Blue Ridge Parkway nonprofits welcome new leadership

New leadership is now in place at two of the Blue Ridge Parkway’s official nonprofit partners. 
Read More

Comment

 

Bear hunting approved for sanctuary areas

In a unanimous vote Feb. 24, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission approved a controversial rule change  that will rename the…
Read More

Comment

 

Smokies document 77 new-to-park species

Visitors armed only with a free app and love of nature have documented more than 4,000 species in the Great…
Read More

Comment

 

Federal funding fuels rehab of two popular trails

Funding from the Great American Outdoors Act has allowed the U.S. Forest Service to wrap up a decade of deferred…
Read More

Comment

 

Smokies, Parkway, top NPS visitation list for 2021

The two most visited national parks of 2021 are located right here in Western North Carolina, according to figures released…
Read More

Comment

 

Smokies fills two leadership roles

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park recently filled two key leadership positions — Randy Scoggins has been hired as the…
Read More

Comment

 

Students explore recycling for apartments

Environmental science students at Western Carolina University took a look at the logistics of getting off-campus apartment complexes to offer…
Read More

Comment

N.C. to supply 2022 Capitol Christmas tree
 

N.C. to supply 2022 Capitol Christmas tree

When Christmas 2022 rolls around, a tree from North Carolina’s national forests will adorn the U.S. Capitol building. 
Read More

Comment

Documentary to explore forest management debate
 

Documentary to explore forest management debate

The Pisgah-Nantahala forest plan process is nearing its end, but a local filmmaker’s effort to produce a documentary exploring the…
Read More

Comment

Outdoor Gear Builders names executive director
 

Outdoor Gear Builders names executive director

Outdoor Gear Builders has hired Brad Taylor as its first-ever full-time executive director, marking a milestone for an organization that…
Read More

Comment

 

Forest Service plans prescribed burns

The U.S. Forest Service is planning prescribed burns for seven areas of the Pisgah National Forest this spring. 
Read More

Comment

 

Conservation trusts protect additional lands

Area land trusts are celebrating several recent accomplishments in the quest to conserve and protect ecologically significant land. 
Read More

Comment

 

Decade in the making: Forest Service releases long-awaited 
Pisgah-Nantahala forest plan 


A decade after convening the first meetings to discuss the impending process, the U.S. Forest Service has released a semi-final version…
Read More

Comment

 

All hands on deck: New program trains hiking club members to assist SAR missions

When Chad Seger  was reported missing on Friday, Oct. 16, 2020, the Haywood County Rescue Squad’s Wilderness Search and Rescue…
Read More

Comment

 

Chimney Rock Groundhog says early spring coming to WNC

According to untrained non-meteorologist Pumpkin the Groundhog, spring is on the way for Western North Carolina. 
Read More

Comment

HWA director moves on
 

HWA director moves on

After 18 years at the helm of Haywood Waterways Association, Eric Romaniszyn is leaving his position as the organization’s executive…
Read More

Comment

Oust plastic bags from Haywood
 

Oust plastic bags from Haywood

Volunteers are wanted for a community-wide effort to reduce consumption of single-use plastic bags, with a sew-a-thon planned for Friday,…
Read More

Comment

Haywood student wins climate art contest
 

Haywood student wins climate art contest

A Haywood Early College student was one of three winners in a statewide art contest focusing on climate change. 
Read More

Comment

 

Wildlife Service to release red wolves in eastern N.C.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is preparing nine red wolves for release into the world’s only wild population of…
Read More

Comment

 

Forest Service releases revised management plan

A decade after it first reached out to stakeholders for the project, the U.S. Forest Service has released its revised…
Read More

Comment

 

Balance of bear country: Wildlife Commission takes input on future of WNC bear sanctuaries

Nearly 40 people weighed in on a controversial proposal to allow bear hunting in three mountain sanctuary areas during a…
Read More

Comment

 

Haywood boarder takes fourth at X Games

Waynesville native Zeb Powell, 22, narrowly missed a medal at the X Games in Aspen Jan. 21, coming in fourth…
Read More

Comment

Wild ducks test positive for avian flu
 

Wild ducks test positive for avian flu

After a wild duck shot in Hyde County Dec. 30 tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI, agencies…
Read More

Comment

Macon rep joins ag and natural resource committee
 

Macon rep joins ag and natural resource committee

Rep. Karl Gillespie, who represents Macon, Graham, Cherokee and Clay counties in the N.C. House of Representatives, has joined the…
Read More

Comment

 

Forest Service releases revised management plan

A decade after it first reached out to stakeholders for the project, the U.S. Forest Service has released its revised…
Read More

Comment

 

Smokies visitation blasts past 14 million

For five of the past seven years, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has posted an all-time high number of…
Read More

Comment

 

Helicopter rescue saves stranded Smokies hiker

 A multifaceted rescue effort extricated a stranded hiker from the backcountry of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Tuesday,…
Read More

Comment

 

Along for the ride: Cataloochee thrives amid warm weather, pandemic adaptations

Sun is shifting in and out of the clouds covering Cataloochee Ski Area on Friday, Jan. 14, as I catch…
Read More

Comment

 

Cades Cove vehicle-free day now permanent

After making big changes through pilot projects at Cades Cove Loop Road and Laurel Falls Trail, the Great Smoky Mountains…
Read More

Comment

 

Mainspring receives accreditation renewal

Mainspring Conservation Trust has earned renewal of its national land trust accreditation through the Land Trust Alliance, remaining part of…
Read More

Comment

 

Haywood SAR team completes snowy rescue mission

A hiker stranded along the Art Loeb Trail during the weekend snowstorm is now home safe thanks to a  successful…
Read More

Comment

 

NPS announces fee-free days

The National Park Service will waive admission on five days in 2022, aiming to encourage discovery and visitation of the…
Read More

Comment

 

Land and Water Fund gets new director

After serving as interim director for seven months, Will Summer has been named the next director of the N.C. Division…
Read More

Comment

 

Telling the biters apart: WCU lab helps researcher with mosquito project

Don’t swat at that mosquito.  Swedish entomologist Anders Lindström is sitting in a Western Carolina University lab, patiently waiting for…
Read More

Comment

 

Conservation purchase protects Lake James watershed

The Lake James watershed near Morganton is now a little more protected following a 35-acre conservation purchase Dec. 23 along…
Read More

Comment

 

Chimney Rock gets new resident

Chimney Rock State Park has a new animal ambassador — Oscar the opossum, who was born with no eyes. 
Read More

Comment

Youth racing starts soon at Cataloochee
 

Youth racing starts soon at Cataloochee

Alley Cat Youth Racing will return to Cataloochee Ski Area in Maggie Valley this winter, with the first races scheduled…
Read More

Comment

 

Tobacco Commission grants fund WNC ag efforts

The N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission awarded 23 grants worth more than $4 million for agricultural and economic initiatives across…
Read More

Comment

 

Five ways public lands won big in 2021

For Western North Carolina’s outdoor enthusiasts, a toast to 2021 means a toast to the impressive slate of conservation successes…
Read More

Comment

 

Walker Sisters Cabin closed due to safety concerns

The Walker Sisters Cabin in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will be closed over the coming months due to…
Read More

Comment

 

Smokies project will require filling in small wetland

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park plans to build an annex to its existing headquarters building, and a comment period…
Read More

Comment

 

Streambank project will cause GSMNP lane closure

A streambank stabilization project in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will cause a three-month lane closure along the Townsend…
Read More

Comment

 

Expanded bear hunting proposed for WNC

UPDATE: Since this piece was originally published, the Wildlife Commission announced cancellation of the planned in-person hearings. The Wildlife Resources…
Read More

Comment

 

Fire ant quarantine area expands

The state quarantine area for the imported fire ant has expanded once more to include all of Granville and portions…
Read More

Comment

 

Franklin A.T. Council gets new member

A new hiker hostel has joined the Franklin Appalachian Trail Community Council as an A.T. Supporter.
Read More

Comment

 

Music video advocates for wildlife crossings

A new music video featuring Asheville-based band The Fates aims to raise awareness for an ongoing effort to make wildlife…
Read More

Comment

 

An A.T. alternative: Long-distance trail under construction for the western Appalachians

As the Appalachian wilderness trail Benton MacKaye dreamed up in 1921 becomes busier and busier, a geographically scattered group of…
Read More

Comment

 

N.C. now under burn ban

Open burning is banned in North Carolina until further notice as a wildfire rages at Pilot Mountain State Park near…
Read More

Comment

 

Flat Top Manor renovation complete

A $2.4 million rehabilitation is complete at the iconic Flat Top Manor, located at Moses H. Cone Memorial Park on…
Read More

Comment

 

Drought persists in N.C.

Despite widespread rains last week, the drought situation in North Carolina hasn’t changed much, according to a map published Dec.…
Read More

Comment

Smokey Mountain News Logo
SUPPORT THE SMOKY MOUNTAIN NEWS AND
INDEPENDENT, AWARD-WINNING JOURNALISM
Go to top
Payment Information

/

At our inception 20 years ago, we chose to be different. Unlike other news organizations, we made the decision to provide in-depth, regional reporting free to anyone who wanted access to it. We don’t plan to change that model. Support from our readers will help us maintain and strengthen the editorial independence that is crucial to our mission to help make Western North Carolina a better place to call home. If you are able, please support The Smoky Mountain News.

The Smoky Mountain News is a wholly private corporation. Reader contributions support the journalistic mission of SMN to remain independent. Your support of SMN does not constitute a charitable donation. If you have a question about contributing to SMN, please contact us.