Hike against hunger: Whittier man hikes A.T. to celebrate 65th birthday, raise money for food pantry
Hiking the Appalachian Trail had been in the back of Andy Smith’s mind for a while, ever since a coworker…
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WCU dorm gets LEED certification
Western Carolina University’s Harrill Residence Hall has become the university’s second building to be LEED-certified for its comprehensive energy-efficient and…
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Giving Tuesday nets Smokies $18,000
Friends of the Smokies raised more than $18,000 for Great Smoky Mountains National Park on GivingTuesday, far more than its…
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Smokies hires superintendent
For the first time since Dale Ditmanson retired in January 2014, Great Smoky Mountains National Park has a permanent superintendent.…
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Franklin greenway gets some extra acreage
The Little Tennessee Greenway will offer users a bit more space to enjoy the outdoors following Dick and Melissa Jones’…
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Graffiti for a good cause
Ten high school students from the Haywood Community Learning Center recently armed themselves with colorful spray paint to mark the…
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Tuscola takes all in FFA event
Tuscola High School students dominated Future Farmers of America’s Land Judging competition this year. The competition tests students’ ability to…
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Trail crews drill for backcountry emergencies
Appalachian Trail license plate funds are helping to make the woods a little safer for the volunteers who maintain the…
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A feathery Christmas: Birders head outdoors for annual bird count
There’s plenty of tradition and symbolism that goes along with the holiday season, but for birders no tradition is more…
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Tracking the sicklefin: Understanding rare fish’s lifestyle important for conservation
The sicklefin redhorse is a sneaky kind of fish. It wasn’t discovered as a species until 1992, and even with…
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Biological station serves as homebase for environmental research
College student interns at the Highlands Biological Station have been working since August on a broad range of research projects,…
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Smokies considers ban on firewood
A program on dangerous and destructive forest pests that hitchhike on firewood brought in from outside the region will be…
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New Mountain-to-Sea Trail section now open at Waterrock Knob
A new section of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail is now complete, a 2.2-mile section that roughly parallels the Blue Ridge Parkway…
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Webster resident donates quilt to the Smokies
After spending six months completing a full-size quilt, Webster resident Susanne Kerper of Jackson County donated the blanket to the…
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Help for failing septic systems in Haywood
Homeowners dealing with a failing septic system may be eligible for help through a pair of grants Haywood Waterways Association…
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‘Tis the season for giving at Cataloochee Ski Area
Cataloochee Ski Area continues its tradition of holiday giving with its 14th Annual Can-U-Ski Food and Coat Drive for Haywood…
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Hello darkness, my old friend
The full Hunter’s Moon is waning and the night sky will be revealing more of her secrets till we spin…
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Lake J is heating up
I was fortunate to be able to spend a few hours last Saturday morning (Nov. 23) with members of the…
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Remember local farmers on Small Business Saturday
Buy Haywood is encouraging shoppers to think local on Small Business Saturday — not just by shopping at local stores…
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New water quality standards proposed
The Environmental Protection Agency is in the midst of reviewing a set of proposed revisions to water quality standards in…
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Environmental merger chooses new name
When the New Year rolls around, the region’s best-known and longest-running environmental organization is changing its name, following a merger…
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New book chronicles Pisgah’s history
A new book has come out that treks through the human, political and natural history behind the formation of the…
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Explore National Parks from the fireside
With short and chilly days making miles on the trail harder to come by, a lineup of outdoors-themed board games…
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AT license plates to fund trail-related projects
Projects that promote or protect the Appalachian Trail can tap a special pot of grant money thanks to the sale…
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Call for support to help Kids in the Creek gain traction in new counties
Land Trust for the Little Tennessee is looking to raise money for its Kids in the Creek program as part…
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Hunting and fishing resources for disabled sportsmen
A directory of handicapped-accessible hunting and fishing sites in the Nantahala and Pisgah national forests is available to help disabled…
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Canton Library garden wins state award
The Canton Library’s Giving Garden got some state recognition by nabbing the “best adult program” award from the North Carolina…
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House hunting for elk: Conservation project seeks to attract elk, tourism
Things have gone well for the Smokies elk, and they’ve risen from reintroduction experiment to established population. But meanwhile, they’ve…
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Ground broken on Smokies Preservation Center
Work on a new National Park Service Collections Preservation Center is underway following a Nov. 13 groundbreaking at the site…
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East Street Park project scores grant funds
A project to revamp East Street Park in Waynesville has received a grant from the Pigeon River Fund that will…
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Arboretum lights up for holidays
A new holiday light show at the North Carolina Arboretum in Asheville will open Saturday, Nov. 22, and run through…
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Agreement reached in lawsuit to curtail hunting in red wolf
An agreement has been reached in a lawsuit waged by multiple environmental groups claiming that wreckless coyote hunting laws were…
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Haywood Waterways Association celebrates a successful 2014
Haywood Waterways Association will celebrate the Pigeon River watershed at its annual membership dinner from 6-8:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 4,…
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Blackrock Outdoor changes ownership
After nearly 20 years of existence, Blackrock Outdoor Company has a new owner. Kelly Custer, who also owns Sylva’s Sheds…
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Scuba certs offered in Waynesville
A scuba certification course Saturday, Dec. 6, at the Waynesville Recreation Center will give wannabe divers the know-how and practice…
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Casting further: New fly fishing stores open, thrive in WNC
Word on the river is that more and more people are getting into fly fishing, spurring a push for fly-focused…
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Mountain photo contest open
The Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition is looking for the best images of the people, places and pursuits that characterize the…
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Protecting plants with a forest plan
With a new forest management plan now in the works for the Pisgah and Nantahala national forest, Brent Martin, regional…
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New edition of Kephart book released
A new version of Our Southern Highlanders by Horace Kephart is out, and it includes eight Kephart articles not included…
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Return of the meteors
Astronomers at the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute are reminding the public of the annual Leonid Meteor Shower in November.
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Motion Makers bike shop reopens
Motion Makers Bicycle Shop has reopened in its new location at 36 Allen St. after an August fire in downtown…
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Bumper crop feeds animals, insects and future fall color
As fall colors fade from the landscape, the bright yellows and oranges become a vivid memory marking the peak of…
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WNC towns earn top outdoors honors
Bryson City earned the top honor in Blue Ridge Outdoors’ list of top outdoor towns of 2014, which appeared in…
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Pedaling the Parkway: WCU dean completes ninth fundraising ride to Mount Mitchell
Brian Railsback learned a valuable lesson when he missed a September meeting of the Western Carolina University Honors College Student…
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Greenery is a Southern Appalachian specialty
This region has been furnishing the eastern United States with quantities of various evergreen materials (trees, running ground cedar, mistletoe,…
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Spelunk with Jackson Parks and Rec
An expedition to Worley’s Cave in Bluff City, Temm., on Nov. 22 will give people of all experience levels a…
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Massive public input on fracking delays report on comments
Public input gathered at a series of statewide hearings on fracking rules was supposed to be presented in a report…
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Five-year plan guides future for the AT
A new five-year strategic plan from the Appalachian Trail Conservancy will guide management of the Appalachian Trail over the coming…
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Nantahala mountain bike club to celebrate active year
Nantahala Area SORBA, the Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association, will hold an end-of-year celebration 5-8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 5, at Innovation…
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Lichen, ozone and trees, oh my!
Waynesville Middle School seventh graders got to explore the Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s Purchase Knob Education Center last week.
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