Celebrate National Pollinator Week
Visit a hub of nature exploration and interactive programs focused on pollinators 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 24,…
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Microplastics researcher to speak in Highlands
Learn about plastic pollution and the threat it poses to freshwater and marine ecosystems during a free lecture at 6…
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Notes from a plant nerd: World, lose strife
For the past few years, whenever I encounter the whorled loosestrife growing along a trail or roadside I have been…
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Up Moses Creek: Snapper, Part II
(Editor’s note: The first installment of this story was published in the May 10 issue of The Smoky Mountain News…
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Fish On The Farm: Tour Highlights Importance, Challenges Of Mountain Aquaculture
Whenever Wes Eason runs across a potential customer who’s hesitant about eating farm-raised fish, he points to the picture on…
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Arboretum donates truckloads of flowers
Following its Bloom with a View event, the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville donated flowers and plants to various organizations in…
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Apple growers to vote on assessment
North Carolina apple growers will vote Tuesday, June 27, in a referendum conducted by the N.C. Apple Growers Association regarding…
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Campground closed in Cherokee National Forest
Horse Creek Campground in the Cherokee National Forest near Greeneville, Tennessee, is closed until further notice due to increasing bear…
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Smokies podcast miniseries wins national award
A podcast of the Great Smoky Mountains Association, the miniseries “Sepia Tones: Exploring Black Appalachian Music” won the award for…
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Panthertown guidebook publisher donates to stewardship nonprofit
Panthertown Map Association, non-profit publishers of Burt Kornegay's “A Guide's Guide to Panthertown,” has made a $7,500 donation to Friends of…
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May finished cool and dry in N.C.
North Carolina saw its 26th coolest May in the last 129 years, with the National Centers for Environmental Information reporting…
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Bill seeks National Scenic Trail status for Benton MacKaye Trail
A bipartisan bill seeking to designate the Benton MacKaye Trail as a National Scenic Trail has been introduced into the…
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Zahner lecture series kicks off in Highlands
The Highlands Biological Foundation will kick off its annual Zahner Conservation Lecture Series at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 15, with…
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Bilingual books on display along Smokies, Gatlinburg trails
Through Aug. 31, three Storybook Trail of the Smokies displays featuring pages in English and Spanish will be open in…
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Max Patch work earns national partnership award
The Carolina Mountain Club and U.S. Forest Service received the 2023 Public Lands Partner Award, honoring “exemplary partnership” and “stunning…
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Notes from a plant nerd: Put that in your pipe, but don’t smoke it
Plants and butterflies have a long history of evolution and interconnected relationships. Plants serve as food for caterpillars who eat…
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Get the scoop on septic systems
Learn more about septic systems during an event 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday, June 5, at the Haywood County…
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Sierra Club program to contemplate the future of the French Broad
A lively conversation on the history of the French Broad River corridor’s transformation — as well as the opportunities and…
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Parkway services open for the season
Campgrounds, picnic areas and visitor centers on the Blue Ridge Parkway are now open with full services for the 2023…
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Barn party sets Smokies fundraising record
Friends of the Smokies raised more than $400,000 for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park during its 25th annual Greenbrier…
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Comment deadline extended for Laurel Falls EA
The deadline for public comments on an Environmental Assessment examining the impact of proposed changes associated with the Laurel Falls…
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Get inspired by hiking writer Jen Seymour
International hiker and writer Jen Seymour will speak at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 8, at the Macon County Public Library…
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Park Service releases updated ‘Green Parks Plan’
This spring, the National Park Service released its third edition of the Green Parks Plan, setting refreshed goals and objectives…
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Bethel students win state hunting skills tournament
A team from Bethel Middle School in Haywood County took top honors at the 2023 Youth Hunter Education Skills Tournament.…
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HCC opens new Dahlia Ridge Trail System
When A.L. Freedlander issued the 1966 fundraising challenge that birthed the Haywood Community College campus in Clyde, he envisioned a…
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Play pickup soccer
Starting Thursday, June 1, adult soccer pickup games will be held weekly at 6:30 p.m. at the Cullowhee Recreation Park…
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Summer starts at Highlands Nature Center
The Highlands Nature Center kicks off its summer season on Memorial Day weekend, with extended hours noon to 4 p.m.…
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Exhibit to celebrate bonsai as fine art
The ancient art of bonsai will take center stage during the “Bonsai as Fine Art” exhibition June 2-11 at the N.C.…
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Future of the forest
Mill closure looms large in discussion of challenges facing WNC forests The familiar challenges of climate change, invasive pests and…
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Women’s Paddlefest returns to NOC
Nantahala Outdoor Center will hold its Women’s Paddlefest Friday, June 2, through Sunday, June 4, hosted by inspirational paddler Anna…
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Up Moses Creek
Snapper, Part I Snapping turtles have been on my mind this spring after one showed up in our pond. Its…
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Enrollment open for grassland conservation program
Agricultural producers and private landowners have until May 26 to sign up for the Grassland Conservation Reserve Program, a federal…
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Riddle your way through Highlands
The ‘Kids Hike Highlands’ trail passport program is back, with a refresh for the 2023 season.
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Meet the lightning bugs of the Appalachians
Experience the “Appalachian magic” of lightning bug season with a series of walks planned throughout the spring and early summer…
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Students recognized for Parkway contributions
Students from The Christ School in Asheville have won one of five annual awards given by Blue Ridge Parkway managers…
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Team effort fixes water system at Cullowhee Community Garden
When Western Carolina University registrar Larry Hammer began working a garden plot with his family in the Cullowhee Community Garden,…
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Mayapple of my eye
I love coming across a large patch of mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum) while walking in the woods in the spring. They are…
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Red wolf litter born in the wild
A new litter of red wolf puppies has been born in the tiny wild population in eastern North Carolina.
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One thousand peonies
Each May, Crabtree couple invites the public to drink in field of blooms Ricardo Fernandez Battini and his wife Suzanne…
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Dive into the interconnected world of birds and insects
Explore the love-hate relationship between birds and insects during a talk from Balsam Mountain Trust Executive Director Michael Wall at…
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Connect to the spirit of the Smokies
The University of Tennessee’s Smoky Mountain Field School has announced a new slate of programs for 2023, offering adults who…
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William Nealy exhibit on display in Johnson City
Adventure-themed artwork by the late William Nealy on loan from Nantahala Outdoor Center is on display through June 9 at…
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Highlands Biological invests in undergrad field work program
Since 2021, the Highlands Biological Foundation has invested $300,000 in its University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Highlands Field…
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Polish up the Pigeon
Pick up the Pigeon River during a cleanup 9-10 a.m. Saturday, May 13, in Canton.
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Environmental Assessment for Laurel Falls plan out for comment
An Environmental Assessment examining the impact of proposed changes associated with the Laurel Falls Trail Management Plan is out for…
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Active search stops for missing man
After an extensive 11-day search, on May 6 the Great Smoky Mountains National Park halted its active field search for…
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Protecting the plateau
Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust welcomes new director For the first time in its 114-year history, the Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust is saying…
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Wildlife Commission, DOT, pledge to work together on wildlife crossings
A recently signed memorandum of understanding between the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission and the N.C. Department of Transportation signals the…
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WCU professor named Smokies writer in residence
Brian Railsback, an English professor at Western Carolina University, has received the 2023 Steve Kemp Writers’ Residency from the Great…
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