New EV charging ports coming to WNC
The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality has awarded funds for 59 new Level 2 electric vehicle charging points across 23…
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Counting cars: Smokies updates decades-old visitation estimator
Anybody who’s been to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the last few years has seen it — overflowing…
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Spend an evening in the garden
ArborEvenings is back at the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville, offering opportunity to spend Thursday and Friday evenings strolling the gardens…
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Godfrey hired as Outdoor Gear Builders director
Outdoor Gear Builders, an outdoor industry association in Western North Carolina with more than 75 members, has hired Matt Godfrey…
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Waynesville Waterpark reopens
The Waynesville Recreation Center Waterpark will reopen for the summer Friday, June 24.
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Smokies seeks info on old homesites
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is looking for help in identifying and documenting former homesites in the park.
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Roadside parking banned at Laurel Falls
With more than 100 cars typically parked outside the parking lot at Laurel Falls in the Great Smoky Mountains National…
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Writer takes residence in the Smokies
Bakersville, North Carolina, resident Sue Wasserman is taking her place as this year’s Steve Kemp Writer in Residence at the…
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Fishy field guide hits bookstores
A new field guide dedicated to the aquatic residents of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is now on bookshelves.
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Wild Vision: George Masa book pairs famed images with modern experiences
The 1900s were just a few years along when a young man named Masahara Iizuka stepped on American soil for…
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N.C. announces strategy for PFAS chemicals
The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality has announced an action strategy for PFAS, a class of widely used, long-lasting chemicals…
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Environmental program aims for community engagement
Western Carolina University has named its Environmental Health Program in the College of Health and Human Sciences as its first…
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Biological Foundation holds fundraising soiree
Festivities for the Highlands Biological Foundation’s annual summer soiree will commence at 6 p.m. Monday, July 18, on the historic…
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Ribbon-cutting planned for Old Fort trails
The first phase of the Old Fort Trails Project in the Pisgah National Forest will open on Sunday, June 26.
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U.S. House passes ‘historic’ wildlife bill
Lauded as a “historic game-changer” for wildlife conservation in the United States, the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act last week passed…
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Measuring the top of the world: Tuscola alum leads Everest expedition
Baker Perry’s family arrived in Haywood County almost by accident. They’d been living in Bolivia, where his parents operated a…
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Fire Mountain closed for OneWheel event
Fire Mountain Trails in Cherokee will be closed Friday, June 17, and Saturday, June 18, for the second annual WheelScorcher…
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Around the Smokies
It’s a busy time in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park as visitation ramps up while the park works to…
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Fundraising bike ride ends at Lake Junaluska
Johnson City residents Steve Wheeler and John Redmond spent the weekend biking from Johnson City to Lake Junaluska in hopes…
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Notes from the National Park Service
With 423 units covering more than 85 million acres, there’s much more to the National Park Service than the Great…
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New natural area opens to the public
Bobs Creek State Natural Area is officially open following a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday, June 2, attended by Gov. Roy Cooper…
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Wildlife in the legislature: Bill seeks to halt expanded bear sanctuary hunting
A bill seeking to strike down an N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission rule that would allow limited bear hunting in three…
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Energy efficiency speaker series kicks off
A series of three workshops looking at energy efficiency and cost reduction techniques for homes and businesses will kick off…
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Rains banish dry conditions
The return of dry conditions in Western North Carolina appears to have been temporary after massive rains last week erased…
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Protecting the nest: Volunteer program aims to restore falcons at Devils Courthouse
For years, Blue Ridge Parkway staff have been concerned that visitor behavior at Devils Courthouse, a popular overlook on the…
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Jacobsen chosen as Haywood Waterways leader
Preston Jacobsen has been selected as the next executive director of Haywood Waterways Association following the departure of longtime leader…
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Bear injures campers at Elkmont
A bear has been euthanized after it broke into a tent occupied by a family of five and their dog,…
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Bill seeks National Scenic Trail designation for Benton MacKaye Trail
A bipartisan bill seeking to designate the Benton MacKaye Trail as a National Scenic Trail has been introduced to the…
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Bear canisters required in Panthertown
The U.S. Forest Service is now requiring anybody who stays overnight in Panthertown Valley to use a bear-resistant container or…
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Delayed Harvest waters open
On June 4, 34 trout streams and two lakes in North Carolina will reopen to trout harvest through Sept. 30.
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Reward offered for information on slain red wolf
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is offering $5,000 for information regarding a federally protected red wolf found dead in…
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Water monitoring available for local swim holes
Swimming hole monitoring season resumes this weekend as MountainTrue once again starts updating its Swim Guide, an online resource offering…
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Ocoee rec amenities reopen
Recreation areas at the Ocoee Whitewater Center in Polk County, Tennessee, are now open for the first time since a…
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Summer hours start at Highlands Nature Center
Memorial Day weekend marks the beginning of summer hours at the Highlands Nature Center.
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New trail climbs Sassafras Mountain
A new 2-mile hiking trail is now open in Headwaters State Forest in North Carolina, crossing the state line to…
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Pigeon River grants announced
The latest round of Pigeon River Fund awards provide 10 grants totaling $234,241 to fund water quality projects in Haywood,…
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Big water: Retiring American Whitewater director reflects on 18 years of conservation leadership
Mark Singleton was mingling with Outdoor Industry Association colleagues at a 2004 reception in Washington, D.C., when he heard that…
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Bill seeks to prevent new bear sanctuary hunts
A bill seeking to strike down an N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission rule allowing bear hunting in three Western North Carolina…
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Deer harvest remains high as pandemic recedes
Deer harvest in North Carolina remains robust, with numbers from the 2021-22 hunting season remaining nearly level with those recorded…
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Connect to the spirit of the Smokies
The “Spirit of the Smokies” certificate program is starting up again, offered by the University of Tennessee’s Smoky Mountain Field…
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Large Pinnacle Mountains tract protected
A 960-acre conservation purchase in McDowell County protects an ecologically important area along the Pinnacle Mountains.
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Grant project aims to boost Parkway’s economic impact
A pair of grants totaling $911,000 aim to support economic development planning in the Blue Ridge Parkway corridor, including both…
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Haywood septic repair project earns award
A project aiming to keep drinking water clean by helping people repair failing septic systems has earned Haywood County organizations…
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Right in rain: After 15 years of forecasting, Local Yokel is shifting focus
Preston Jacobsen, a man some know better as the Local Yokel Weather guy, comes by his love of meteorology honestly.
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Time to fly: Disc golf course opens in Cherokee
Sandwiched between the flowing waters of Raven Fork and the final southern stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway, a new…
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New manager hired for WNC Ag Center
Sean McKeon has been hired as the new WNC Agricultural Center and WNC Mountain State Fair manager, replacing long-time manager…
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Body recovered from Little River
The body of a 72-year-old man was recovered from Little River in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park after somebody…
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GSMA projects pull in awards
The Great Smoky Mountains Association has earned some recognition recently for producing top-tier educational materials.
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Help decorate the Capitol Christmas tree
The U.S. Forest Service is collecting Christmas ornaments to decorate the North Carolina tree set to adorn the U.S. Capitol…
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New design on display at Quilt Garden
The Quilt Garden at the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville now features a brand new design titled “North Carolina Lily,” inspired…
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