From mountains to sea: N.C. woman relives six months spent hiking the state
If you’d polled Kimberley Brookshire’s friends a couple years ago, they’d likely have said the chances were slim to none…
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Haywood Waterways recognizes water champions
Haywood’s biggest water champions of 2016 have been recognized by the Haywood Waterways Association, highlighting accomplishments from youth education to…
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New easements conserve hundreds of acres
More than 340 acres in Jackson and Cherokee counties have been conserved, thanks to conservation easements through Mainspring Conservation Trust.
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Twice threatened
In the land of the noonday sun, there lives a noonday snail. The noonday globe snail, Petera clarkia Nantahala is…
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Drought on the retreat
A week of rainy weather put drought on the retreat, with the classification of extreme drought absent from North Carolina…
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Grant to help kids explore the Great Smokies
A $20,000 Google Field Trip Days grant will help the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont give more kids and…
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FAQ: The effects of WNC’s 2016 fire season
Did the fires hurt wildlife? Prescribed burning is often used as a tool to benefit wildlife by regenerating their habitat,…
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Wildfire impacts range from barely there to complete char, but true effects remain to be seen
It’s a warmer-than-average January day, the contours of the mountains visible from the highway beneath a thin covering of leafless…
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Federal dollars fuel WNC farmland conservation: $8 million allocation is region’s largest ever
Land conservation groups across the region found something to celebrate this month when the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced an…
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Winter storm causes road closures
Two U.S. Forest Service roads in Madison County have been closed for safety reasons,
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Waynesville Rec Center breaks records
A record 149,600 visits were recorded at the Waynesville Recreation Center in 2016, busting the previous record of 149,574 set…
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Wildlife refuge lands grant
The increasing number of wildlife requiring aid in Western North Carolina will benefit from a $5,000 grant that the N.C.…
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The probably not so — Big Year
The 2011 movie “The Big Year” — a comedy starring Jack Black, Steve Martin and Owen Wilson — didn’t ruffle…
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Braving the storm: Backcountry rescuers save lost hikers in snow, frigid temps
It was around 12:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 5, when the two hikers stepped out of their red Ford Edge and…
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Smokies sets new visitation record
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park reeled in 11.3 million visitors in 2016, a 5.6 percent increase over the previous…
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Haywood Gleaners logs 30,000 pounds of produce donations
Fifteen tons of food that would otherwise have gone to waste found their way to hungry mouths in 2016, thanks…
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Nothing like old-time boardinghouses
Editor’s note: This column first appeared in The Smoky Mountain News in January 2011. Are there boardinghouses still operating here…
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Harrah’s recognized for environmental policies
Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort earned recognition for reducing its environmental impact when Green Key Global bestowed it a 4-Key rating…
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Drought severity lessens in WNC
Wet weather over the past week has put a dent in the severity of drought in Western North Carolina.
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Bear baiting and more trapping policies among proposed wildlife rule changes
A public hearing seeking input on this year’s round of proposals from the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will be held…
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Hikers rescued after three days in the woods
A day hike in the Shining Rock Wilderness Area of the Pisgah National Forest turned into a days-long ordeal culminating…
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A growing mark: Outdoor school opens world’s largest wilderness medicine classroom in Cullowhee
Just north of Cullowhee, at the curvy, gravel terminus of Cane Creek Road, sits the building containing the world’s largest…
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Campfire ban lifted in the Smokies
Campfires are now legal in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park for the first time since Nov. 15.
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Smokies trails reopen after fire
Seven trails and one road that have been closed since the Chimney Tops 2 Fire are now open in the…
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A look back at 2016: Backcountry adventures, birthday celebrations and a wildfire season to remember
For those who love the outdoors, it’s not hard to list the reasons why Western North Carolina is a spectacular…
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Cattle working equipment available for community use
New cattle working equipment will soon be available for community use in Swain and Jackson counties.
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Red wolf killed in wildlife refuge
A reward of $5,000 is being offered in the case of a red wolf that was shot and killed around…
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Three dead in Smokies plane crash
Three people have died in a plane crash that occurred Monday, Dec. 26, in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.…
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Trout restoration project coming to Cataloochee
A Smokies biologist will give a glimpse of plans for a brook trout restoration project in the Great Smoky Mountains…
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Resolve to be active in 2017: WNC runs and rides offer ample options for fitness goals
January is universally recognized as the time to make a fresh start, throw away last year’s used-up calendar and dream…
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Electric vehicle stations coming to Jackson
Jackson County will be getting three new electric vehicle charging stations thanks to a grant from Duke Energy.
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Improvements coming to Massey Branch Access
Major reconstruction is underway at the Massey Branch Boat Access Area on Santeetlah Reservoir, meaning the area will be closed…
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Fish conservation and water quality to benefit from Duke grants
Environmental quality projects in Western North Carolina will get a boost thanks to grants from the Duke Energy Foundation, whose…
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Former plant site now part of state forest
More than 30 years after the first piece of property was donated toward the creation of DuPont State Recreational Forest,…
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Fire damage closes Whitewater Falls
The Whitewater Falls area of the Nantahala National Forest, near Cashiers, will remain closed indefinitely due to severe wildfire damage.
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To save a life: Global village rallies for high-altitude rescue in the mountains of Nepal
Judy Seago almost left the United States without packing a stethoscope. Seago, a pediatrician, was headed to Nepal on a…
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Forest fire updates
Arboretum collecting firefighting donations Due to heightened fire danger throughout the region, the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville will not have…
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New species named for Fontana
A new-to-science lichen species discovered in March 2016 has been named after Fontana Dam due to its discovery in the…
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Bird the holidays away
As December unfolds, birders across the globe will embark on a quest to tally as many birds and species as…
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State burn ban lifted
Steady rains over the past week have caused the N.C. Forest Service to lift burning bans for 32 counties, including…
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Drought diminishes due to rain
Last week’s rains caused a downgrading of drought designations across the board in Western North Carolina.
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Duke Energy donates toward firefighting
The Duke Energy Foundation gave a hand toward supporting firefighters battling wildfires this fall with a $100,000 donation.
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Environmental camps and competitions benefit from funding
Summer camps and Envirothon programs in Haywood, Buncombe and Madison counties will benefit from a $25,000 grant awarded to the…
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‘No change in your pockets’: Farmers grapple with effects of historic drought year
Dowdy Bradley is 68 years old, and for nearly all of those years he’s been involved in some kind of…
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Hemp could be grown in N.C. by 2017
North Carolina is working to establish rules for a pilot program allowing industrial hemp production, with the newly formed N.C.…
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Elk volunteers snag support
The elk viewing experience in the Cataloochee Valley area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will get a boost…
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Going forward by looking backward: Tradition and science meet in Cherokee forest plan
Over the course of thousands of years lived in the Southern Appalachian mountains, the Cherokee people had pretty well developed…
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Drought disaster declared in Haywood
Haywood County has been declared a primary disaster area due to drought, making family farms eligible for federal assistance such…
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Waynesville Judo Club wins big
Each of the Waynesville Judo Club’s six members came home with a medal from their Oct. 29 competition at University…
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Dicks Creek Fire could become outdoor classroom for WCU
When the wildfires burning across Western North Carolina are extinguished, Western Carolina University faculty will likely be eying their footprints…
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