NPS issues decision on Gatlinburg Spur improvements

The National Park Service issued a decision and a Finding of No Significant Impact for the Gatlinburg Spur Improvements Environmental…
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Go birding

The Franklin Bird Club leads weekly birding walks along the Little Tennessee River Greenway in Franklin at 8 a.m. Wednesday…
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WRC announces hunting webinars
 

WRC announces hunting webinars

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (WRC) is offering six free hunting-related webinars September through December.
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Park adds new members to management team
 

Park adds new members to management team

Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials welcomed two new members to the Park Management Team.
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MADE X MTNS announces grants
 

MADE X MTNS announces grants

MADE X MTNS announced grant recipients of its Outdoor Equity Fund.
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Softball starting in Waynesville
 

Softball starting in Waynesville

Get ready for softball season with an organizational meeting for an adult co-ed league at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 21,…
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Be prepared outdoors
 

Be prepared outdoors

Learn how to stay safe in the woods with a course 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 17, at…
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Harrowing MST maintenance project complete
 

Harrowing MST maintenance project complete

Four years ago, the Carolina Mountain Club identified the “forgotten 14” as an unsafe section within its 155-mile maintenance responsibility…
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July finishes hot for N.C.
 

July finishes hot for N.C.

Following two months of cooler-than-average temperatures, July came in hot in North Carolina. According to the N.C. State Climate Office,…
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Assessment referendum coming up for tomato growers

The N.C. Tomato Growers Association will conduct an August referendum on assessments per harvested commercial tomatoes.
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Rehab Sam Knob

Help the Carolina Mountain Club rehabilitate the trail to the Sam Knob summit during a workday Saturday, Aug. 19.
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Kids science program expands to Cherokee

A Cherokee Preservation Foundation grant awarded in March is allowing the N.C. Arboretum’s ecoEXPLORE program to deliver monthly environmental programming…
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Help Blue Ridge Parkway communities plan their strategy

A series of meetings this month in seven communities along the Blue Ridge Parkway will help formulate an action plan…
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Face-to-face with fish

Blue Ridge Snorkel Trail celebrates kickoff 
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Bear scratches Smokies visitor, causing road closure

 Rich Mountain Road in the Cades Cove area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is closed to all traffic…
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Up Moses Creek: ‘It’s a Wild World’

I hiked up the ridge behind our house early one July morning and saw an eastern box turtle with a millipede…
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Wish Haywood Waterways a happy 25th birthday

Help Haywood Waterways Association celebrate its 25th birthday with trivia and reminiscing 2-5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 19, at BearWaters in…
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Bird Buck Springs

Go birding at Buck Spring along the Blue Ridge Parkway with an expedition meeting 8 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 17, at…
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E. coli testing yields mixed results in Little Tennessee, Hiawassee watersheds
 

E. coli testing yields mixed results in Little Tennessee, Hiawassee watersheds

Halfway through the season for its weekly E. coli sampling program in Western North Carolina swimming holes, MountainTrue reported 11…
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Get schooled in the Smokies
 

Get schooled in the Smokies

Catch a doubleheader in mountain education with a pair of programs offered through the University of Tennessee Smoky Mountain Field…
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Word from the Smokies: Dykeman namesake among three new Smokies spiders

By Frances Figart • Contributing writer | Although the word “spider” may elicit a “yuck” or an “ew” from many…
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‘Hard to believe’: Downstream fish populations explode following mill closure

When the impending closure of Canton’s paper mill was announced in March, conservation professionals predicted a swift improvement  in downstream…
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Notes from a plant nerd: A lily so superb

Right now, throughout Southern Appalachia, and especially along the Blue Ridge Parkway near Balsam Gap in either direction, one of…
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Threatened status proposed for N.C. mussel species

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wants to list the green floater, a freshwater mussel found in North Carolina, as…
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Venus flytrap will not be listed as threatened or endangered

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has decided not to pursue listing the Venus flytrap as a threatened or endangered…
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Meet Mountain Bridge

The last Zahner Conservation Lecture of the year will focus on the Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area of neighboring South Carolina…
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Go snorkeling

Break in the new snorkeling site at East LaPorte Park in Cullowhee during an event 2-3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 8.
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Experience spirituality among old-growth trees

Take a hike through the old-growth forest at Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest near Robbinsville at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 5,…
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Perfect your cast

Learn to fly fish this month with lessons offered by Haywood County Recreation.
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Hike Haywood

Explore the trails of Haywood County with a series of hikes offered this month from Haywood County Recreation and Parks.
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Mountain State Fair entry deadlines coming up
 

Mountain State Fair entry deadlines coming up

It’s time to start entering exhibits in the 2023 N.C. Mountain State Fair, coming Sept. 8-17 at the Western North…
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NPS issues decision on Gatlinburg Spur improvements
 

NPS issues decision on Gatlinburg Spur improvements

The National Park Service issued a decision and a “Finding of No Significant Impact” for the Gatlinburg Spur Improvements Environmental…
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Waynesville forms Environmental Sustainability Board
 

Waynesville forms Environmental Sustainability Board

The Town of Waynesville is looking for members to serve on its new Environmental Sustainability Board.
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Pick up tips for living with bears

Learn how to live safely with black bears during a program at 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 10, at the Macon…
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Four months of fees: Smokies reports high revenues, compliance following parking fee implementation

When new fees went into effect  in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park March 1, park managers were expecting limited…
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‘Adaptive Adventures’ coming to the Smokies

A trio of programs aimed at allowing people with disabilities to explore the outdoors will be held in the Great…
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Learn about ancient Cherokee astronomy

Gain insight into the cultural heritage of the Cherokee and their historical, sacred landscapes during a lecture at 6 p.m.…
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Forest thinning proposed near Tellico Gap

The U.S. Forest Service has proposed a plan to cut trees on 195 acres in the Nantahala National Forest. The…
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Documentary grapples with forest management

A free screening of the critically acclaimed documentary “The River Runs On” will display the mesmerizing beauty and profound significance…
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Red spruce planted at Mount Mitchell

In May, 327 two-year-old red spruce trees grown by the Southern Highlands Reserve in Lake Toxaway traveled to the Black…
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New species found in the Smokies

Three new species of spiders have been discovered in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, bringing the total number of…
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Crump re-elected as Wildlife Commission chairman

Richmond County resident Monty R. Crump has been elected for another term as chairman of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission…
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Wildlife Commission launches new system for license purchases
 

Wildlife Commission launches new system for license purchases

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission has launched a new, custom licensing system and mobile app that both residents and non-residents…
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GSMA plans Members Weekend
 

GSMA plans Members Weekend

Registration is open through July 31 to take part in the guided hikes, science classes, birding and live music that…
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Kids fishing extravaganza returning to Cherokee

The 22nd annual Talking Trees Trout Derby will invite children from across the area to fish in Cherokee Aug. 4-5.
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Carolina Mountain Club celebrates 100 years: CMC birthday party draws a crowd

As temperatures neared 90 degrees on the sunny afternoon of Sunday, July 16, the forested Carolina Mountain Trail offered a…
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Reflecting on the CMC story
 

Reflecting on the CMC story

If you want to go faster, go by yourself. If you want to go further, go with a group. — Adapted…
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Ecusta Trail project receives $45 million

An effort to build a 19.4-mile rail trail between Brevard and Hendersonville got a huge boost following the award of…
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Hike Boogerman Trail

Hike through old growth forests, streams and past the historic Palmer house during a trip along the Boogerman Trail in…
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Smokies to reconstruct Lakeview Drive

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is using nearly $19 million in funding from the Great American Outdoors Act to…
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