Spring openings in the Smokies
Spring is here, and facilities closed for the winter are opening up accordingly in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. …
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Stomach illness reported on the A.T.
Stomach bugs, possibly norovirus, have been reported among Appalachian Trail thru-hikers in Georgia and the Great Smoky Mountains this season.
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Volunteers needed in the Smokies
As the green season inches closer and visitation ramps up, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is looking for volunteers…
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Commission wants to lift bear baiting restriction
A proposed rule change allowing hunters to bait black bears with unprocessed food throughout the entire hunting season will be…
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Snowmaking crew makes the top cut
Cataloochee Ski Area is a finalist for the I AM a Snowmaker Award, given annually by SAM Magazine and HKD…
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Easter on the trail
This Easter marked an important milestone for Jerry Parker, an Appalachian Trail thru-hiker who completed the 2,160-mile trail before it…
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A new meaning for ‘study lounge’: WCU installs solar panel and hammock lounge combo with sustainability funds
When Earth Day rolls around this year, students at Western Carolina University will be able to celebrate with a bit…
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Early to the woods
Due to contractual obligations with the Forest Service I have been in the woods a little earlier than usual this…
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Butterfly highway coming to N.C.
A network of pollinator pit stops will begin spreading across the state with the launch of the Butterfly Highway Campaign,…
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Forest Service considers limiting guided fishing on the Nantahala
Complaints about overcrowding on the Nantahala River have led the U.S. Forest Service to consider limiting fishing permits for outfitters…
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Assault on BlackRock crosses the finish line
Saturday dawned chilly and foggy at Pinnacle Park in Sylva, but that didn’t stop 73 people from completing the strenuous…
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Friends of the Smokies gets new director
Friends of the Smokies has a new North Carolina director after Anna Lee Zanetti took the reins this week.
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Feeling the vibe: Mountain bikers converge in WNC to learn, network and explore Tsali trails
The parking lot at Tsali Recreation Area was full of bikes Friday evening — more than 100 of them, strapped…
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Fake it till you make it
“So, are you here as a reporter or as a biker?” asked one of the 100-plus shorts-wearing, bike-bearing people converged…
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Franklin-area forest road closed for logging
A 6-mile stretch of Rainbow Springs Road near Franklin will stay closed through mid-May for logging going on nearby.
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Wildlife group resigns from red wolf recovery team
Defenders of Wildlife has walked off the Red Wolf Recovery Team, claiming it’s headed for a “dead end,” meeting only…
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Get schooled on wildflowers
The forest floor surrounding Jackson County comes alive as wildflower season dawns — and a six-week course on spring wildflowers…
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Scaled-down plans for Duke’s Asheville plant approved
Duke Energy Progress’s plan to replace its coal-fired power plant in Asheville with natural gas has garnered partial approval from…
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Worming towards a better way: Composting project reduces waste, sparks young scientists in Jackson schools
When the bell rang for the end of school Friday afternoon, Jeff Vamvakias’ room at Cullowhee Valley Elementary emptied a…
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Lake J – even when it’s bad, it’s good
Waterfowl have been scarce across Western North Carolina this fall and winter. Traditional haunts like Lake Julian in Asheville, Lake…
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Feeling alive: Waynesville chiropractor reflects on decade as professional mountain climber
The little storefront that serves as home base for Todd McDougall’s chiropractic office looks just about how you’d expect such…
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Report delivers bad news for drought prognosis
Drought has gotten bad in the United States over the past 15 years, and the combination of the dry weather…
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Poster contest winners announced in Jackson
Students in Jackson County got a chance to show the artistic side of what it means to live in a…
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Classic Hikes of the Smokies kicks off
Exploration of the remote Little Cataloochee area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will kick off this year’s Classic…
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Residents promote Franklin as outdoor destination
Franklin residents have taken it upon themselves to get the word out about the town’s recognition as the “Top Small…
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Getting around town: Franklin focuses on making town more walkable
Franklin has sidewalks, bike trails and a beautiful greenway to encourage residents and visitors to walk or bike around town,…
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Hooray for the orange and black
The monarch butterfly is known for its amazing annual spring and fall migration — from wintering grounds in Mexico in…
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Drawdown starts at Lake J for silt removal
Water levels at Lake Junaluska are falling following the start of a drawdown to dredge silt and litter — and…
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Celebrate winter Smoky-style
WinterFest Smoky Style will return for its second year Saturday, Feb. 27, at the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds, injecting the…
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Taste — and hear — the wild
Get a taste of the wild with students in the Wildlife Club at Haywood Community College as they host the…
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Community leaders recognized in Haywood
Before a roomful of dedicated citizens, Haywood’s Commission for a Clean County doled out its annual awards last week to…
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Boats banned from new Lake Glenville swimming area
Starting in August, no boating vessels will be allowed at the new swimming area at the Pines Recreation Area on…
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Agreement signed to protect rare fish
The sicklefin redhorse is a rare fish found nowhere else in the world other than six Southern Appalachian counties, but…
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The fly collector: Collection of 9,000 flies holds memories, knowledge for Bryson City angler
“This is the ugliest fly I have,” says Mike Kesselring, pulling a battered-looking brown-bodied, black-feathered fly from a box marked…
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Beekeeping school offered
Newbie beekeepers will get a leg up with an all-day class in beginning beekeeping Saturday, Feb. 20, at the Haywood…
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Here to stay: Coyotes make themselves at home in WNC
It’s been 30 years since Raymond Bunn saw his first coyote, and that moment — Clay County, 1986 — is…
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Control from the top: WNC hunters attempt to curb coyote populations with hunt
Mark Rogers sticks his hand through the cold air outside Bethel Grocery into the even more frigid interior of the…
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Nearly 50 acres conserved along national forest boundary
A purchase of 48 acres adjacent to the Pisgah National Forest and the Highlands of Roan by the Southern Appalachian…
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Help Franklin become more bikable and walkable
Share ideas for making Franklin more pedestrian and cyclist friendly during a public input meeting from 5:30 to 7 p.m.…
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P.T. would be jealous
One of the greatest shows on Earth is about to take center stage. Spring ephemerals will begin clawing through the…
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Waynesville lumber company recognized for exports
Waynesville lumber company Oaks Unlimited Inc. got recognition in Raleigh last week, named 2016 Exporter of the Year by the…
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Polar Plunge attracts record number
The water of Lake Junaluska was a balmy 41 degrees as a parade of 158 people — sanity questionable —…
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Cross-country skiing in WNC offers breathtaking but limited-time experience
When the snow starts falling and Western North Carolina’s main streets, schools and businesses go to sleep in wait for…
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Never say never: Sylva cyclo-crosser takes top honors in national competition
As national champion Karen Tripp likes to say, cyclo-cross is a sport that you win by seconds. And that’s just…
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Solar farm comes to Bethel
The agricultural community of Bethel now has a new type of farm in its midst — solar. Visible from U.S.…
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Don’t fall for that 5-planet crap
It’s been awhile since The Naturalist’s Corner’s chief investigative journalist, Kuteeng Satire, has been called upon to help us clarify…
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Can I move?
Remember the scene in “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” where the Kid was asked by an old miner (I…
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Algal invader found in Jackson County
A nuisance algae capable of harming stream habitats has come to Jackson County, and water users will have to help…
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Happy ending for man stranded at Mount Pisgah
Deep snow in the mountains last week stranded a transmission tower repairman near the summit of Mount Pisgah Jan. 25,…
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