Biological Foundation holds fundraising soiree

Festivities for the Highlands Biological Foundation’s annual summer soiree will commence at 6 p.m. Monday, July 18, on the historic…
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Ribbon-cutting planned for Old Fort trails

The first phase of the Old Fort Trails Project in the Pisgah National Forest will open on Sunday, June 26. 
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U.S. House passes ‘historic’ wildlife bill

Lauded as a “historic game-changer” for wildlife conservation in the United States, the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act last week passed…
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Measuring the top of the world: Tuscola alum leads Everest expedition

Baker Perry’s family arrived in Haywood County almost by accident. They’d been living in Bolivia, where his parents operated a…
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Fire Mountain closed for OneWheel event

Fire Mountain Trails in Cherokee will be closed Friday, June 17, and Saturday, June 18, for the second annual WheelScorcher…
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Around the Smokies

It’s a busy time in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park as visitation ramps up while the park works to…
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Fundraising bike ride ends at Lake Junaluska

Johnson City residents Steve Wheeler and John Redmond spent the weekend biking from Johnson City to Lake Junaluska in hopes…
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Notes from the National Park Service
 

Notes from the National Park Service

With 423 units covering more than 85 million acres, there’s much more to the National Park Service than the Great…
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New natural area opens to the public

Bobs Creek State Natural Area is officially open following a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday, June 2, attended by Gov. Roy Cooper…
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Wildlife in the legislature: Bill seeks to halt expanded bear sanctuary hunting

A  bill  seeking to strike down an N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission rule  that would allow limited bear hunting in three…
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Energy efficiency speaker series kicks off

A series of three workshops looking at energy efficiency and cost reduction techniques for homes and businesses will kick off…
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Rains banish dry conditions
 

Rains banish dry conditions

The return of dry conditions in Western North Carolina appears to have been temporary after massive rains last week erased…
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Protecting the nest: Volunteer program aims to restore falcons at Devils Courthouse

For years, Blue Ridge Parkway staff have been concerned that visitor behavior at Devils Courthouse, a popular overlook on the…
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Jacobsen chosen as Haywood Waterways leader

Preston Jacobsen has been selected as the next executive director of Haywood Waterways Association following the departure of longtime leader…
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Bear injures campers at Elkmont

A bear has been euthanized after it broke into a tent occupied by a family of five and their dog,…
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Bill seeks National Scenic Trail designation for Benton MacKaye Trail

A bipartisan bill seeking to designate the Benton MacKaye Trail as a National Scenic Trail has been introduced to the…
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Bear canisters required in Panthertown

The U.S. Forest Service is now requiring anybody who stays overnight in Panthertown Valley to use a bear-resistant container or…
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Delayed Harvest waters open

On June 4, 34 trout streams and two lakes in North Carolina will reopen to trout harvest through Sept. 30. 
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Reward offered for information on slain red wolf
 

Reward offered for information on slain red wolf

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is offering $5,000 for information regarding a federally protected red wolf found dead in…
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Water monitoring available for local swim holes
 

Water monitoring available for local swim holes

Swimming hole monitoring season resumes this weekend as MountainTrue once again starts updating its Swim Guide, an online resource offering…
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Ocoee rec amenities reopen

Recreation areas at the Ocoee Whitewater Center in Polk County, Tennessee, are now open for the first time since a…
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Summer hours start at Highlands Nature Center

Memorial Day weekend marks the beginning of summer hours at the Highlands Nature Center. 
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New trail climbs Sassafras Mountain
 

New trail climbs Sassafras Mountain

A new 2-mile hiking trail is now open in Headwaters State Forest in North Carolina, crossing the state line to…
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Pigeon River grants announced
 

Pigeon River grants announced

The latest round of Pigeon River Fund awards provide 10 grants totaling $234,241 to fund water quality projects in Haywood,…
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Big water: Retiring American Whitewater director reflects on 18 years of conservation leadership

Mark Singleton was mingling with Outdoor Industry Association colleagues at a 2004 reception in Washington, D.C., when he heard that…
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Bill seeks to prevent new bear sanctuary hunts

A bill seeking to strike down an N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission rule allowing bear hunting in three Western North Carolina…
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Deer harvest remains high as pandemic recedes
 

Deer harvest remains high as pandemic recedes

Deer harvest in North Carolina remains robust, with numbers from the 2021-22 hunting season remaining nearly level with those recorded…
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Connect to the spirit of the Smokies

The “Spirit of the Smokies” certificate program is starting up again, offered by the University of Tennessee’s Smoky Mountain Field…
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Large Pinnacle Mountains tract protected

A 960-acre conservation purchase in McDowell County protects an ecologically important area along the Pinnacle Mountains. 
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Grant project aims to boost Parkway’s economic impact

A pair of grants totaling $911,000 aim to support economic development planning in the Blue Ridge Parkway corridor, including both…
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Haywood septic repair project earns award

A project aiming to keep drinking water clean by helping people repair failing septic systems has earned Haywood County organizations…
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Right in rain: After 15 years of forecasting, Local Yokel is shifting focus

Preston Jacobsen, a man some know better as the Local Yokel Weather guy, comes by his love of meteorology honestly.
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Time to fly: Disc golf course 
opens in Cherokee

Sandwiched between the flowing waters of Raven Fork and the final southern stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway, a new…
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New manager hired for WNC Ag Center
 

New manager hired for WNC Ag Center

Sean McKeon has been hired as the new WNC Agricultural Center and WNC Mountain State Fair manager, replacing long-time manager…
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Body recovered from Little River
 

Body recovered from Little River

The body of a 72-year-old man was recovered from Little River in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park after somebody…
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GSMA projects pull in awards

The Great Smoky Mountains Association has earned some recognition recently for producing top-tier educational materials. 
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Help decorate the Capitol Christmas tree

The U.S. Forest Service is collecting Christmas ornaments to decorate the North Carolina tree set to adorn the U.S. Capitol…
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New design on display at Quilt Garden
 

New design on display at Quilt Garden

The Quilt Garden at the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville now features a brand new design titled “North Carolina Lily,” inspired…
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Appalachian Farm School draws diverse ag interests

Despite representing different spectrums of the agricultural community, participants in this year’s Appalachian Farm School have at least one thing…
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Stewarding opportunity: Outdoor Economy Conference tackles tough questions

With more than 600 people and 70 speakers from 24 states gathering for a four-day event, the 2022 Outdoor Economy…
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Prepare for backcountry emergencies
 

Prepare for backcountry emergencies

Landmark Learning is now enrolling for a variety of wilderness medicine certification courses planned for the spring months. 
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Launching a legacy: Canton’s Chestnut Mountain Park officially open

As Earth Day bloomed under one of spring’s sunniest skies yet, more than 150 people gathered on a concrete bridge…
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Mother bear rescued from lid

A mother bear stuck in a lid is now fully recovered following two days and nights of work from N.C.…
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BYOBag Haywood highlights single-use plastic problem

Fifty volunteers distributed more than 1,400 reusable bags in Haywood County on Earth Day and the following Saturday, April 22-23,…
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Species conservation plans open for comment
 

Species conservation plans open for comment

Public comment is open through May 5 for draft species conservation plans concerning the Atlantic pigtoe mussel and Henslow’s sparrow. 
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Fire destroys Ocoee Whitewater Center

The Ocoee Whitewater Center in Polk County, Tennessee, built for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, is permanently closed following an…
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Pisgah wildfire nearing full containment

A forest fire that broke out April 27 on the Pisgah National Forest near the Pisgah Inn has been contained,…
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Bear sanctuary hunting rule now up to legislators

A new rule allowing bear hunting in three Western North Carolina sanctuary areas currently off-limits to the practice might not…
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Major improvements coming to Catawba Falls
 

Major improvements coming to Catawba Falls

The popular Catawba Falls Trail on the Grandfather Ranger District of the Pisgah National Forest will close Monday, May 2,…
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Waynesville greenway section closed

A section of the Waynesville greenway next to Richland Creek at Vance Street Park is now closed for a construction…
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