More trail talk…
A regional trails map showing hiking trails, greenways, public lands, rivers and other outdoor recreation landmarks in the seven western…
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Trail triage? Tough choices ahead as forest service weighs 1,600 miles in trail plan
For the past year, the National Forest Service has been taking inventory, collecting public input and meeting with outdoor interest…
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Dark skies — and the stars that go with them — slowly disappearing
Although the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a protected expanse of land, all types of contamination — from air…
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Local fisherman lands silver at championships
Angler and Sylva native Josh Stephens recently earned a silver medal in team competition during the National Fly Fishing Championship…
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Donation will go to Smokies priorities
Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park was recently awarded $2,000 from Sustainability for Generations to Come, a Western North…
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Farmers get a helping hand with diversification grants
28 Western North Carolina farmers received nearly $150,000 total in grants to help diversify their farm businesses. The money was…
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Fees proposed for forest service recreation sites
The U.S. Forest Service may increase, or begin charging, fees at seven recreation sites within the national forests in North…
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Hops finds a home in WNC soil and economy
A free program on “The Business of Growing Hops” will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb.…
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The Rainbow to Nowhere?
What happens when you finally get to the end of the rainbow and there’s no gold in the pot? Perusing…
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Chattooga at the crossroads
A recurring debate between camps in the Chattooga River controversy is how many paddlers would actually come to the river.…
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The hype on hybrids
Editor’s note: Naturalist Don Hendershot is writing a series of columns exploring the use of alternative energy and fuels. …
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Hiking club rolls out two new trail challenges
To celebrate its 90th anniversary, the Carolina Mountain Club Challenge committee has added two new hiking challenges this year to…
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Sign-up for behind-the-scenes look at the Smokies
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is beginning a new program that allows nearby residents, business people, teachers and community…
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Outdoors news briefs
Rains cause wastewater spills in Haywood Beginning Jan. 14, and due to the heavy rains, Waynesville had several wastewater overflows.…
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Conservancy adds on to protected Roan Mountain lands
A 601-acre tract in Avery County near Roan Mountain has been purchased and conserved by the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy.…
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Arrrggghh – a wintry mix
Limeade, tequila and cointreau is not a wintry mix — that is a margarita; something you may resort to when…
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National A.T. gathering making the trek to Cullowhee this summer
A large Appalachian Trail gathering is coming to Western Carolina University this summer, and local trail clubs hosting the week-long…
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150 and counting: WCU grad student research helps get a handle on impacts of mounting numbers of elk
By Jill Ingram • Guest writer, WCU public affairs office Covering long distances in and around Cataloochee Valley, a Western…
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Weather or not: Local Yokel Weather fine tunes forecasts for your neck of the woods
Have you ever been told by the evening news to expect three inches of snow overnight, but after stocking up…
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Big investment made in local bio-fuels
A consortium of Western North Carolina public agencies and private organizations will receive a grant of $766,000 from the N.C.…
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Working farmland protection plan being crafted in Swain
Swain County farmers, landowners, and other interested individuals are invited to share their thoughts and idea on a new farmland…
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I feel the earth move…
It may not have shaken the Richter scale like the stampede of Republican lawmakers and their realtor and developer lobbyists…
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Saving Shuckstack: Age, weather and vandalism take their toll on Smokies’ firetower
Its bolts are rusting, floor planks are rotting, and its windowpanes shattered. The roof is pocked with holes that let…
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Up in flames?
I sit this morning being bathed in luxurious rain. The kind of life-affirming, life-giving rain the Smokies are noted for.…
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Devil’s Courthouse logging proposal criticized by environmental groups
Proposed logging below Devil’s Courthouse in the Pisgah National Forest is being widely decried among outdoor recreation groups and environmental…
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Freeze your icicle off at winter bike race
Riders are invited to compete and spectators are invited to watch at the Icycle Mountain Bike Race at Fontana Village…
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Deputy superintendent retires from GSMNP
Kevin FitzGerald, deputy superintendent of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park since 2006, retired this month after 34 years with…
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Haywood Waterways to launch endowment fundraising campaign
The Haywood Waterways Association has named their endowment fund the “Joetta Rinehart Endowment Fund” in honor of one of the…
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Lake Junaluska a top spot for winter birding
The Highlands Plateau chapter of the Audubon Society will go birding at Lake Junaluska on Monday, Jan. 21, to mark…
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Global warming series aims to inspire change
A six-week discussion course on climate change called “Global Warming: Changing Course” is being put on by the Western North…
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A closer look
Only you can apply the brakes to slow down the Courthouse Timber Sale and get everyone to take a closer…
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Food cables help backpackers ward off bears
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy has provided $800 from its specialty license plate funds to help secure backpackers’ food from bears…
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New soil and water expert named
Waynesville native John Ottinger has been named District Conservationist for the Haywood and Madison counties Soil and Water Conservation District.
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Carrying the torch through history
It’s all started with a phone call. A lifelong thirst for adventure led Ronald R. Cooper to a love of…
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Restored Lodge offers retreats, rustic getaway in the Nantahala National Forest
Nestled deep in the mountains between Sylva and Cashiers, the scenic U.S. Forest Service Balsam Lodge is celebrating its 30th…
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Contest captures state’s natural beauty
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission has announced the winners of the eighth annual Wildlife in North Carolina magazine outdoor photo…
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Local food on the rise
Last year was a promising year for local food production and farm education in WNC, according to the Appalachian Sustainable…
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Friends, feathers and fellowship
Friday, Dec. 28, was the date of the eleventh annual Balsam Christmas Bird Count (CBC) — 11 dates but 10…
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Forests and water could be doomed in 2060
A comprehensive U.S. Forest Service report released last month examines how expanding populations, increased urbanization, and changing land-use patterns could…
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Classes and workshops
Wildlife program seeks help with classes Wild South’s Wildlife Outreach Initiative, along with Mountain Wildlife Days, are in the process…
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Ready, set, ski! Races begin at Catalaoochee
Cataloochee Ski Area is opening its winter race series beginning 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 8, for middle school competitors, followed…
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New hiker shelter finished on the AT
Hikers of the Appalachian Trail now have a new shelter where they can rest their bones. The U.S. Forest Service…
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When it’s good to be threatened
I wrote about wood storks, Mycteria americana, back in August of this year after a trip to Isle of Palms…
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It’s all about the schwag: Race organizers get creative with attracting participants
You’ve been training for months. You’ve skipped the kids’ piano recitals and parent teacher conferences; you’ve bailed on dinner with…
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WNC lakes join list with mercury warning for fish
Two more lakes in the region are now under a fish consumption advisory due to mercury contamination. Unsafe levels of…
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Reintroduce rudolph! (You may need your children to help you read this)
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a great wilderness of about a half-million square acres. It has been the…
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Project to engage farmers in biofuel industry
A $130,000 grant from The Biofuels Center of North Carolina is providing seed money aimed at developing the clean energy…
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Foundation makes year-end push for one donation per mile
The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation has once again launched a year-end fundraising campaign called the 469 Challenge. Inspired by the…
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Franklin Young Professionals awarded for trash pick-up
The Franklin Young Professionals were recently awarded a plaque for their participation in the N.C. Big Sweep river cleanup this…
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Historic Appalachian Trail shelter gets a lift
The Nantahala Hiking Club recently renovated an 80-year-old Appalachian Trail shelter about a mile north of Burningtown Gap in Macon…
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