Motorcycle crash sparks Smokies wildfire
A wildfire that started near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s western edge following a motorcycle crash Sunday, Nov. 6,…
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Drought conditions spread statewide
Despite significant rainfall in the mountains last week, drought continues to expand in the western region and across North Carolina.
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New trail unveiled in Graham County
A trio of recently completed trail projects in the Nantahala National Forest in Graham County offers people of all ages…
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State science grants awarded in WNC
Six science centers in the western region received grant money as part of the $6.3 million recently awarded through the…
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Parson Branch Road reopens
For the first time in six years, Parson Branch Road in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is open to…
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Joining the herd: Family-run bison farm, vacation rental flourishes in Clyde
When Cheryl Hillis started managing vacation rentals in Haywood County 15 years ago, Airbnb didn’t exist, reservations were made with…
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Recipe for adventure: WNC communities embark on outdoor economy initiative
More than 130 people from 25 Western North Carolina counties met in Boone last month to talk about how best…
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Cash receives recognition for leadership on race
During a special ceremony Friday, Oct. 21, Great Smoky Mountains National Park Superintendent Cassius Cash received a major award from…
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Scholarship available for NOC Guide School
A new, need-based scholarship is available for people with limited resources to launch a career in whitewater at the Nantahala…
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Our air, our water: Science program blends indigenous and western methods
In January 2020, Sara Duncan was less than a year into her role as an assistant professor at Western Carolina…
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Bird flu detected in Wake County
A backyard chicken flock in Wake County has tested positive for High Path Avian Influenza, marking the disease’s return to…
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N.C. detects third chronic wasting disease case
A third deer in North Carolina has tested positive for chronic wasting disease, an always-fatal nervous system disease that affects…
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Mountains in moderate drought
Despite significant overnight rain Monday, Oct. 17, Western North Carolina has slipped farther into drought over the last week.
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Up Moses Creek: Mr. Plume, Part Two
The first time we saw the skunk, Becky and I were in the yard after supper throwing a frisbee. It’s…
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Spread of the Joro: Non-native spider may not be cause for concern
The sun was still high in the sky on a perfect October day last fall when I finished setting up…
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WNC gets drier
Dry conditions in North Carolina expanded to include nine western counties following publication of the most recent drought map Thursday,…
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Look Rock Campground reopens after 9 years
After a nine-year closure, Look Rock Campground in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is open.
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Notes from a plant nerd: The leaves don’t just fall, y’all. They’re pushed
We have a tendency in our modern culture of celebrating only the young, youthful and new parts of our world,…
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Endangered status proposed for tri-colored bat
The deadly disease white-nose syndrome has killed more than 90% of tri-colored bats in affected bat colonies, and now the…
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Livestock Hall of Fame gets new members
Two Buncombe County men have been added to the N.C. Mountain State Fair Livestock Hall of Fame in recognition of…
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Western N.C. dries out as fall wildfire season begins
Heavy rains from Hurricane Ian eradicated dry conditions that spread through the eastern half of North Carolina throughout September, but…
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Report flags wildlife crossing hotspots
A recently released report from Wildlands Network identifies 20 priority sites for wildlife crossings in North Carolina — including four…
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North Carolinians hang 7,500 ornaments on Capitol Christmas Tree
In the six months after the National Forests in North Carolina announced that the 2022 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree would…
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Purging the pigs: Pilot program aims to knock back feral swine populations
When Europeans first began exploring North America, they knew precious little about the land toward which they traveled — or…
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Grants awards fuel WNC conservation projects
Conservation projects in Western North Carolina will receive $6.6 million of the $70.3 million in N.C. Land and Water Fund…
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Draft red wolf plan released
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has released a draft version of a plan to guide recovery of the critically…
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Visitor survey starting in the Pisgah-Nantahala
Every five years, the National Forests in North Carolina surveys its visitors to glean a wide range of information, and…
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Notes from a plant nerd: Gentians, pronounced like ‘gen-shun’
It used to be, when I was first getting into wildflowers, that I would see the gentians begin to bloom,…
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Up Moses Creek: Mr. Plume
I’d been sprayed once years earlier, so yesterday morning I knew what might happen when, standing on the ridge above…
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Notes from a plant nerd: Ad astera! To the stars! (Asters Part 2)
Very soon, my guided wildflower walks will mostly consist of me walking along a trail and saying, “That’s an aster,…
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Smokies species project marks milestone
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is celebrating a milestone in its Smokies Most Wanted citizen science project, with 100,000…
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WNC residents win titles in Mountain State Fair
The N.C. Mountain State Fair wrapped up another year with a total attendance count of 159,575, a strong showing assisted…
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Mystique of the monarch: Butterfly’s migratory life inspires wonder, scientific inquiry
It was a chilly February morning in 2020 when Clemson, South Carolina, resident Heyward Douglass laid eyes on the legendary…
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Federal guidance to strengthen tribal land management role
Last week, the U.S. Department of the Interior released new guidance aiming to strengthen the role of tribal governments in…
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Panthertown Map Association marks 25th anniversary with $10,000 donation
The publisher of Burt Kornegay’s “A Guide’s Guide to Panthertown” has marked the 25th anniversary of its first printing with…
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Cades Cove hosts Medal of Honor recipients
Nearly half of the 65 living Medal of Honor recipients and their families traveled to Knoxville last week for the…
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WCU gets new air quality monitors
New air monitors measuring particulate matter, temperature and relative humidity are now up on the Western Carolina University campus.
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Among the apples: For Canton couple, farming is a retirement dream come true
A car rolls up the gravel driveway to the barn that serves as the main headquarters for KT’s Orchard and…
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A new purpose: Finding peace in teaching the art of survival
Will White can prepare you to survive just about any situation.
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Grants awarded for WNC park projects
Western North Carolina will see $1.5 million of the more than $17 million in grants approved Aug. 26 through the…
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‘Know what you don’t know’ : New book aims to stop backcountry emergencies before they start
During his 30 years living and teaching in Western North Carolina, Maurice Phipps has heard countless tales of tragedy and…
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SELC names new executive director
The Southern Environmental Law Center has named D.J. Gerken as its new president and executive director. This fall, he’ll take…
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Notes from a plant nerd: Joe Pye Weed, The Queen of the Meadow
The stories of plants are what led me in to falling in love with wildflowers, just as much as their…
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Ron Moser, first director for Haywood Waterways, passes away
Ron Moser, a founding member and former leader of Haywood Waterways Association, passed away Thursday, Aug. 18, at the age…
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Kids explore with Creation Care Camp
Two environmentally focused camps this summer offered students the chance to get outside while learning about how to care for…
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Disease outbreak kills N.C. deer
An outbreak of hemorrhagic disease has spurred reports of sick and dead deer in 39 North Carolina counties, with the…
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Culvert project to improve fish habitat
A portion of Connelly’s Creek Road in the Nantahala National Forest will close starting Sept. 6 to upgrade an existing…
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Trail program to prepare youth for outdoor careers
The U.S. Forest Service, Blue Ridge Bartram Trail Conservancy and Southeast Conservation Corps are expanding their partnership to offer a…
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Trail repairs done on Tennessee A.T.
New bog bridges and repaired steps are now in place on the Bradley Gap Section of the Appalachian Trail through…
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Second deer tests positive for chronic wasting disease
A second deer has tested positive for chronic wasting disease after North Carolina’s first CWD-positive deer was found in December…
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