House bill seeks $5 million for wildlife crossings
The N.C. House of Representatives has filed a budget bill that includes $5 million for infrastructure to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions…
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Mainspring celebrates land purchases
Mainspring Conservation Trust has purchased two new properties that will add to ongoing conservation projects in Macon and Jackson counties.
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Race into strawberry season
The Strawberry Jam Half Marathon/5K will return for its second year Saturday, May 20, in Bryson City. The half marathon…
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Group size limited at Whiteoak Sink during wildflower season
During the wildflower season at Whiteoak Sink in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which extends through Sunday, May 7,…
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Unravel the secrets of soil
Learn about soils and composting at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 8, at Bicentennial Park in Sylva.
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It’s in our blood
Each spring I am struck by the beauty and encouraged by the support given by bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) as it…
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EBCI recognized for dam removal efforts
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians has received the 2023 River Champion Award from American Rivers for its leadership in…
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Parkway visitation falls
Visitation for 2022 to the Blue Ridge Parkway dipped by 1.5% compared to 2021, with the biggest drops coming from…
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Federal law formalizes heritage area system
The National Heritage Areas Act, which President Joe Biden signed into law on Jan. 5, has implications for Western North…
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River in rebound: After mill closes, a healthier Pigeon could help Canton recover
For decades, concern about water quality has been the central tension between Canton’s paper mill and the environmental advocates monitoring…
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Red wolf plan delayed
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is delaying the publication of the final revised red wolf recovery plan, which courts…
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Notes from a plant nerd: Worts and All
Among the duff of last year’s fallen leaves lie many interesting and beautiful shapes to catch your eye on a…
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Set your racing goal for 2023
It’s not too early to start training for a big race in 2023, with race organizer Glory Hound Events already…
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Adventure at the arboretum
Registration is open for two upcoming sessions of Outdoor Adventure Kids, or OAK, at the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville.
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Prescribed burn planned for Graham County
A 1,295-acre prescribed burn in the Yellow Creek area of Graham County could take place any time before April 15.
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Volunteers needed to help track seasonal changes of trees
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is currently recruiting local volunteers to ‘Adopt-A-Plot’ and track the seasonal change of trees, also…
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Tremont receives gift from Lawson Family Foundation
Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont has been awarded $25,000 from Lawson Family Foundation to support their efforts to connect…
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Smokies record second busiest year ever
Great Smoky Mountains National Park experienced its second busiest year ever in 2022 with 12,937,633 visits. Last year’s visitation was…
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Park it Forward: Congress won’t pay for Smokies maintenance backlog — you will
After years of inaction by Congress led to a massive $262 million deferred maintenance backlog in America’s most-visited national park,…
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Up Moses Creek: Look up!
The day dawned clear, and I was standing on the ridge behind our house looking west and waiting for the…
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Spur Tunnel work to switch lanes
Much of the maintenance on one side of the Spur Tunnel is complete, allowing contractors to begin work on the…
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Wildlife Commission approves rule changes
During a business meeting Thursday, Feb. 23, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission voted to adopt eight proposed rules related to…
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African American Project lead reflects on 2022, plans for 2023
Who were they? How did they get here? What were their lives like? These are questions that constantly resonate with…
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Smokies parking tag program takes effect
Starting March 1, any vehicle parked in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park for more than 10 minutes must display…
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Notes from a Plant Nerd: Red Maple Winter
There’s a change in the air every year around this time. A subtle shift in energy. Days start getting longer,…
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Soehn selected to lead Friends of the Smokies
Dana Soehn, a 34-year employee of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park who has been part of its management team…
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Writer and naturalist George Ellison dies at 81
George Ellison, a writer and naturalist whose home and inspiration was on Lands Creek in Bryson City, died Sunday, Feb.…
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Forest management plan now final
After 11 years of work, the U.S. Forest Service released the final, revised Nantahala and Pisgah Forest Plan Feb 17,…
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Holding court: Pickleball grows in popularity
It’s 4 p.m. on Thursday, which for a growing subset of Haywood County residents means only one thing — it’s…
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Trail building starts soon at Old Fort
Construction of 4 miles of new trail will soon be underway on the Grandfather Ranger District of the Pisgah National…
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Road construction could delay A.T. hikers
For the next two years, Appalachian Trail users will experience delays at Stecoah Gap due to construction on Corridor K.
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Greenbrier area closed for flood repairs
Access to the entire Greenbrier area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will be closed from Feb. 13 until…
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Rock faces closed for falcon protection
Twelve rock faces in the Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests are closed to climbing, rappelling, hang-gliding and other activities through…
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Sights on elk season: Bill would implement N.C.’s first elk hunt
North Carolina could see its first elk hunt since wildlife rules existed if a bill introduced to the General Assembly becomes…
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Equine infectious anemia found in Henderson County
Equine infectious anemia has been found in 19 horses located in nine counties, including Henderson County. Of the 19 horses,…
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Project funding approved for state parks
The N.C. Parks and Recreation Authority has approved $13.7 million to fund 11 capital improvement projects at state parks, including…
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Podcasting the park: “Smoky Signal” brings national park science to a new audience
Antoine Fletcher’s love affair with podcasts blossomed back in middle school when he made his first one with his best…
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Notes from a plant nerd: Winter moss gathers no stones
Among my favorite types of plants that grow year-round, and tend to especially shine in the wintertime, are mosses.
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Norton Creek firefly tickets on sale
Save the date for a magical evening watching the synchronous fireflies of the Smokies, with tickets available to see the…
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Notes from a plant nerd: Winter Green
While there are many plants that stay green throughout the winter, there is only one plant known as wintergreen.
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Master planning process starts for DuPont Forest
Friends of DuPont Forest has received $99,000 in grants from the Tourism Development Authorities in Henderson and Transylvania counties. The…
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Federal funding to combat chronic wasting disease
The federal Consolidated Appropriations Act that became law on Dec. 29, 2022, included a major win for wildlife advocates — inclusion…
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Boone firm chosen for Parkway planning effort
Boone-based Destination by Design will be leading efforts to create an economic development plan tying together all 29 counties along…
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Parkway Foundation selects new leaders
The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, which is the nonprofit partner of the Blue Ridge Parkway, has confirmed new leadership to…
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Bike swap: With Motion Makers exit, Bryson City Outdoors expands in Cherokee
Less than a year after owner Kent Cranford sold his three Motion Makers Bicycles stores to Specialized Bicycles, the company…
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Mole and Thrush and Pretty Polly
A mole tunneled out of the woods early this winter and started digging back and forth behind the house in…
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New year brings new species to the Smokies
Discover Life in America had a busy year, with many new species added to the nonprofit’s ever-increasing inventory of species…
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Pay to play: Smokies parking tags now on sale
Starting March 1, Great Smoky Mountains National Park visitors will have to pay to park. As the date approaches and…
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