Cataloochee, Cades Cove accesses to close this winter
The main access roads into Cataloochee and Cades Cove will be closed for several months this winter due to road…
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The Naturalist's Corner: Guilty pleasure
Last Saturday, Dec. 7, had the makings of a very productive day. Girls were going to Asheville shopping and home…
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Two Sparrows: Town WCU renames renovated collections facility in honor of Cherokee past
Long before the creation of Western Carolina University, the state of North Carolina or the U.S. Constitution, the valley now…
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Burnsville woman wins national park writing residency
Sue Wasserman of Burnsville has been chosen as the winner of the second annual Steve Kemp Writer’s Residency, funded by…
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Smokies facility chief wins regional honor
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is home to the winner of this year’s Facility Manager of the Year for…
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FSA election winners announced in Haywood
William “Danny” Hyatt of Waynesville has been elected to represent his local administrative area during the Farm Service Agency’s recent…
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Rallying around the red wolf: Haywood man works to save N.C.’s native wolf
Christopher Lile, 23, was just months away from graduating to begin a career in wildlife conservation when he first learned…
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Mapmaker donates to Panthertown
The Panthertown Map Association has donated $7,500 to Friends of Panthertown.
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HCC students develop bat capture skills
The number of wildlife jobs relating to bat research has spiked significantly in recent years, and a mini grant from…
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Smokies volunteer wins national photo contest
Robert Burton, a volunteer in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, was recently chosen as the grand prize winner in…
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More than 2,000 acres protected in McDowell
A 2,200-acre purchase in McDowell County clinches the second phase of a conservation project that is expected to protect a…
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Parkway recognizes all-star volunteers
Over the past year, 1,380 volunteers contributed more than 48,000 hours of service to the Blue Ridge Parkway, but six…
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Committee advances conservation bills
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted on Nov. 19 to advance two key conservation bills.
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Project proposed to aid bog turtle
A plan to cut down encroaching trees and shrubs in the White Oak Bottoms bog near Standing Indian Campground in…
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Smokies names new resource management chief
Lisa McInnis will be the Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s new chief of resource management and science, taking over from…
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The Naturalist's Corner: The A, B, C and Ds of chickadees
All birders, backyard feeders and most other people know chickadees. These small, noisy, gregarious black and gray fluff balls are…
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Fundraising effort launches to repair Parkway amenities
An anonymous donor is offering $300,000 toward repairs on the Blue Ridge Parkway — but only if other Parkway supporters match…
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Legacy for education: Waynesville couple donates land for natural resource education
Haywood County has seen its share of change over the past century, and nobody knows that better than Joe Morrow. …
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Learning in the real world: Smokies outdoor education center turns 50, plans expansion
As it nears the end of its 50th anniversary year, the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont has its eyes…
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Slopes open at Cataloochee
Cataloochee Ski Area became the first ski resort on the East Coast — and one of 11 nationwide — to…
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The Naturalist's Corner: Louisiana solitude
I recently made a semi-regular sojourn to the northeast Louisiana Delta, a stone’s throw from where I grew up. Friends…
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Panthertown selected for recreation impact intervention
Panthertown Valley is one of 14 locations nationwide to be selected as a 2020 Leave No Trace Hot Spot.
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Smokies volunteer earns regional recognition
Jim Goddard, a volunteer in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, has received the National Park Service Southeast Regional Hartzog…
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Lifetime achievement award honors former HCC instructor
Retired Haywood Community College forestry instructor John Palmer has been honored with a Lifetime Achievement award in the annual EcoForesters’…
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MountainTrue award winners
MountainTrue is recognizing six people for their work to preserve Western North Carolina’s natural heritage through its annual awards.
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Mainspring purchases lot next to Franklin office
Mainspring Conservation Trust has expanded its physical presence in the Franklin river district by purchasing half of an acre adjacent…
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Grant awards support water quality projects
Environmental groups working for the benefit of waterways and watersheds in Haywood, Buncombe and Madison counties were awarded $262,000 in…
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Grant funds Smokies bear cable repairs
A grant from the Appalachian Trail Conservancy will allow Friends of the Smokies to improve bear safety infrastructure at A.T.…
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Celebration of life planned for NOC co-founder
A celebration of life for Aurelia Turpin Kennedy, co-founder of the Nantahala Outdoor Center, will be held at 2 p.m.…
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Mission accomplished: Waynesville woman sets record, raises trail rehab money with LeConte hike
The first time Nancy East visited the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, it was the 1990s and she was in…
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Lake J greenhouse renovated
Lake Junaluska’s greenhouse is heading into the winter fully renovated, thanks to a charitable gift Dale Stanton-Hoyle made in honor…
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The Naturalist's Corner: And then it happened
My wife, daughter Maddie, a friend of hers and I took a short hike out to Pickens Nose last Monday,…
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Horace Kephart biography wins literary award
Back of Beyond: A Horace Kephart Biography has been named the winner of the 2019 Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award,…
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Ride on: Kids mountain biking park opens in Jackson
More than a year of planning, collaboration and plain old-fashioned hard work has resulted in a new kids bike park…
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Drought weakens statewide
A new drought map released Thursday, Oct. 31, shows conditions normalizing throughout the state for the first time since an…
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Riding the wave: Hemp testing begins in Asheville
Though just barely off the ground, a new hemp testing service launched in Asheville is receiving a markedly positive response…
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Foothills Parkway bridge dedicated
A bridge on the Foothills Parkway between Walland and Wears Valley, Tennessee, has been newly dedicated as Dean Stone Bridge,…
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New Friends of the Parkway chapter to form in WNC
A new Friends of the Blue Ridge Parkway chapter is forming in Western North Carolina, and everyone interested in learning…
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Strong leaf season predicted
This autumn should yield vibrant fall colors in the mountains, according to Western Carolina University’s fall color forecaster Beverly Collins.
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Report pine snake sightings
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission wants to know about pine snake sightings in North Carolina, found mostly in the southwestern…
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The Naturalist's Corner: Aster-risk*
Blue, white, lavender and purple corymbs, racemes and panicles will glow from shadowy woods and blaze from sunny meadows from…
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Purchase will protect Canton water quality
A newly conserved 139 acres in Haywood County will connect the Town of Canton’s Rough Creek watershed property to other…
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Gardening shot a win for Lake J
The Lake Junaluska landscaping department finished third in a national gardening photography contest sponsored by the gardening supply company Kinsman…
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Clean Water money to conserve WNC land
The latest round of awards from the Clean Water Management Trust Fund totals $14.3 million, with nearly $3 million of…
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Wildlife students earn scholarship
Haywood Community College fish and wildlife management technology students Parker Grandy and Andrew Jones have won the 2019 Dave Dudek…
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Federal, state agencies to collaborate on land management
North Carolina and federal agriculture agencies will be better able to collaborate on land management following establishment of a new…
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Macon youth hit the target
Macon County youth recently placed in an archery and sharpshooting completion that included 380 4H members from across the state.
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Haywood swimmers dominate state meet
Four Haywood County swimmers scored at the Senior Games state swim meet this fall, held Saturday, Sept. 21, at the…
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HCC Lumberjacks dominate
The Lumberjack Team at Haywood Community College took first place at the 24th annual John G. Palmer Intercollegiate Woodsmen’s Meet,…
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Outdoor economy efforts continue
If the United States’ outdoor recreation industry were its own country, it would be the world’s 25th largest economy. And,…
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