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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Help wanted: Engaged citizens with environmental ethos
Do you consider yourself an environmentalist or an environmental activist? Do you feel frustrated with the way issues dear to…
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Cullowhee race brings back crowd for a second year
The Valley of the Lilies Half Marathon and 5K will race through the Western Carolina University campus and greater Cullowhee…
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The reporter that could
Ahhhh. That is what was my first thought when the rock slipped from under my foot.
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Coming soon to a flyway near you
This recent bumpy weather across the Eastern U.S. has resulted in some flight delays and changed itineraries for a bunch…
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Long-awaited whitewater runs to debut on the upper Tuckasegee
Paddlers are salivating over the first-ever whitewater releases offered on the west fork of the Tuckasegee from 10 a.m. to…
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Jackson towns tout new ‘trout city’ status
More than a third of the tourists who come knocking at the Jackson County visitor center these days have trout…
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Walk, run, get out, get active
Sarge’s dog walk and run at Lake Junaluska The friends of Sarge’s Animal Rescue Foundation are putting on a one-mile…
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Grant to help farmers fence cattle out of Little Tennessee tributaries
Several organizations have won a $214,195 state grant that will allow Macon County landowners improve water quality in the Little…
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Local river outfitters sponsors elite paddler
The Nantahala Outdoor Center has launched its own elite paddling team and signed whitewater slalom paddler Michal Smolen as its…
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Green Oscars V
Wild South held its fifth annual Green Gala celebrating the 2012 Roosevelt-Ashe Society’s Conservation Award winners last Friday, March 22.…
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Changing recreational habits challenge forest service
The painstaking process of outlining a clear mission for the U.S. Forest Service and how it will manage its expansive…
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I have seen the light
I have seen the light, and I don’t like it. I have seen the light emanating from strip malls; from…
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I once was lost, but now I’m found
The directions said turn left, so naturally I turned right. I was still an hour drive from Sugarland Visitors Center…
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Follow me, into the wild
The last time I went camping I was 10 or 11. I was in my grandparents’ backyard, snug in my…
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Cubs on the Run 5K kicks off spring
The family-friendly Cubs on the Run 5K will be held on Saturday, March 23, at Meadowbrook Elementary School in Canton,…
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Friends of the Lake 5K to celebrate Junaluska lakeshore recreation
Lake Junaluska will host the Friends of the Lake 5K, Family Walk, and Children’s Fun Run at 9 a.m. Saturday,…
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Smokies backcountry fee taken to court
A lawsuit has been filed over a new backcountry camping fee imposed in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.Southern Forest…
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A.T. hiking season kicks off in Franklin
Franklin will celebrate its love for Appalachian Trail hikers with the annual April Fools Trail Days festival on Saturday, March…
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Graveyard Fields overlook to get makeover
The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation will provide $740,000 for projects and programs on the Parkway this year, including children’s education,…
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Paddling springs eternal
Whitewater fanatics wait in line for their chance to do tricks, flips, spins and somersaults with their play boats on…
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Lorca, Neruda and the beautiful game
By Ted Olson • Contributing writer New Native Press, a small independent book publisher based in Tuckasegee in Jackson County, recently…
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Booth display class for the farmers market
Farmers market vendors can get tips on how to set up their booths at a free seminar called “Booth Display…
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And now for something completely different
So what’s in the news nowadays? Any bad news for the environment? Let’s see. Wednesday, February 13, 2013, in the…
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Mountain anglers gain toehold in national fly fishing scene
Like New York is known for its basketball legends, and Texas is known for its football stars, Western North Carolina…
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Prepping for the AT 2,184 miles to be ‘in the moment’
During the next several weeks, thousands of people will leave from Springer Mountain in Georgia and begin the 2,184-mile trek…
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News from the AT
Teachers invited to bring the AT into their classroom Teachers and educators interested in incorporating the Appalachian Trail into their…
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U.S. 441 through park should reopen by May 15
Newfound Gap Road (U.S. 441) through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is expected to be repaired and open by…
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Mountain scramble to Black Rock
The third annual Assault on Black Rock will test the strength and stamina of trail runners as they try to…
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Hikes of the Smokies series kicks off
A guided hike in the Deep Creek area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will be held on Tuesday,…
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Louisiana lagniappe
I know, I know, we’ve been in Louisiana for two weeks now, but when I look back at some of…
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