Center day camps
The Highlands Nature Center is offering a lineup of summer Nature Day Camps for children. Five different camps on ecology…
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Stomach bug takes to the A.T.
A pesky stomach virus has turned up among hikers along the Appalachian Trail near Hot Springs, especially on a stretch…
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Hikes explores pocket of old-growth forest
A guided hike involving some off-trail bushwhacking to a little-known stand of old growth forest in Graham County will be…
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Share your favorite swimming holes
Don’t be greedy and keep your favorite swimming hole for yourself. A regional environmental organization is developing a new guide…
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Arbor Day plantings planned for Island Park
An Arbor Day flower planting will be from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 20, at Island Park in…
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Tour de Cashiers bike ride off and pedaling
Riders are gearing up for this year’s Tour de Cashiers coming on Saturday, May 4. The route will feature stunning…
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Poacher gets jail time for killing bear cub
A Robbinsville man was sentenced to five months in prison last week for killing an black bear cub in Nantahala…
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Sharpening their skills: HCC lands spot on the national lumberjack scene
Dana Dowdy raised a razor-sharp axe above her head, let it hover a moment and then slammed into her competition…
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Sylva climate change protest is lead up to Raleigh lobbying push
In the buildup to a large environmental demonstration in Raleigh, a climate change rally will be held at 11 a.m.…
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Arboretum to host Mountain Science Expo
When science meets the mountains you get: The Mountain Science Expo. The expo will take place from 10 a.m. to…
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Springtime cleanup opportunities
In an effort to clean up Scotts Creek in Jackson County, a coordinated workday will be launched by volunteers from…
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News from the A.T.
Gotta love that A.T. A program on the importance of the Appalachian Trail and ways to promote and conserve it…
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A.T. license plate money awarded to local trail workers
The Carolina Mountain Club has been awarded $2,200 through the North Carolina Appalachian Trail License Plate Grant Program to help…
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Big-time lumberjacks saw off in Haywood
Professional and collegiate lumberjacks from around the East will soon converge on Haywood County to compete in a top-notch woodsman…
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Love was in the air
Love may be a little anthropogenic for toads, but the eons old “urge to merge” was quite prevalent last Sunday…
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