Smokies camping fee to take effect
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park plans to collect fees next year from backpackers despite the proposal receiving opposition from…
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Troops rally to fight off invasive species
More than 300 Macon County students and others interested in the natural landscape will attend Invasive Species Awareness Day from…
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Hatchery-supported trout waters open
Approximately 1,100 miles of hatchery-supported trout waters in 25 western counties will open at 7 a.m. on April 7. The…
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Cherokee Reservation trout season opens
Hundreds of anglers will line the 30 miles of streams on the Cherokee Indian Reservation Saturday, March 31, with the…
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Garden forum April 3
Experienced growers Ron and Kathy Arps will lead a panel discussion about home gardening at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 3, in…
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National park to restore views at overlooks
The views in the Smokies might get a little easier to see after a contractor cuts back encroaching trees from…
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Stretch your way to running success
A workshop on “Dynamic Warm Ups for Every Runner” begins at 9 a.m., Saturday, March 31 at Jus’ Running on…
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Lake J gets handicapped-accessible boat dock
A new handicapped-accessible boat dock will be built at Lake Junaluska this spring thanks to the efforts of an avid…
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Annual orchid show at the N.C. Arboretum
The popular WNC Orchid Society’s Annual Show opens from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m., March 31 and continues through April…
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Get the buzz on beekeeping workshop
A daylong beekeeping school will be held Saturday, April 14, at the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service office west of Bryson…
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Mushroom workshop scheduled in Cashiers
A shiitake and oyster mushroom cultivation workshop will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, March 30, at the Albert Carlton…
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Feeding off of “The Hunger Games”
Tours of DuPont State Recreational Forest where The Hunger Games were filmed will be the site of upcoming tours by…
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Cataloochee Valley Tours launches season
Cataloochee Valley Tours begins its second season of guided hikes and eco-tours next month in the Great Smoky Mountains National…
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Sell extra produce via the farmers market
A kick-off meeting for vendors and others interested in participating this year in Haywood’s Historic Farmers Market will be held…
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Saving the planet one rain barrel at a time
Get a barrel of fun out of helping the planet by buying 55-gallon rain barrels converted from repurposed pickle containers.…
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Solar panels installed at HCC’s Regional High Technology Center
Students in Haywood Community College’s Photovoltaics class recently got real-life, hands-on experience installing solar PV panels at the college’s Regional…
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Free photography program offered at Wildlife Center
Improve your outdoor photography skills at a free program scheduled from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., March 24, at the…
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Not-so-strange bedfellows
I was encouraged by a recent press release from the North Carolina Wildlife Federation. The release stated, “In a show…
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Welcome AT hikers: Franklin gears up for stream of thru hikers with annual Trail Days bash
Susan Sakna and her two dogs were far from their home in Massachusetts. But like many Appalachian Trail thru-hikers, Sakna…
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WCU beats ASU in ‘Battle of the Plug’
Western Carolina University won the three-week "Battle of the Plug" challenge against Appalachian State University, reporting a higher percentage of…
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WNC Alliance gets new board members
One of the region's most storied conservation groups, Western North Carolina Alliance, has some new blood on its board. From…
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Guided nature walk focusing on amphibians
Learn about slithery things at "On the Lookout for Amphibians," a program on amphibians followed by a guided amphibian hike…
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Anglers getting ready for some spring action
The Fontana Marina Classic Bass Tournament will be held March 17 and March 18 with overall prizes of $5,000 in…
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Foundation gives in big way to parkway
Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation has given more than $650,000 to the Blue Ridge Parkway for projects and programs this year.…
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Help cleanup the lake you love
Lake Junaluska will have its annual clean-up day on Saturday, March 24. The lake is down for silt removal, which…
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Mountain Treasures
In 1987 the U.S. Forest Service issued a "final" forest management plan — a plan so vague and so lacking…
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Laurel Garden Club supports plant rescue efforts
The Laurel Garden Club is giving the Highlands Biological Station a grant to purchase a greenhouse package for the propagation…
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Third-annual Meadowbrook Cubs runs and health fair
Cubs on the Run 5k Race and Fun Run/Walk is set for 9 a.m. March 24 in Canton, following a…
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Registration under way for trail workshop at WCU
Volunteers interested in assisting with construction and maintenance of a new trail at Western Carolina University are invited to participate…
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Spring hikes focus on fauna
Two great opportunities to learn about and enjoy spring wildflowers are coming up, both under the guidance of the Land…
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Get ready for Polar wade into Bear Lake
Well, it might not exactly live up to the name "Polar Plunge" given the current spate of warm weather, but…
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See the elk, help a good cause
WNC Nature Center's most-popular offsite excursion, to see the elk in Cataloochee Valley, is coming up from 2 p.m. until…
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Report: Blue Ridge Parkway adds up to jobs, money
A new National Park Service report shows that more than 14.5 million visitors spent $299 million along the Blue Ridge…
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Roller derby debut upcoming in Bryson City
The Smoky Mountain Roller Girls, an all female roller derby league, will hold its debut competition from 5 to 7…
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New Friends of Panthertown president brings wealth of skills
Margaret Fry Carton of the Cashiers area has been elected president of the Friends of Panthertown, a nonprofit that protects,…
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Green Fire: Aldo Leopold and a land ethic for our time
A documentary on Aldo Leopold, the famous forester and environmentalist, will be screened at 6 p.m. March 15, at the…
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Cleanup leaders in Haywood recognized
Winners of "Community Pride" awards through Haywood County's Commission for a Clean County will gather at noon, Feb. 15, at…
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Locally-grown food isn’t just hip, it’s an economic tool
A two-day conference titled “Growing the Appalachian Food Economy: A Forum on Local Food Systems and Sustainable Agriculture” will be…
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Sprouting an idea: Seed exchange puts down roots in Sylva
Borrow seeds in the spring, grow your garden in summer, give them back in the fall. That’s the premise of…
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Eat wings on the run in Finger Lickin’ race
Runners will have a chance to mix running and chicken-wing-eating as a Western Carolina University student organization, the Western Athletic…
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A different martial arts style comes to Sylva
Aikido, a form of martial arts that means “the Way of Spirit Harmony,” will be offered in Sylva from 7:30…
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WCU’s Valley of the Lilies Half Marathon
Runners still have time to register for Western Carolina University’s Valley of the Lilies Half Marathon and 5-K at early…
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Farmers get new community kitchen
Thanks to an $8,000 grant from WNC Agricultural Options, the Jackson County Farmers Market in Sylva will open a community…
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Re-discovering Cherokee Trails focus of program
The historic Cherokee trails in Jackson County and the surrounding areas will be highlighted during program held at 7 p.m.,…
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Learn how to take care of your fruit tree
The N.C. Cooperative Extension Service will hold free fruit tree workshops that will cover the basic needs of apple, pear…
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Learn to grow your own mushrooms
The Jackson-Macon Conservation Alliance will hold a workshop on shiitake and oyster mushroom cultivation at 2 p.m., March 24, at…
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Bass fishermen set sights on Fontana Lake
A bass tournament hosted by Fontana Village Resort will be held on Fontana Lake March 17 and March 18. With…
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Land Trust gets “heroes” thumbs-up
The Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust was awarded an honorable mention in “eco-preservation” category of Southern Living magazine’s “Heroes of the New…
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Spring equinox on stage at planetarium presentation
A special StarLab Planetarium presentation will be held at 7 p.m. Friday, March 9, at the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute…
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What light over yonder horizon shines?
Due to a lack of foresight and copious amounts of poor planning, I found myself last Sunday evening (Feb. 26)…
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