• The Haywood County Public Library will hold a series of virtual programs this week in anticipation of Earth Day, including a crash course on compost and a session about the opossum’s place as a secret backyard helper. www.haywoodcountync.gov/696/Virtual-Programming.

• Clean up litter at Chestnut Mountain Park in Canton and help remove invasive plants during a Haywood Waterways Association event at 9 a.m. Thursday, April 22. Sign up with Christine O’Brien, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.476.4667, ext. 11. 

• Help Haywood Waterways Association clean up Richland Creek, 9 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday, April 24, beginning at the Vance Street Park pavilion. Sign up with Christine O’Brien, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.476.4667, ext. 11. 

• Watershed Association of the Tuckaseigee River, or WATR, will host the Tuckaseigee Watershed Eco-Fest 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 24, at Monteith Farm Park Pavilion in Dillsboro. The event will include an opportunity to get close-up, hands-on experience with stream insects, and to learn more about WATR’s work. www.watrnc.org.

• Andrews will hold its annual Street Fair & Nature Expo 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday, April 24, offering a chance for all to learn about gardening, butterflies, water conservation, local history and more. www.visitandrewsnc.com/spring-fling.

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• During an online event at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 24, the Blue Ridge Electric Vehicle Club will present, “What does it mean to run an EV on Solar Energy?” The interactive session will include ample time to address participant questions. Register at driveelectricearthday.org/event. 

• Creation Care Alliance will hold a virtual Earth Day vigil 6 to 7:15 p.m. Sunday, April 25, via Zoom.www.mountaintrue.org/event/earth-day-vigil-3.

• Root out invasive plants with Haywood Waterways at 2 to 3 p.m. Tuesday, April 27, at Vance Street Park near the Waynesville Recreation Center. RSVPs aren’t necessary but are helpful. Contact Eric Romaniszyn at 828.476.4667 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

• MountainTrue is hosting an Earth Day Cleanup Challenge through April 30, with participants asked to collect litter for disposal and post photos to social media with the hashtag #MTEarthDayChallenge. Photos with the most trash collected will receive a prize.www.mountaintrue.org/event/earth-day-clean-up-challenge-2021.

Outdoors

• The Cradle of Forestry in America is open for the season as of 10 a.m. Wednesday, April 21. Admission is $6 and free for youth ages 4 to 12. The Cradle is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. 828.877.3130.

• Register for the Fun 4 Kids Day Camp offered by Jackson County Parks and Recreation beginning at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 17. The Cullowhee camp is open to children who have completed kindergarten through sixth grade. Cost is $625, or $600 for the second child enrolled, and dates are June 14 through Aug. 6. The Cashiers camp is open to ages 5 through 12, though campers must have completed kindergarten. Cost is $700 and dates are June 1 through July 30. Contact Dora Caldwell with questions at 828.293.3053, ext. 5, or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. www.rec.jacksonnc.org.

• A punt, pass and kick clinic will be held at noon Saturday, April 24, at the Cashiers/Glenville Recreation Center in Jackson County. The event is free to everyone, with groups for ages 6-8, 9-11 and 12-14. www.rec.jacksonnc.org.

• The inaugural Tot Trot 5K will step off Saturday, April 24, from the Waynesville Recreation Park to raise money for two local nonprofits — KARE and Hope for Horses. Registration will begin at 8 a.m. with waved start times from 9 a.m. Awards will be distributed at Mad Anthony’s starting at 12:30 p.m., and the first 25 runners will receive a free beer glass upon presenting their race bib. All runners will be eligible for additional prize drawings. Register for $40 through April 19 at www.raceroster.com. 

• Watershed Association of the Tuckasegee River will celebrate earth month with its member meeting from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday, April 24, at Monteith Farm Park Pavilion. The event will allow participants the opportunity to catch and observe the fascinating critters that live in our local streams and rivers. 

• The inaugural Running of the Goats 5K and Nature Walk will take place at the WNC Nature Center in Asheville on Sunday, April 25. Registration is limited, and rolling starts with waves between 7:30 and 9 a.m. will allow for distancing. Proceeds will benefit Friends of the WNC Nature Center and support programs throughout the park. Register at www.wildwnc.org/runwild

• The Nantahala Outdoor Center will throw its annual Spring Fling event this year, running from 8 a.m. Saturday, April 24, to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 25. An Upper Cascades release will provide fun for boaters, and kayak demos from a variety of vendors will be available 3 to 6 p.m. Saturday. From 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday, live music from the Log Noggins Band will be provided. 

• Dispose of old pesticides safely during Haywood County Pesticide Collection Day 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, April 28, in Waynesville. Contact the office before collection day for special instructions and information regarding pressurized pesticide gas cylinders or containers larger than 5 gallons. Unknown materials cannot be accepted.  The event will take place at the Haywood Extension Center on Raccoon Road and is offered in cooperation with the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Pesticide Disposal Assistance Program. The program cooperates with 40 to 50 county Extension centers each year to collect old pesticides, meaning that collections occur only about once every other year in each county. Contact Bill Skelton, Haywood County Extension Director, for more information, 828.456.3575.

• Registration is open through April 30 for a volleyball league starting in Cullowhee this May. Teams are available for girls and boys in the 8-10 and 11-14 age groups. Registration is $50 and available online at rec.jacksonnc.org. Masks must be worn at all times, and knee pads are required. Andrew Sherling, 828.293.3053, ext. 6 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

• A new mountain biking club for kids in eighth through twelfth grades will hold its first meeting at 5:30 p.m. Friday, April 30, at Allens Creek Park in Waynesville. Mountain bikes are available for participants who don’t have their own, but there are a limited number and they are size-specific. Limited to the first 30 signups. One-time club fee of $10 is due at registration. Register with Ian Smith at 828.452.6789 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

• A presentation featuring live birds of prey will come to the Jackson County Public Library at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 1, as part of a weeklong celebration of migratory birds. Offered by Balsam Mountain Trust. Space limited, with masks and social distancing required. Register with Nicole Cook at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.631.1063.

• Buy plants, flowers and crafts during the A Mother’s Love Market, slated for 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 1, at Sunset Inn in Lake Junaluska. Proceeds go to Haywood Outdoor Pantries and Feeding the Multitudes. COVID-19 protocols will be observed. For more information, visit @MountainProjectsHaywoodPantryProject on Facebook. 

Hiking Clubs 

• The Nantahala Hiking Club will take an easy 4 to 6 miles hike on Friday, April 23. Dogs are welcome. The club will meet at Westgate Plaza in Franklin at 10 a.m. Call leader Katharine Brown, 421-4178, for reservations.

• The Nantahala Hiking Club will take a moderate-to-strenuous 6-mile hike on Buckeye Branch, hiking the old Bartram Trail on Saturday, April 24. The club will meet at the Smoky Mountain Visitor Center at 10 a.m. Call leader Gail Lehman, 524-5298, for reservations.