Booth display class for the farmers market
Farmers market vendors can get tips on how to set up their booths at a free seminar called “Booth Display…
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And now for something completely different
So what’s in the news nowadays? Any bad news for the environment? Let’s see. Wednesday, February 13, 2013, in the…
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Mountain anglers gain toehold in national fly fishing scene
Like New York is known for its basketball legends, and Texas is known for its football stars, Western North Carolina…
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Prepping for the AT 2,184 miles to be ‘in the moment’
During the next several weeks, thousands of people will leave from Springer Mountain in Georgia and begin the 2,184-mile trek…
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News from the AT
Teachers invited to bring the AT into their classroom Teachers and educators interested in incorporating the Appalachian Trail into their…
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U.S. 441 through park should reopen by May 15
Newfound Gap Road (U.S. 441) through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is expected to be repaired and open by…
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Mountain scramble to Black Rock
The third annual Assault on Black Rock will test the strength and stamina of trail runners as they try to…
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Hikes of the Smokies series kicks off
A guided hike in the Deep Creek area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will be held on Tuesday,…
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Louisiana lagniappe
I know, I know, we’ve been in Louisiana for two weeks now, but when I look back at some of…
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“Operation Something Bruin:” Dozens of rogue hunters busted in illegal mountain poaching ring
Last week, state and federal wildlife officers began rounding up dozens of suspected poachers in Western North Carolina, bringing to…
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Honest hunters have little tolerance for renegade tactics
Shock waves rippled through the mountain hunting community last week as word spread of a sweeping undercover investigation targeting dozens…
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WCU trail system now open to the public
Western Carolina University’s new trail system is open and ready for bikers, hikers and runners. About 100 people turned out…
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Loosiana part deaux
What better place to start part deaux than Breaux Bridge along Bayou Teche? Firmin Breaux originally purchased the area that…
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Taking the polar plunge
Around 30 daring souls splashed and jumped into Lake Junaluska last Saturday for the first annual “Polar Plunge” to raise…
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Climbing event at Chimney Rock
An event called “Climbin’ the Chimney” from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on March 2 is an opportunity to for…
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Duke grants to aid education, environment
Duke Energy is helping to fund new educational and environmental projects as part of its hydropower relicensing agreement in the…
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Land Trust for Little Tennessee helps gain protection for another town watershed
The Land Trust for the Little Tennessee recently helped the town of Andrews protect and conserve its 930-acre watershed in…
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Smokies Association pushes for membership
The Great Smoky Mountains Association is launching a membership drive in honor of its 60th anniversary this year.
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GBBC at BBLNWR
Translation — Great Backyard Bird Count at Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge; the tradition continues. Since a spur-of-the-moment GBBC…
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Last call for Polar Plunge
Wade, dash, splash or take the full plunge into Lake Junaluska from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23…
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Bear Creek Lake on upper Tuck gets boat ramp, dock and pier
A boat ramp on Bear Creek Lake in the Tuckasegee area of Jackson County has been renovated by the N.C.…
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Float, boat or fish the Tuck
This spring, rolling down the Tuckasegee River will be, for the most part, as it has been in years past…
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Wild game on the grill at wildlife club dinner
The Wildlife Club at Haywood Community College is hosting a wild game dinner at 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 22, at…
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Parkway chief to retire
Parkway Superintendent Phil Francis has announced that he will retire on April 1 after 41 years in the National Park…
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Cataloochee road closed due to wash out
The gravel road leading into Cataloochee Valley in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was washed out by recent heavy…
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Vandals hit park with paint and profanity
Vandals hit an area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park known as “the Sinks” — a popular roadside waterfall…
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Great count in your backyard
Of course, you’re no longer confined to your backyard like you were back in 1997 when the Great Backyard Bird…
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More trail talk…
A regional trails map showing hiking trails, greenways, public lands, rivers and other outdoor recreation landmarks in the seven western…
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Trail triage? Tough choices ahead as forest service weighs 1,600 miles in trail plan
For the past year, the National Forest Service has been taking inventory, collecting public input and meeting with outdoor interest…
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Dark skies — and the stars that go with them — slowly disappearing
Although the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a protected expanse of land, all types of contamination — from air…
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Local fisherman lands silver at championships
Angler and Sylva native Josh Stephens recently earned a silver medal in team competition during the National Fly Fishing Championship…
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Donation will go to Smokies priorities
Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park was recently awarded $2,000 from Sustainability for Generations to Come, a Western North…
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Farmers get a helping hand with diversification grants
28 Western North Carolina farmers received nearly $150,000 total in grants to help diversify their farm businesses. The money was…
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Fees proposed for forest service recreation sites
The U.S. Forest Service may increase, or begin charging, fees at seven recreation sites within the national forests in North…
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Hops finds a home in WNC soil and economy
A free program on “The Business of Growing Hops” will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb.…
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The Rainbow to Nowhere?
What happens when you finally get to the end of the rainbow and there’s no gold in the pot? Perusing…
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Chattooga at the crossroads
A recurring debate between camps in the Chattooga River controversy is how many paddlers would actually come to the river.…
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The hype on hybrids
Editor’s note: Naturalist Don Hendershot is writing a series of columns exploring the use of alternative energy and fuels. …
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Hiking club rolls out two new trail challenges
To celebrate its 90th anniversary, the Carolina Mountain Club Challenge committee has added two new hiking challenges this year to…
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Sign-up for behind-the-scenes look at the Smokies
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is beginning a new program that allows nearby residents, business people, teachers and community…
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Outdoors news briefs
Rains cause wastewater spills in Haywood Beginning Jan. 14, and due to the heavy rains, Waynesville had several wastewater overflows.…
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Conservancy adds on to protected Roan Mountain lands
A 601-acre tract in Avery County near Roan Mountain has been purchased and conserved by the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy.…
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Arrrggghh – a wintry mix
Limeade, tequila and cointreau is not a wintry mix — that is a margarita; something you may resort to when…
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National A.T. gathering making the trek to Cullowhee this summer
A large Appalachian Trail gathering is coming to Western Carolina University this summer, and local trail clubs hosting the week-long…
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150 and counting: WCU grad student research helps get a handle on impacts of mounting numbers of elk
By Jill Ingram • Guest writer, WCU public affairs office Covering long distances in and around Cataloochee Valley, a Western…
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Weather or not: Local Yokel Weather fine tunes forecasts for your neck of the woods
Have you ever been told by the evening news to expect three inches of snow overnight, but after stocking up…
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Big investment made in local bio-fuels
A consortium of Western North Carolina public agencies and private organizations will receive a grant of $766,000 from the N.C.…
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Working farmland protection plan being crafted in Swain
Swain County farmers, landowners, and other interested individuals are invited to share their thoughts and idea on a new farmland…
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I feel the earth move…
It may not have shaken the Richter scale like the stampede of Republican lawmakers and their realtor and developer lobbyists…
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Saving Shuckstack: Age, weather and vandalism take their toll on Smokies’ firetower
Its bolts are rusting, floor planks are rotting, and its windowpanes shattered. The roof is pocked with holes that let…
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