Public comment sought on proposal to list hellbender as endangered

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced a proposal to list the eastern hellbender as an endangered species throughout its…
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State sees widespread moderate drought

Most of North Carolina continues to experience moderate drought, according to the latest advisory from the North Carolina Drought Management…
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Troxler encourages watershed protection applications

N.C. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler encourages communities impacted by Hurricane Helene to apply for the Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) program,…
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House passes bill providing millions to dams, flood mitigation in WNC

A bill approved by Congress last week will provide money for improvements to the nation’s ports and harbors; inland waterway navigation;…
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Public comment open on Ela Dam license surrender

Last week, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission accepted an application that Northbrook Carolina Hydro II LLC submitted in November seeking…
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HCLT to conserve 100 acre tract of pristine land in Cashiers

Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust (HCLT) is under contract on 100 acres of raw and pristine land in Cashiers. Fully surrounded by…
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NCWRC votes to advance Red Wolf recovery

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission today voted unanimously in favor of a resolution to advance Red Wolf recovery in…
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Sign up for night skiing at Cataloochee

Jackson County Recreation is offering four, five and six-week programs that will allow skiers to enjoy lessons under the night…
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North Carolina announces drinking water awards

The North Carolina Division of Water Resources has honored 79 water treatment plants for surpassing federal and state drinking water…
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Most of WNC now in moderate drought

The North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council has again classified the whole state as at least abnormally dry with a…
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Jackson County hosts youth spring soccer

Youth soccer is coming to Jackson County next month. Registration for spring soccer begins Jan. 1 and runs through Jan.…
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WNC skier shares love of sport with family, community

On the weekdays, Alex Masciarelli proudly works as principal of Junaluska Elementary School in Waynesville. But, on the weekends during…
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Jackson County recreation offers Cataloochee skiing lessons

Registration is now open for another season of Cataloochee programming through Jackson County’s recreation department. Lessons are tailored to skier…
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Smokies to rehabilitate Cosby Entrance Road

On Dec. 9, Great Smoky Mountains National Park will begin a rehabilitation of the 2.3-mile-long Cosby Entrance Road from Tennessee…
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North Carolina gets dryer

The North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council has again classified the whole state as at least abnormally dry with a…
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NCDEQ provides funding to reduce flood risks

North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Flood Resiliency Blueprint is providing funding to the Department of Agriculture and Consumer…
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WATR hosts celebration and fundraiser party

Watershed Association of the Tuckaseegee River (WATR) is holding a celebration and fundraising event. The event, which a release noted…
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Haywood County hosts wilderness navigation course

Haywood County Recreation is offering a wilderness navigation course that will equip hikers with the basics of modern navigation required…
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Volunteers needed for Richland Creek cleanup

Haywood Waterways is hosting a cleanup session for Waynesville’s Richland Creek. The cleanup will be held from 10 a.m. to…
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Canton paper mill environmental report released: Findings offer few surprises

Almost a year after its internal publication, the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality has made public a report detailing…
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Three-year restoration of Ramsey Cascades Trail completed

In collaboration with Friends of the Smokies, the National Park Service (NPS) has a completed a three-year restoration of the Ramsey…
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Cataloochee ski area opens for the season

Following a cold snap and a couple of inches of fresh snow, the Cataloochee Ski Area in Haywood County opened…
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Drought creeps into WNC

The North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council has classified parts of Western North Carolina as being in a moderate drought.
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Nominations open for Governor’s Conservation Achievement Awards

North Carolina Wildlife Federation (NCWF) announced that nominations are now open for the 60th Annual Governor’s Conservation Achievement Awards. This…
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Master Gardeners host wreath-making workshop

The North Carolina State Extension Master Gardeners are hosting a wreath-making workshop Dec. 7. The extension will provide a selection of…
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Permit-free firewood collection begins on reopened areas of the Pisgah National Forest

The U.S. Forest Service invites the public to gather firewood for personal use without a permit on reopened sections of…
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Winners announced in George Masa Youth Conservation Photography Prize

The George Masa Foundation proudly announces the winners of the inaugural George Masa Youth Conservation Photography Prize, a competition designed…
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Winter Lights display at The NC Arboretum

The 11th annual Winter Lights returned to The North Carolina Arboretum on Friday Nov. 15, with the show running nightly through…
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Flood damage prevention ordinance, dam removal still on the table

Despite a lack of quorum at the November planning board meeting, both the flood damage prevention ordinance and now the…
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CMC seeks volunteers for trail restoration workday

Carolina Mountain Club (CMC) is gearing up for another significant trail restoration event from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday,…
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Military, veterans discounts on tree seedlings

Beginning Nov. 11, the N.C. Forest Service is offering a 20% discount on tree seedling orders placed by active, honorably…
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North Carolina gets dryer

The North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council has classified the whole state as at least abnormally dry and a moderate…
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‘Pickin’ for Pisgah’ Benefit Raises $15,000 for FIND Outdoors and Helene Recovery

FIND Outdoors announced the success of the “Pickin’ for Pisgah” benefit concert, an inspiring evening of music, community, and love…
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DEQ provides funding for projects to reduce flood risks in North Carolina communities

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Flood Resiliency Blueprint is working with the North Carolina Land and Water…
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Haywood Waterways assists EPA to perform Hazard Assessment Surveys

The day after Helene moved through the region, Haywood Waterways Association (HWA) was on the phone calling partners or visiting…
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Submit soil samples by Nov. 26 to avoid peak-season fees
 

Submit soil samples by Nov. 26 to avoid peak-season fees

The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services soil testing lab is about to hit its busy season and growers…
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Friends of Panthertown volunteer appreciation party

Friends of Panthertown invites Panthertown volunteers, board members, partners, hike leaders, conservationists and friends to join us for an afternoon…
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North Carolina sees drought, widespread abnormally dry conditions

The North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council has classified most of the state, or parts of 89 counties, as abnormally…
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Following Helene, officials working to avert agricultural disaster

A trio of high-ranking state and federal agriculture officials is warning that if farmers affected by Hurricane Helene don’t get help…
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Officials provide update on MST

It’s been just over a month since Hurricane Helene brought widespread devastation to Western North Carolina and the neighboring states.…
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USDA Forest Service releases update on Helene’s impacts on ecosystem, infrastructure

The USDA Forest Service released its preliminary data on the ecological impacts and infrastructure damage caused by Tropical Storm Helene…
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Armstrong fish hatchery severely Impacted by Helene: Commission responds to continue Public Mountain Trout program

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission’s (NCWRC) Armstrong State Fish Hatchery in McDowell County north of Marion sustained significant damage as a…
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FIND Outdoors announces ‘Pickin’ for Pisgah’

FIND Outdoors is presenting “Pickin’ for Pisgah,” a benefit concert featuring the Pisgah Pickers, on Sunday, Nov. 10, at the…
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Parts of WNC abnormally dry

Following the deluge brought on by Hurricane Helene, parts of Western North Carolina are now considered abnormally dry, while some…
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Master gardener volunteers available to answer questions

The growing season is winding down, but NC State Extension Master Gardener volunteers are still available to answer questions about lawns,…
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More Blue Ridge Parkway sections open up

On Wednesday morning, Oct. 30, 2024, the National Park Service restored access to nearly 55 miles the Blue Ridge Parkway…
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U.S. agriculture secretary visits WNC

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack visited Asheville to hear firsthand from local, state and Tribal officials, emergency managers, food bank…
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N.C. welcomes breed pair of Red Wolves

The Red Wolf Center in Columbia, North Carolina, is set to welcome its first-ever breeding pair of Red Wolves. This…
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Ivey named to Appalachian Leadership Institute

The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) named George Ivey, North Carolina Development Director for the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, to participate…
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Ready for the Rotary Club turkey trot?

“First the huffin’, then the stuffin’.”  That’s the motto for the Waynesville-Sunrise Rotary Club’s fourth annual 5K turkey trot, held…
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