Gateway to the Smokies Half Marathon
Runners will take to the streets of downtown Waynesville as the inaugural Gateway to the Smokies Half Marathon starts from…
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Blue Ridge Breakaway registration open
Early registration is open for the Blue Ridge Breakaway, a multi-distance bike ride based in Haywood County.
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Pancakes popular with AT hikers
Appalachian Trail hikers in search of a satisfying meal found it at the First Baptist Church of Franklin this year…
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Paul Carlson honored for conservation work
Paul Carlson of Land Trust for the Little Tennessee was named Outstanding Conservationist in the 2015 Roosevelt-Ashe awards given out…
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Grant brings real-life science to classrooms
A $500 grant from the N.C. Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts’ Auxiliary will mean some hands-on science for…
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Local food guide now available
A new edition of Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project’s Local Food Guide is out in time for the spring growing season. …
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Excursion series offers a full gamut of activities
The Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust will kick off its annual lineup of eco tours to ecologically important areas throughout the region…
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Pedal like a girl: Women give mountain biking a try
Four years ago, Jennie Wyderko — then finishing up her undergrad at Virginia Tech — had barely even touched a…
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NOC rings in spring
A celebration of spring and its waterborne joys will be held April 24-26 at Nantahala Outdoor Center with a Spring…
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Racing ahead: Successful athletic events bolster tourism
From paved 5K routes to epic trail runs and triathlons, Western North Carolina is rife with outdoor races of all…
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Jackson fifth graders get a conservation education
More than 200 fifth graders from Jackson County Schools spent two days learning about natural resources at East LaPorte Recreation…
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Cumberland Island National Seashore
Cumberland Island, which is composed of Great Cumberland Island (the national seashore) and Little Cumberland Island (private), is one of…
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Swain students illustrate wetlands
Swain County students got creative on the theme “Wetlands are Wonderful” this spring, sending in their bookmark designs for a…
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Joyce Kilmer reroute planned for Benton McKaye Trail
The Benton McKaye Trail Association recently completed a major reroute of the trail’s path through the Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness.
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Soaking in the sun: Solar energy movement comes to WNC
Solar power is on the rise across the U.S., and a campaign recently launched in Western North Carolina is urging…
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Wildflower pilgrimage celebrates spring
The Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage will kick off its 65th year of outdoors programming Tuesday, April 21, with the five-day event…
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Tuck River cleanup puts out call for volunteers
The nation’s largest single-day river litter removal will mark its 31st year Saturday, April 18.
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Weather watchers wanted for citizen science program
A network of amateur rain and weather spotters are contributing to the scientific understanding of niche weather patterns on a…
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Two-hundred-mile foot race to loop western counties
The Southeast’s most grueling team race will take off from Pink Beds Picnic Area in the Pisgah National Forest near…
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Teacher scholarships available for nature summit
Applications are open for teachers looking to attend the 2015 Family Nature Summit, based in Lake Junaluska.
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The swamp a ghost saved
Yay! Spring break! That special time to be sequestered with adolescents and/or pre-adolescents in about 50 square feet while hurtling…
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Water ordinance nabs Jackson state award
Jackson County snagged one of eight statewide awards given to individuals and organizations that protect public drinking water sources. The…
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WNC towns snag grants for bike route, pedestrian planning
The towns of Franklin and Canton were among 10 municipalities across the state to win a grant for bicycle and…
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Mapping project brings natural landmarks
Virtual views of some of America’s most iconic places are now online, with Chimney Rock, Grandfather Mountain and DuPont State…
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School partners with land trust for wetland conservation
Though the wetland bordering U.S. 441 on the North Carolina-Georgia line isn’t that noteworthy on first glance, it’s an ecological…
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Foundation pledges $600,000 for Parkway projects
The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation will spend $600,000 in 2015 on projects to benefit the Parkway and the plant and…
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When the bats leave the belfry: Fungus cuts down bat population, sparks speculation on species, ecosystem future
Sarah Davis loves bats. They’ve been the wintertime residents of Linville Caverns for as long as she can remember, a…
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Solarize WNC forums demystify solar energy for the masses
A forum on how to transition to solar energy will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 7, at the…
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Locals take gold and silver in Assault on BlackRock
The fifth annual Assault on BlackRock trail race is now in the rearview mirror, with 82 brave souls battling freezing…
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Bike rodeo comes to Jackson County
The Jackson County Bike Rodeo is calling all kids to come out 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, April 11,…
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Clingmans Dome Road opens for the year
Clingmans Dome Road in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park opened last week, six days ahead of its scheduled April…
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Bear encounter causes camping restrictions
Graveyard Fields is closed to overnight camping following a bear break-in to a tent in the popular recreation area, and…
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Winter ends for Cataloochee
Cataloochee Ski Area closed for the season Sunday, ending 141 days of open slopes for 2014-15. The season outstripped the…
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Richland Creek restoration expands with new funding
A recently awarded $200,000 grant will pay for two years of work to improve water quality and raise public awareness…
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Brookies get a boost in the Smokies
Following a seven-year brook trout restoration project, Lynn Camp Prong in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is now open…
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Grants awarded to fight hemlock adelgid
The battle against the hemlock wooly adelgid in North Carolina will continue with help from a bevy of grants from…
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Spiffed-up shelter hits the Macon County AT
With a higher-than-normal volume of thru-hikers expected next season, the Nantahala Hiking Club is getting prepared with upgrades to the…
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Commission calls on turkey hunters
A study of lymphoproliferative disease virus, a malady affecting wild turkeys, is calling in help from hunters.
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Tribe granted authority over water standards
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is now able to administer its own water quality certifications, becoming the 49th tribe…
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Cherokee to weigh in on fish conservation
The Watershed Association of the Tuckasegee River will hold its annual meeting celebrating Earth Month at 6 p.m. Monday, April…
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WCU students win bass angling title
A pair of Western Carolina University students took first this spring, in the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Eastern Regional, presented…
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Bat protection prompts Smokies caving restrictions
After closing the area in September to protect wintering bats, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will reopen Whiteoak Sink…
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Life in bear country: Bear encounter sparks camping closure, bear canister requirement
A pair of hikers camped near the Lower Falls in Graveyard Fields got a rude awakening March 16 when a…
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Put the forest first!
I was commiserating with a friend who works for the Forest Service just after it was announced that they were…
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WNC air quality to be unpacked
The Annual Ozone Season Kickoff will unveil the state of Western North Carolina’s air quality in 2014 with a program…
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Nature for the whole family
By Danny Bernstein • Guest columnist When I first thought about taking my granddaughter, Hannah, on an outdoor experience, I looked…
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Nation’s best paddlers to compete at NOC
The Nantahala Racing Club’s Whitewater U.S. Open will keep the river churning at Nantahala Outdoor Center March 27-29.
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Logging, prescribed burning aims to bolster wildlife habitat
A U.S. Forest Service project aiming to improve wildlife habitat and forest health will allow logging, fire, thinning and other…
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Learn to tread lightly at Wilderness Skills Institute
Registration is now open for the fifth Wilderness Skills Institute, a training program for Wilderness stewardship and management, held at…
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Grit and wonder: 2015’s thru-hikers reflect on trail hardships and thrills
If the stack of boxes piling up on the counter of the outfitter store at Nantahala Outdoor Center is any…
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