WNC Fly Fishing Trail lures new anglers to Jackson streams
Alex Bell can’t resist striking up a conversation with fellow fishermen he encounters on the Tuckasegee. But lately, he’s had…
Read More
Tunnel greenhouses fend off winter’s grip
A workshop on how to build a simple greenhouse will be held at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, July 30, as part…
Read More
Thoroughly modern millipedes
By Jim Janke Every summer one or two people bring samples of ugly little insects into the plant clinic and…
Read More
Hard-to-get taxonomists could make or break ATBI’s future
As the inventory of every living species in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park trudges into its tenth year, it…
Read More
Life in the richest place on earth
When Jim Lowe strikes out on his twice-monthly foray to check insect traps in the Smokies, he never knows just…
Read More
Volunteers keep the Smokies ticking
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park boasts more volunteers than nearly any other park. Last year, 2,780 volunteers logged a…
Read More
The Naturalist's Corner
Up in the air Western North Carolina senators Joe Sam Queen, Martin Nesbitt and John Snow might be wishing they…
Read More
The Naturalist's Corner
PETA - Cherokee bears part deaux I have been watching the story in Smoky Mountain News regarding PETA and the…
Read More
Threats on all fronts
Only the most farsighted and intuitive of those who labored for the creation of the Smokies could have foreseen the…
Read More
Cherokee youth re-enact ancient fishing practice
As 10-year-old Dayini Lossie stood on the shore eyeing the wide shallow waters of the Tuckasegee River last week listening…
Read More
The Naturalist's Corner
A note of interest The US Fish & Wildlife Service has extended the public comment period on its John H.…
Read More
New map leads the way to Haywood farms
Local residents and tourists have a new resource to help them support the farms and farmers of Haywood County. A…
Read More
Rainforest style eco-adventure comes to the Nantahala Gorge
The Nantahala Gorge Canopy Tour will debut this month with a half-mile series of forest-enveloped ziplines, where people hang from…
Read More
Jackson farm and garden tour has it all
Farmers and gardeners in Jackson County are inviting the public to traipse through their garden rows during the third annual…
Read More
The Naturalist's Corner
New neighbors I have always had a good number of neotropical migrants nest every season in the woods around my…
Read More
Hearing set for Little Tennessee discharge permit
A public hearing over a sewer discharge permit into the Little Tennessee River will be held on Tuesday, July 7,…
Read More
The Naturalist's Corner
WNS impacts western Carolina caving The USDA Forest Service issued an order on May 21 closing all caves and abandoned…
Read More
In search of hidden lookout towers
The line-up of hikes in the Lookout Tower Challenge spans Western North Carolina. Seven are located in the Nantahala National…
Read More
Carolina Mountain Club challenges hikers to seek views from the top
By Peter Barr • Guest writer The Carolina Mountain Club is challenging hikers to seek out some of Western North…
Read More
Maggie festival embraces all things trout
Maggie Valley will celebrate the trout heritage of the Smoky Mountain region with its annual Trout Festival, held from 9…
Read More
Casino donates money to national park non-profit
Harrah’s Cherokee Casino has donated $10,000 to Friends of the Smokies in honor of the 75th anniversary of the Great…
Read More
Garden records
By Jim Webb Don’t you wish you kept good records? I sure do. Those Elvis Presley 45’s, purchased the first…
Read More
The Naturalist's Corner
Birds of a feather Yep, they’ll be flocking June 25 at 10 a.m. at the North Carolina Arboretum, 100 Frederick…
Read More
Culture and history to take rightful place in new visitor center
A ceremonial groundbreaking was held this week for a new visitor center at the main North Carolina entrance to the…
Read More
The Naturalist's Corner
Goodbye to a native son A light has dimmed in the universe. It was a light that shone with gracious…
Read More
A race against time
While it’s hard to imagine as one gazes at the vast wilderness of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, more…
Read More
Gorge outfitters debate direction
By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer A year ago, a group of more than 40 rafting outfitters gathered to discuss…
Read More
Ivy covered walls
By Jim Janke When our house was being built it became obvious that we needed to hide two 40 feet…
Read More
Study shows Gorge economic impact significant
The Nantahala Gorge contributes $85 million to the local economy each year, and is the primary reason many tourists make…
Read More
The Naturalist's Corner
Stop and smell the flowers Sure, we all hear it and we all think, “I’m gonna do just that as…
Read More
Research outpost engages scientists and students under backdrop of the Smokies
There are few places where scientists probing the mysteries of the natural world would rather be. The sweeping vistas of…
Read More
Hiking and heritage converge in new trail guide
A new hiking book on Western North Carolina puts the regions trails in a new perspective. It weaves together the…
Read More
The Naturalist's Corner
Crepuscular by nature The sun knows the secret. Beginning and end Are the beautiful times. The soft warm And sensual…
Read More
Under siege: Saving the sequoias of the East
Jesse Webster consulted his GPS and eyed the tangle of rhododendrons stretching out of sight up the mountainside. Somewhere beyond…
Read More
Smokies relies on outside support to maintain what makes it special
When Steve Woody and Barney Coulter got a mysterious call from Smokies Superintendent Randall Pope in the early 1990s asking…
Read More
Do you have a gardening question?
By Jim Janke The purpose of Master Gardener programs is to increase the knowledge of horticulture among home gardeners. Master…
Read More
The Naturalist's Corner
What’s that buzzin? “Daddy, daddy, there’s a yellowjacket in the bedroom!” cried Izzy. And somehow, the dusty old synapses fired…
Read More
School serves as model for dealing with runoff
Innovative techniques for dispersing runoff and protecting neighboring streams will be highlighted during a program at 6:30 p.m. Monday, May…
Read More
You, too, can bike to work
Whether it’s for fitness, for fun or to save the planet, there’s plenty of reasons to bike to work. There’s…
Read More
Gate goes up, Gorge community blocked out
By Julia Merchant • Staff writer One day last October, Bud Dills, a longtime Nantahala Gorge resident, headed down to…
Read More
Celebrating 75 years
More than 200 state and local dignitaries gathered for a ceremony atop Clingmans Dome in the Great Smoky Mountains National…
Read More
Smokies prepare for bat-decimating disease
In response to a growing concern about a new malady that has killed an estimated 400,000 bats north of here…
Read More
The Naturalist's Corner
Hats off to Avram and the activist spirit Avram Friedman, executive director of the Canary Coalition, is not afraid to…
Read More
When to celebrate
Depending on how you slice it, the 75th anniversary of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park could be celebrated on…
Read More
HCC student finishes second at lumberjack event
A Haywood Community College wildlife student brought home a second-place finish in the STIHL Timbersports Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Challenge this month.…
Read More
The Naturalist's Corner
A picture is worth a thousand words When the 1968 Apollo astronauts rounded the moon for the first time the…
Read More
Hiking the AT: A journey of mind, body, spirit
By Josh Mitchell • Staff Writer The bad economy may be good for business along the Appalachian Trail. The AT…
Read More
Local activist arrested at Cliffside protest
Avram Friedman, leader of the Sylva-based air quality group the Canary Coalition, was arrested during a protest march in Charlotte…
Read More
When is it safe to plant?
By Jim Janke When is it safe to plant tender annuals and vegetables in Haywood County? The standard answer we…
Read More
Haywood Chamber of Commerce helps businesses achieve green goals
When most business owners cast their eyes about the office — noting the reams of white paper spilling off the…
Read More
