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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Donation will restore HCC dahlia garden
After disease wiped out Haywood Community College’s famed dahlia garden this year, the Carolinas Dahlia Society stepped up with a…
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Drought disaster declared in Swain and Jackson
Swain and Jackson counties have been designated as primary natural disaster areas due to losses from the ongoing drought.
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Drought increases disease risk in cattle
Drought conditions are taking their toll on livestock operations in the area, according to Jackson County Cooperative Extension, causing a…
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Parkway conservation projects celebrated in new website
A new website highlighting land protection projects along the North Carolina section of the Blue Ridge Parkway is up and…
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Sustainable forestry an award-winner for EBCI
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians was honored for its use of positive-impact forestry on the Qualla Boundary when the…
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Annual soil and water poster contest open
Jackson County students in third through ninth grade will get a chance to share their messages on the importance of…
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Widespread burn bans now in effect
The North Carolina Forest Service has issued a burn ban for 25 Western North Carolina Counties, effective immediately and until…
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Campfire restrictions enacted in the Smokies
Campfires in the backcountry of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are a no-go following the park’s decision to issue…
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Granddaddy of ‘em all
This year will mark the 117th annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count (CBC.) The CBC is the longest-lived and largest citizen-science…
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To the bluffs: Two-year Alum Cave Trail project culminates
It’s a miraculously warm, blue-skied November day, the iconic Alum Cave Trail stretching smoothly from the trailhead. The trail invites,…
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Bringing in the harvest: Despite drought, students and farmers join forces to feed Haywood’s hungry
Armed with five-gallon buckets and a groundswell of energy, 14 teens from Balsam-based SOAR Camp descended on Eugene Christopher’s Waynesville…
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Drought disaster declared in WNC
Jackson County has joined five other Western North Carolina counties in receiving designation as a primary natural disaster area due…
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New region-wide map focuses on recreation
A new map is available detailing more than 2 million acres of public forests, parks and scenic byways throughout Western…
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WCU nabs green school listing
For the sixth year running, Western North Carolina has been recognized as one of the most environmentally responsible colleges in…
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Island of green: Exhibit commemorates 50 years of community-driven landscape at HCC
It’s a sunny day at Haywood Community College, light sparkling from the campus’s landmark mill pond and shining through the…
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N.C. ozone levels measuring up against new federal standard
With a new, more stringent ozone standard now in effect, North Carolina’s numbers are looking good.
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Welcome home
The lake sturgeon, Acipenser fulvescens, once ranged across North America from the Great Lakes and Hudson Bay drainages down the…
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Conservation easement finalized near Marion
One of the largest conservation easements to ever be donated by an individual in North Carolina history has been finalized…
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Fly-fishing museum gets statewide recognition
The Fly Fishing Museum of the Southern Appalachians is just over a year old, but it’s already being recognized as…
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Low water levels cut the season short
Fontana Lake looks more like a narrow river running through a canyon right now as drought conditions persist across the…
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New district ranger named for Pisgah
The Pisgah Ranger District of the Pisgah National Forest has a new district ranger following the arrival of Dave Casey,…
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Competition raises $220,000 to support military members
A weekend of outdoor competition raised $220,000 in support of military members and their families at Mountain Falls Luxury Motorcoach…
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Volunteers remove a ton of garbage from Haywood creeks
More than a ton of trash vanished from Richland and Allens creeks following a volunteer cleanup effort this fall.
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Wildlife students recognized with scholarship
Two Haywood Community College students have been recognized for their leadership, scholarship and dedication to the wildlife management profession with…
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Data-driven analysis drives modern weather forecasting
Some things change, and some things stay the same. Thousands of years ago, humans developed visual and spoken languages to…
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Wildlife rides out the drought
From his vantage point on the banks of the Tuckasegee River, it’s not that hard for fly fishing guide Alex…
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Forest fires ignite the Nantahala as drought worsens
Nantahala District Ranger Mike Wilkins was headed to church Sunday morning, Oct. 23, when he got the call. A forest…
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Drought becomes extreme in far western N.C.
Even as Eastern North Carolina is reeling from flooding caused by Hurricane Matthew, Western North Carolina is plunging deeper into…
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Five fires burn the Nantahala
Fire season is just beginning, but already five fires are lighting up the Nantahala National Forest. About 130 people are…
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Paddlesports club gets national recognition
Nantahala Racing Club’s “superior performance and program development” earned it recognition as the American Canoe Association’s 2016 Stroke of Achievement…
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HCC lumberjacks take second at competition
The Haywood Community College Woodsmen’s Team took second place at the 2016 John G. Palmer Intercollegiate Woodsmen’s Meet this month,…
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High fire danger prompts burning caution in Western N.C.
Fire danger is increasing throughout the forests of Western North Carolina, necessitating caution for any kind of outdoor burning.
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