Kayaker dies on Oconaluftee
A kayaker died yesterday while paddling the Oconaluftee River near Smokemont Campground in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Read More
Blue Ridge Parkway nonprofits welcome new leadership
New leadership is now in place at two of the Blue Ridge Parkway’s official nonprofit partners.
Read More
Bear hunting approved for sanctuary areas
In a unanimous vote Feb. 24, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission approved a controversial rule change that will rename the…
Read More
Smokies document 77 new-to-park species
Visitors armed only with a free app and love of nature have documented more than 4,000 species in the Great…
Read More
Federal funding fuels rehab of two popular trails
Funding from the Great American Outdoors Act has allowed the U.S. Forest Service to wrap up a decade of deferred…
Read More
Smokies, Parkway, top NPS visitation list for 2021
The two most visited national parks of 2021 are located right here in Western North Carolina, according to figures released…
Read More
Smokies fills two leadership roles
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park recently filled two key leadership positions — Randy Scoggins has been hired as the…
Read More
Students explore recycling for apartments
Environmental science students at Western Carolina University took a look at the logistics of getting off-campus apartment complexes to offer…
Read More
N.C. to supply 2022 Capitol Christmas tree
When Christmas 2022 rolls around, a tree from North Carolina’s national forests will adorn the U.S. Capitol building.
Read More
Documentary to explore forest management debate
The Pisgah-Nantahala forest plan process is nearing its end, but a local filmmaker’s effort to produce a documentary exploring the…
Read More
Outdoor Gear Builders names executive director
Outdoor Gear Builders has hired Brad Taylor as its first-ever full-time executive director, marking a milestone for an organization that…
Read More
Forest Service plans prescribed burns
The U.S. Forest Service is planning prescribed burns for seven areas of the Pisgah National Forest this spring.
Read More
Conservation trusts protect additional lands
Area land trusts are celebrating several recent accomplishments in the quest to conserve and protect ecologically significant land.
Read More
Decade in the making: Forest Service releases long-awaited Pisgah-Nantahala forest plan
A decade after convening the first meetings to discuss the impending process, the U.S. Forest Service has released a semi-final version…
Read More
All hands on deck: New program trains hiking club members to assist SAR missions
When Chad Seger was reported missing on Friday, Oct. 16, 2020, the Haywood County Rescue Squad’s Wilderness Search and Rescue…
Read More
Chimney Rock Groundhog says early spring coming to WNC
According to untrained non-meteorologist Pumpkin the Groundhog, spring is on the way for Western North Carolina.
Read More
HWA director moves on
After 18 years at the helm of Haywood Waterways Association, Eric Romaniszyn is leaving his position as the organization’s executive…
Read More
Oust plastic bags from Haywood
Volunteers are wanted for a community-wide effort to reduce consumption of single-use plastic bags, with a sew-a-thon planned for Friday,…
Read More
Haywood student wins climate art contest
A Haywood Early College student was one of three winners in a statewide art contest focusing on climate change.
Read More
Wildlife Service to release red wolves in eastern N.C.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is preparing nine red wolves for release into the world’s only wild population of…
Read More
Forest Service releases revised management plan
A decade after it first reached out to stakeholders for the project, the U.S. Forest Service has released its revised…
Read More
Balance of bear country: Wildlife Commission takes input on future of WNC bear sanctuaries
Nearly 40 people weighed in on a controversial proposal to allow bear hunting in three mountain sanctuary areas during a…
Read More
Haywood boarder takes fourth at X Games
Waynesville native Zeb Powell, 22, narrowly missed a medal at the X Games in Aspen Jan. 21, coming in fourth…
Read More
Wild ducks test positive for avian flu
After a wild duck shot in Hyde County Dec. 30 tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI, agencies…
Read More
Macon rep joins ag and natural resource committee
Rep. Karl Gillespie, who represents Macon, Graham, Cherokee and Clay counties in the N.C. House of Representatives, has joined the…
Read More
Forest Service releases revised management plan
A decade after it first reached out to stakeholders for the project, the U.S. Forest Service has released its revised…
Read More
Smokies visitation blasts past 14 million
For five of the past seven years, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has posted an all-time high number of…
Read More
Helicopter rescue saves stranded Smokies hiker
A multifaceted rescue effort extricated a stranded hiker from the backcountry of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Tuesday,…
Read More
Along for the ride: Cataloochee thrives amid warm weather, pandemic adaptations
Sun is shifting in and out of the clouds covering Cataloochee Ski Area on Friday, Jan. 14, as I catch…
Read More
Cades Cove vehicle-free day now permanent
After making big changes through pilot projects at Cades Cove Loop Road and Laurel Falls Trail, the Great Smoky Mountains…
Read More
Mainspring receives accreditation renewal
Mainspring Conservation Trust has earned renewal of its national land trust accreditation through the Land Trust Alliance, remaining part of…
Read More
Haywood SAR team completes snowy rescue mission
A hiker stranded along the Art Loeb Trail during the weekend snowstorm is now home safe thanks to a successful…
Read More
NPS announces fee-free days
The National Park Service will waive admission on five days in 2022, aiming to encourage discovery and visitation of the…
Read More
Land and Water Fund gets new director
After serving as interim director for seven months, Will Summer has been named the next director of the N.C. Division…
Read More
Telling the biters apart: WCU lab helps researcher with mosquito project
Don’t swat at that mosquito. Swedish entomologist Anders Lindström is sitting in a Western Carolina University lab, patiently waiting for…
Read More
Conservation purchase protects Lake James watershed
The Lake James watershed near Morganton is now a little more protected following a 35-acre conservation purchase Dec. 23 along…
Read More
Chimney Rock gets new resident
Chimney Rock State Park has a new animal ambassador — Oscar the opossum, who was born with no eyes.
Read More
Youth racing starts soon at Cataloochee
Alley Cat Youth Racing will return to Cataloochee Ski Area in Maggie Valley this winter, with the first races scheduled…
Read More
Tobacco Commission grants fund WNC ag efforts
The N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission awarded 23 grants worth more than $4 million for agricultural and economic initiatives across…
Read More
Five ways public lands won big in 2021
For Western North Carolina’s outdoor enthusiasts, a toast to 2021 means a toast to the impressive slate of conservation successes…
Read More
Walker Sisters Cabin closed due to safety concerns
The Walker Sisters Cabin in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will be closed over the coming months due to…
Read More
Smokies project will require filling in small wetland
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park plans to build an annex to its existing headquarters building, and a comment period…
Read More
Streambank project will cause GSMNP lane closure
A streambank stabilization project in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will cause a three-month lane closure along the Townsend…
Read More
Expanded bear hunting proposed for WNC
UPDATE: Since this piece was originally published, the Wildlife Commission announced cancellation of the planned in-person hearings. The Wildlife Resources…
Read More
Fire ant quarantine area expands
The state quarantine area for the imported fire ant has expanded once more to include all of Granville and portions…
Read More
Franklin A.T. Council gets new member
A new hiker hostel has joined the Franklin Appalachian Trail Community Council as an A.T. Supporter.
Read More
Music video advocates for wildlife crossings
A new music video featuring Asheville-based band The Fates aims to raise awareness for an ongoing effort to make wildlife…
Read More
An A.T. alternative: Long-distance trail under construction for the western Appalachians
As the Appalachian wilderness trail Benton MacKaye dreamed up in 1921 becomes busier and busier, a geographically scattered group of…
Read More
N.C. now under burn ban
Open burning is banned in North Carolina until further notice as a wildfire rages at Pilot Mountain State Park near…
Read More
Flat Top Manor renovation complete
A $2.4 million rehabilitation is complete at the iconic Flat Top Manor, located at Moses H. Cone Memorial Park on…
Read More
