Ready, set, count: it’s the fungus Bio-Blitz in the Smokies
Part contest, part festival, part education and part science, the 2014 Discover Life in America BioBlitz will bring citizens and…
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A wet and wonderful weekend
Thanks to the generosity of a friend, my family and I spent a long weekend on Fontana Lake. The small…
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Smokies elk get new tracking collars
Biologists will get a boost in monitoring Smokies elk populations, thanks to a $13,720 grant Friends of the Smokies received…
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Horse exhibition to benefit Panthertown
A horse exhibition hosted by Friends of Panthertown from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, June 28, will raise money…
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American chestnut restoration showcased at Cataloochee
Visitors are invited to check on the progress of the American chestnut restoration effort at Cataloochee Ranch in Haywood County…
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Franklin man inducted to A.T. Hall of Fame
Franklin has a hall-of-famer following the induction of Rev. Rufus Morgan into the Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame earlier this…
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Downward row: NOC guide canoes to world record waterfall run
It wasn’t until Brad McMillan got his canoe on the water that the moment hit him. He’d been preparing for…
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Synchronous fireflies draw thousands to the Smokies
It’s a little after 7 p.m. when the first trolley shows up to Elkmont Campground. Green, red and yellow, the…
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Reaching out for the Little T
When Cass and Mary Lou Combs attended a conservation celebration along the shore of the Little Tennessee River in Macon…
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A brand new world
Anyone who hasn’t been to the woods in the last month would swear they’re in a different world. In a…
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Mount Sterling — a hikers’ crossroads
Climbing the 80 rickety feet of metal and wood got my adrenaline flowing a bit. Once up there, I found…
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Float trips return to Waynesville
The sight of bobbing caravans of inflatable kayaks floating down Richland Creek through Waynesville will return on Saturday, May 6…
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Steep Canyon Rangers pen song and music for Graveyard Fields
The Grammy Award-winning bluegrass band Steep Canyon Rangers gathered on the Blue Ridge Parkway this spring, instruments in hand, to…
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Libraries bring science and nature to life for kids
Libraries across the mountains are in summer mode with a robust lineup of educational programs for kids. Special guests will…
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Get your race on with Haywood Waterways
Haywood Waterways is now selling “trout” to compete in their annual Trout Race held at 5 p.m. on June 22…
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Comments open on coyote hunting in red wolf territory
Comments are open regarding a proposed prohibition on coyote hunting in a five-county area in northeastern North Carolina. The area…
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Foraging field day in Cashiers
Famed Asheville forager Alan Muskat will answer all your burning questions about forest foods during the next installment of the…
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Colliding worlds: Maggie Valley bear conflict ends with dead mom, orphaned cubs
A black bear — and possibly one of its cubs — is dead after a run of bird seed raids…
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An unapologetic scientist
The cosmos loom large and wondrous again, and much of the credit goes to one charming, affable but steadfastly rigorous…
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Nature-inspired poetry readings held in Waynesville
Michael Beadle, a local poet and educator, will read poetry that speaks to the mystery of nature and wildness 4…
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Cullowhee Native Plant Conference registration gears up
Registration is up and running for the 31st Cullowhee Native Plant Conference to be held July 16-19 at Western Carolina…
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Mr. Jefferson and the Giant Moose: Natural History in Early America
A summer lecture series dedicated to natural history and conservation will kick off with a talk from Dr. Lee Alan…
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Local agriculture robust in WNC
Local food sales are surging in Western North Carolina, and agriculture is alive and well. Direct farmer-to-consumer food sales in…
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WCU professor’s new book spotlights Alfred Russel Wallace
A book by Western Carolina University biology professor and Highlands Biological Station director James Costa titled Wallace, Darwin and the…
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Conservation Voters release legislator rankings
The North Carolina League of Conservation Voters has released its 2013 scorecard for North Carolina legislators, a number based on…
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Annual garden tour a go in Haywood
The Barn at the Mountain Research Station, on Raccoon Road in Waynesville, will serve as the hub for ticket purchasing,…
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Falling tree gives Arizona woman a fright
Jan Eagle got a scare when a tree fell on her campsite at Cataloochee Campground during her stay at Great…
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Youth to reenact ancient fishing practices
Children will get a chance to learn firsthand about Cherokee fishing traditions by re-enacting a fish harvest on an ancient…
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Wilderness camp trains for adventure and evangelism
Outdoor Mission Camp, an affiliate of Youth For Christ USA based in Maggie Valley, is offering a wilderness camp for…
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Land management series planned
Landowners will have the chance to get a better handle on managing their woodlands responsibly with a lineup of summer…
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Local environmental knowledge sought
The Coweeta Listening Project will come to Cowee Farmers Market from 3:30 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 10, to…
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Shopping for conservation
Shopping at Mast General Store in Waynesville on Saturday, June 7, will be a plus for the planet.
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T-shirt design contest uncovers artist
Shelby Reece from Waynesville Middle School won Haywood Waterways’ Kids in the Creek T-shirt design contest. Her winning design, “Jumping…
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Audubon sponsors study of endangered warbler
One of the most prized bringers of spring song in Western North Carolina is the golden-winged warbler, and Highlands Plateau…
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Resurrecting Graveyard Fields: Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation funds makeover for popular recreation site
Rhododendrons are opening deep pink blooms along the Blue Ridge Parkway, and new spring foliage blends into a bright blue…
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Doin’ Puc Puggy proud
The Tennessee Valley Authority, in 1984, found itself with an extra $14,000 lying around. The money was available for outreach…
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Ray’s Weather seeks Parkway photos for calendar
Photographers are invited to submit their best Parkway photos to be featured in a 2015 Blue Ridge Parkway calendar, a…
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Trail app for Nantahala areas
A new web app gives hikers, bikers, equestrians and other forest users the ability to search trail stats for the…
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Party with moths in Highlands
A moth party at 9 p.m. June 5 at the Highlands Biological Station will capitalize on the dark sky to…
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White-nose syndrome decimating WNC bats
White-nose syndrome, a fungal disease that has killed millions of bats in the eastern United States, is advancing in North…
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Senate votes to lift fracking moratorium
The North Carolina Senate voted to lift the state’s fracking moratorium last week in a party-line vote. Democrats voted unanimously…
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Bass tourney gives anglers an outlet
Anglers are getting the tackle ready for the 2014 Fontana Marina Classic Bass Tournament June 7 and 8. With 238 miles…
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In a lurch about larch: Mystery tree leaves retired professor probing for answers
To the untrained eye, the tree looks like just another evergreen, just another species thrown into the mix of natural…
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Wilderness celebration planned in Asheville
The Wilderness Act’s 50th birthday will get some recognition at “An Evening of Wilderness Champions — Celebrating 50 Years of…
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Summer nature programs kickoff in Highlands
Regular weekday programs will begin at Highlands Nature Center next week. The programs include guided plant walks, children’s activities, storybook-based…
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New bike shop set to open in Bryson City
Bryson City is about to get a second bike shop with the grand opening of Tsali Cycles on May 23.…
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Red wolves spared fatal case of mistaken identity, for now
A federal court issued a preliminary injunction against coyote hunting — which includes spotlight hunting — in the five eastern…
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Smokies gets new acting superintendent
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park will get a new acting superintendent June 1, replacing the currect acting superintendent who…
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Turn it off: WCU comes out on top in national energy reduction competition
When the Campus Conservation Nationals Competition wrapped up this spring, Western Carolina University came out near the top of a…
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A not too shabby second
May 3 and 4 were the dates for this year’s 30th annual edition of the Great Smoky Mountains Birding Expedition.…
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