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PARI space facility turns 50
 

PARI space facility turns 50

This month, the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the dedication of NASA’s Rosman Satellite Tracking…
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River rodeo makes waves in Dillsboro
 

River rodeo makes waves in Dillsboro

The River Rescue Rodeo held on the Tuckasegee River in Dillsboro last weekend attracted a host of paddling teams to…
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Two tons of trash hauled out of Haywood creek
 

Two tons of trash hauled out of Haywood creek

More than 60 volunteers removed 3,740 pounds of trash from Richland Creek in Haywood County Saturday, Sept. 21, during this…
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Repercussions of a government shutdown
 

Repercussions of a government shutdown

Freedom may not ring Tuesday. At least not from the Liberty Bell. I know, I know, the bell doesn’t ring…
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Quest for a lost landscape: Mapping database reconstructs Cherokee world on grand scale
 

Quest for a lost landscape: Mapping database reconstructs Cherokee world on grand scale

Most people who call up Google Earth are hunting a hard-to-find address or scoping out satellite images of their next…
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Pitch in on public lands day
 

Pitch in on public lands day

Celebrate National Public Lands Day on Saturday, Sept. 28 by volunteering at DuPont State Forest to help clear a section…
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HCC fish and wildlife students honored
 

HCC fish and wildlife students honored

Haywood Community College has honored two Fish and Wildlife Management program students for their achievements in the field. Jacob Longworth…
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Chimney Rock State Park gets recognition for going green
 

Chimney Rock State Park gets recognition for going green

Chimney Rock State Park has become North Carolina’s 70th tourist destination to earn recognition for its environmentally friendly practices, according…
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Muzzleloading and pig picking
 

Muzzleloading and pig picking

The French Broad Rifles club will host a Primitive Black Powder Muzzleloading shoot Oct. 4-6 near Marshall.
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Gear sale, music and whitewater at the NOC
 

Gear sale, music and whitewater at the NOC

It’s a big weekend at the Nantahala Outdoor Center, Sept. 27-29, with its Guest Appreciation Festival, the U.S. Slalom Nationals,…
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Child cancer benefit to race through Cherokee
 

Child cancer benefit to race through Cherokee

The annual Chief’s Challenge one-mile run and walk benefit for victims of childhood cancer will take place at 2 p.m.…
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Website offers guide to leaf viewing
 

Website offers guide to leaf viewing

The U.S. Forest Service is promoting its fall foliage webpage, which features scenic drives and other areas in the Nantahala…
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Disc golf for kids
 

Disc golf for kids

The Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department will offer a beginner’s disc golf class for youth ages 8 to 17. The…
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Serendipitous hawk watch
 

Serendipitous hawk watch

The rains came Saturday. It was a good day for a soaker, from my perspective. I had writing I needed…
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New forest coalition brings once-rival groups together
 

New forest coalition brings once-rival groups together

As Brent Martin stared down the barrel of an impending tug-of-war over WNC’s national forests, he dreaded yet another round…
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Cultivating dreams in Appalachia
 

Cultivating dreams in Appalachia

Sunshine spills into Jackson County. The warm late summer rays cascade down into the mountains, ultimately flowing into the fields…
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Mountain Heritage Day features 5K run
 

Mountain Heritage Day features 5K run

A 5K race will be held on the campus of Western Carolina University in conjunction with Mountain Heritage Day festivities.…
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Top honors for SCC students
 

Top honors for SCC students

No junior women’s freestyle kayaker in the world was better than Stecoah resident Rowan Stuart recently at the ICF Canoe…
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Conservation group to host fishing tournament Sept. 28
 

Conservation group to host fishing tournament Sept. 28

The Land Trust for the Little Tennessee will host its first Fish Frenzy, a kayak and canoe fishing tournament, Saturday,…
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Track rising water on your phone
 

Track rising water on your phone

In time for peak hurricane season, Duke Energy is going mobile with its lake level information. The smart phone-friendly website…
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Mysteries of raptors revealed in Cashiers
 

Mysteries of raptors revealed in Cashiers

A group of raptors will be featured at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 24, at The Village Green Commons in Cashiers. 
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Got bears?
 

Got bears?

For homeowners with bear problems, the B.E.A.R. Task Force is hosting a program to keep the persistent beasts away.
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Grant helps elk volunteers on bikes
 

Grant helps elk volunteers on bikes

A $1,000 grant given to the Elk Bugle Corps in Cataloochee Valley of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will…
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Adopt A Stream helps clean Clyde waterway
 

Adopt A Stream helps clean Clyde waterway

Representatives from the town of Clyde and HomeTrust Bank removed 80 pounds of trash Saturday, Sept. 7, from the small…
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Fall out for the fallout
 

Fall out for the fallout

Thanks to an invitation from a friend — Blair Ogburn, senior naturalist at Balsam Mountain Trust — I was able…
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Growing pains: Farmers pay the price as elk herd damage crops, fences
 

Growing pains: Farmers pay the price as elk herd damage crops, fences

It is a common story — a species once eliminated returns to find not everyone welcomes it back with open…
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Blight-resistant chestnuts planted in Cashiers
 

Blight-resistant chestnuts planted in Cashiers

Tree seedlings planted at McKinney Meadow in Cashiers this week may signal a new chapter for the American Chestnut in…
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Advanced tech courses offered to students
 

Advanced tech courses offered to students

Haywood County high school students will have more educational opportunities in the areas of electronics and machining, thanks to a…
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Farm tour introduces tourists to their food source
 

Farm tour introduces tourists to their food source

A Western North Carolina farm tour provides the perfect chance to see where food comes from and to get to…
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Parkway throws mountain party
 

Parkway throws mountain party

A day full of activities at the Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center near Asheville promises mountain music, outdoor literature, local…
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Geothermal project extends crop’s life
 

Geothermal project extends crop’s life

Haywood Community College will soon build an experimental geothermal pre-cooling facility to extend the shelf life of produce and crops…
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Chestnut trees highlight of hike
 

Chestnut trees highlight of hike

A walk along the Blue Ridge Parkway will take hikers on a journey to explore the mighty chestnut tree and…
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Buy gear and help the park’s friends
 

Buy gear and help the park’s friends

Mast General Store is offering outdoor enthusiasts a way to get new gear while helping out the Great Smoky Mountains…
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Get thee to an eatery
 

Get thee to an eatery

Sorry, I couldn’t help it – I saw Hamlet at Montford Park this past weekend.  But to be more specific,…
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A great dam run
 

A great dam run

The annual Dam Race at Fontana Dam — featuring a run over the top of the towering dam itself —…
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Blue Ridge Breakaway a success
 

Blue Ridge Breakaway a success

Olympic silver-medalist Lauren Tamayo from Asheville was among the 460 riders from 18 states who pedaled the scenic roadways, byways…
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Record rainfall, is it climate change?
 

Record rainfall, is it climate change?

A program about climate change in Western North Carolina will explore how oldtimers and scientists alike view changing weather patterns…
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New wildlife police boss in WNC
 

New wildlife police boss in WNC

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission has promoted Tim Sisk to the position of captain for the state’s western counties, covering…
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Cherokee chief placed on wildlife resources board
 

Cherokee chief placed on wildlife resources board

Michel Hicks, Principal chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, has been appointed a commissioner on the N.C. Wildlife…
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Parkway reopens along damaged stretch
 

Parkway reopens along damaged stretch

The Blue Ridge Parkway has reopened a closed section of the motor road — from Ox Creek Road in Asheville…
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Trail promises cemeteries and rapids
 

Trail promises cemeteries and rapids

Friends of the Smokies will host a guided, 9-mile roundtrip hike, Tuesday, Sept. 17, along Noland Creek Trail. The hike…
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Paddlers ready to hit the Tuckasegee
 

Paddlers ready to hit the Tuckasegee

The Old Cullowhee Canoe Slalom, a family-friendly paddling competition on a calm section of the Tuckasegee River, is set for…
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Owning the autumn sky
 

Owning the autumn sky

The loud, piercing keee-eeeeerrrr jerks your head up involuntarily to see the essence of wild freedom — a red-tailed hawk,…
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Citizen scientists help PARI catalog celestial photographs
 

Citizen scientists help PARI catalog celestial photographs

The Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute is making use of citizen scientists from around the world to help sort and catalog…
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Learn ins and outs of seed saving
 

Learn ins and outs of seed saving

Seed expert Keith Nicholson will cover the what, why and how of vegetable seeds and seed saving at 7 p.m.…
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Input sought for park at Hall Mountain
 

Input sought for park at Hall Mountain

Community members are invited to attend upcoming public meetings to learn more about the use of the Hall Mountain Tract…
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Tour planned for historic and eco-friendly estate in Cashiers
 

Tour planned for historic and eco-friendly estate in Cashiers

A storied estate in Cashiers, preserved for future generations, will be the destination of an upcoming ecotour.
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A bird of two tales
 

A bird of two tales

Roger Tory Petersen called it, “one of the most breathtaking of the world’s weirdest birds,” and it was John James…
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Balancing grades, world-class training no problem for SCC Early College student
 

Balancing grades, world-class training no problem for SCC Early College student

By Tyler Norris Goode • Contributor Rowan Stuart’s favorite kayak maneuver is called the “Phonics Monkey” and involves spinning the vessel…
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Dangerous levels of sewage found in WNC creek
 

Dangerous levels of sewage found in WNC creek

State and local officials are advising people to avoid contact with Long Creek in Graham County after recent water quality…
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