GSMNP visitation trending upward
 

GSMNP visitation trending upward

Visitation to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is on the rise, a good sign for Western North Carolina counties…
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Appalachian Trail turns 75
 

Appalachian Trail turns 75

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the completion of the Appalachian Trail (A.T.), the longest hiking-only footpath in the…
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Classic hike series heads to Mt. Cammerer
 

Classic hike series heads to Mt. Cammerer

The Friends of the Smokies next “Classic Hike of the Smokies” will be to the top of Mt. Cammerer, where…
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Main Street Mile in Waynesville is Aug. 10
 

Main Street Mile in Waynesville is Aug. 10

The third annual Main Street Mile will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 10 in downtown Waynesville. The event…
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Biking the Trail of Tears
 

Biking the Trail of Tears

Seven members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee and 16 members of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma recently participated in…
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From the darkness to the light – literally
 

From the darkness to the light – literally

Legend has it that curious fishermen watching trout seemingly disappear into Humpback Mountain back in 1822 discovered an entrance into…
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Bicycle touring light Overnight trips take the pressure off planning, purchasing
 

Bicycle touring light Overnight trips take the pressure off planning, purchasing

By Jack Moore • Contributor J.R.R. Tolkien wrote, “Not all those who wander are lost,” and he may as well…
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Aerial assassins
 

Aerial assassins

Alaskan shooters are poised to take to the skies again this year to slaughter as many wolves as possible. This…
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Prehistoric plate tectonics gives rise to Smokies’ diversity
 

Prehistoric plate tectonics gives rise to Smokies’ diversity

Dr. Dan Pittillo will explore the natural history of the southern Appalachians at 7 p.m. on Aug. 2 at the…
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Local produce to make its way to students’ trays
 

Local produce to make its way to students’ trays

A Farm to School project will provide food awareness and better nutrition education for students and staff at five Haywood…
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Volunteers needed at Cataloochee Ranch
 

Volunteers needed at Cataloochee Ranch

Volunteers are being sought for a workday at Cataloochee Ranch in Haywood County that will enhance the habitat for migratory…
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Reward for elk information upped
 

Reward for elk information upped

 A $20,000 reward is being offered for information about the recent killing of three elk near the Great Smoky Mountains…
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Hear the creeks’ cry for help
 

Hear the creeks’ cry for help

While heavy rains have washed wayward trash into creeks in recent weeks, kids from Whitehouse, Tenn., helped scoured the banks…
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Get a taste of space science
 

Get a taste of space science

Several all-day Space Science Labs for adults or kids will be held on various dates in late July and early…
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Clinic teaches horsemen to lighten their impact
 

Clinic teaches horsemen to lighten their impact

Treading lightly on the land isn’t always easy if you’re sitting on top of 1,000 pounds and four stout hooves,…
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Volenteers needed to man Clingmans Dome
 

Volenteers needed to man Clingmans Dome

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is recruiting volunteers to help staff the visitor contact station at Clingmans Dome through Nov.…
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Revel in rail history at the Cradle of Forestry
 

Revel in rail history at the Cradle of Forestry

Learn about the early locomotives and logging railroads that once wound their way through mountain hollers and hillsides during the…
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Trapper Rob and his wolves to greet children in Jackson
 

Trapper Rob and his wolves to greet children in Jackson

Kids can get up close and personal with wolves and their owner, Trapper Rob, at the Jackson County Public Library in…
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Try your hand at backyard chickens
 

Try your hand at backyard chickens

A class for people who have an interest in the benefits of raising their own chickens and/or turkeys will be…
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Coping with gray treefrogs
 

Coping with gray treefrogs

The call of, “Come see! A frog!” is one oft repeated in the Hendershot household from spring through fall as…
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Marvelous moss: Mossin’ Annie worships the lush and lovely bryophytes
 

Marvelous moss: Mossin’ Annie worships the lush and lovely bryophytes

By Melanie Threlkeld McConnell • Correspondent A rolling stone gathers no moss, so says the proverb, but it would if…
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A tough farming year
 

A tough farming year

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer “Overall, it’s been a really tough year for farming,” said Jackson County farmer William…
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Go west yon hiker
 

Go west yon hiker

A new hiking club has joined the ranks of an already burgeoning collection of trail trotters in WNC.
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Preserving tradition Non-profit grows plants for Cherokee artisans
 

Preserving tradition Non-profit grows plants for Cherokee artisans

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer Not too long ago, the number of people who carried on the ancient Cherokee…
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Building a bridge of ideas and insight from the Smokies to Iceland
 

Building a bridge of ideas and insight from the Smokies to Iceland

By George Ivey • Contributing writer What in the world would bring together the Great Smoky Mountains and the country…
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Homeward bound
 

Homeward bound

After Jersey and the Big Apple (see last week’s Naturalist’s Corner — www.smokymountainnews.com/outdoors/item/7554-famous-nyc-offspring), it was time for a leisurely trip…
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The dam is gone, so how’s the Tuck doing?
 

The dam is gone, so how’s the Tuck doing?

Learn about biological changes afoot in the Tuckasegee River since the removal of the Dillsboro dam two years ago during…
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Canoe trip to explore the Little Tennessee
 

Canoe trip to explore the Little Tennessee

A guided canoe float trip down the Little Tennessee River will be held on July 19 as part of the…
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Open water swim added to the Lake Logan multi-sport line-up
 

Open water swim added to the Lake Logan multi-sport line-up

The fast growing sport of Open Water Swimming has been added to the Lake Logan Multisport Festival held Aug. 4…
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Girls on the Run to increase presence in Macon County
 

Girls on the Run to increase presence in Macon County

Girls on the Run is reaching out to elementary and middle school girls in Franklin to get involved in a…
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Bringing back the native river cane
 

Bringing back the native river cane

River cane, a native type of bamboo that once grew in large stands along mountain rivers, has gotten a helping…
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Venture to a unique high-elevation granite dome on guided hike
 

Venture to a unique high-elevation granite dome on guided hike

A special guided hike to the Ridges of Cedar Knob in the Highlands area will explore a high-elevation granite dome…
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Get off the eaten path with guided wild mushroom hunt
 

Get off the eaten path with guided wild mushroom hunt

Join a renowned mushroom forager for a guided mushroom hunt from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Sunday July 29.…
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A measure of hope for the hemlock forests?
 

A measure of hope for the hemlock forests?

A scientist fighting to save the dying hemlock forests of the Southern Appalachians will give a talk on ongoing efforts…
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Smokies workshop to engage teachers
 

Smokies workshop to engage teachers

An all-day workshop on July 31 will explore the ethics and ethos behind ecology and conservation in the Great Smoky…
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Land a hand for the Smokies’ historic cabins
 

Land a hand for the Smokies’ historic cabins

The historic cabins, churches, school houses and farmhouses that date back to the times of early Appalachian settlers in the…
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Wild places, wild  things featured at Mountain Wildlife Days
 

Wild places, wild things featured at Mountain Wildlife Days

The ninth-annual Mountain Wildlife Days will be held Friday, July 20, and Saturday, July 21, at Sapphire Valley Resort near…
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Hiking the Southern Appalachians? Download this App
 

Hiking the Southern Appalachians? Download this App

Hikers who want to travel smarter on trails in the Southern mountains now have access to a mobile app called…
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Take a working vacation on the AT
 

Take a working vacation on the AT

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy is searching for volunteers to help maintain sections along the fabled footpath. No previous trail experience…
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Learn how to manage your forest land
 

Learn how to manage your forest land

Four workshops for private forest landowners in Western North Carolina will be held on Wednesdays and Thursdays between mid-July and…
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Fox sightings not always a cause for concern
 

Fox sightings not always a cause for concern

Foxes sighted in daylight, or in urban and suburban settings are not necessarily rabid or dangerous, according to the N.C.…
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Reward offered in elk poaching case
 

Reward offered in elk poaching case

The N.C. Wildlife Federation is offering $5,000 for information about the recent elk killings that directly leads to an arrest…
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Top supporters for national parks include local groups
 

Top supporters for national parks include local groups

Friends of the Smokies and The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation are among a select group of organizations featured as part…
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Pigeon River Fund awards grants
 

Pigeon River Fund awards grants

Seven projects received $116,300 in grants from the Pigeon River Fund of The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina. Grant…
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Summer doldrums? Students can volunteer in the Smokies
 

Summer doldrums? Students can volunteer in the Smokies

Students can join a park ranger in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park this summer in a hands-on work project.…
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Kids camp to explore heritage farming
 

Kids camp to explore heritage farming

Kids will explore local agriculture in the 4-H Farm to Fork Day Camp in Haywood County held from 9 a.m.…
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State recognizes Western Carolina for its energy reduction efforts
 

State recognizes Western Carolina for its energy reduction efforts

Western Carolina University has gotten more kudos for lowering energy use and costs and promoting utility savings.
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Famous NYC offspring
 

Famous NYC offspring

New York City is big, bustling and in July – hot, but there are always entertaining and even educational ways…
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‘Around the World in 80 Birds’ coming to Highlands
 

‘Around the World in 80 Birds’ coming to Highlands

International birder and Highlands-Cashiers resident Romney Bathurst will present “Around the World in 80 Birds” at 7:30 p.m. July 23…
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Franklin couple collaborate on outdoor books for children
 

Franklin couple collaborate on outdoor books for children

In 25 years of teaching kindergarten, Cathryn Sills of Franklin read a lot of books to her young students. In…
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