Report hellbender, mudpuppy sightings
With fishing season underway for Hatchery Supported Trout Waters, wildlife biologists at the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission are asking the…
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Parkway prepares for major maintenance projects
The Great American Outdoors Act will give the Blue Ridge Parkway $127 million for projects to address its deferred maintenance…
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At a crossroads: Parking fee would signal a new era in Smokies history
Since its official opening in 1934, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has been free to enter, to park, to…
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Rules aim to prevent deer disease spread
The executive director of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission has invoked emergency powers to prevent spread of Chronic Wasting Disease…
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Indigenous conservation crew forming
Tribal members are wanted to work on a conservation crew this summer emphasizing Cherokee heritage and tradition.
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New state natural area now totals 6,000 acres
The Bobs Creek State Natural Area in McDowell County now totals more than 6,000 acres following completion of the third…
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Chestnut Mountain opens this weekend
The long-awaited Chestnut Mountain Nature Park just outside Canton will open to the public Saturday, April 23, with a family-friendly…
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Frederick Law Olmstead turns 200
Celebrate the 200th birthday of famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmstead noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 26, at the…
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Ramsey Cascades Trail to get a makeover
A two-year trail rehabilitation project will soon start on Ramsey Cascades Trail, one of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s…
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Outdoor Economy Conference draws hundreds to Cherokee
More than 600 people from across the region, nation and Canada representing every facet of the outdoor industry converged on…
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Poultry events suspended due to bird flu
All poultry shows and public poultry sales are suspended in North Carolina due to the threat of highly pathogenic avian…
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Tremont adds adult summer camp
A summer program just for adults will launch this summer at the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont, offering a…
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Motion Makers sells all three stores
After 36 years in business, Motion Makers Bicycle Shop owner Kent Cranford has sold all three stores to Specialized Bicycles,…
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Thinking bigger: After 45 years, MST vision keeps growing
Jutting off from the left side of a typically busy Blue Ridge Parkway pull-off overlooking Mills River, an unassuming dirt…
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First CWD-positive deer found in N.C.
The first case of chronic wasting disease, a fatal affliction affecting cervids like deer and elk, has been detected in…
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Clingmans Dome opening delayed
Clingmans Dome Road will open for the season April 8, a delay from the typical April 1 opening date due…
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Smokies proposes parkwide parking fee
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park today announced a groundbreaking proposal to charge a daily fee for parking and significantly…
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Panthertown volunteers showed up big in 2021
The numbers are in, and in 2021 a total of 322 volunteers with Friends of Panthertown donated 1,945 hours of…
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Only 6% of forest plan objections eligible for standing, Forest Service says
The U.S. Forest Service received nearly 14,000 objections to the forest management plan it released in January for the Pisgah…
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Smokies mechanic named Employee of the Year
Brad Roberts, maintenance mechanic supervisor for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, has been named the park’s 2021 Employee of…
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Smokies fire leaders receive regional, national awards
Two fire specialists in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park recently received awards recognizing them for superior service, innovative thinking…
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Endangered status proposed for northern long-eared bat
A virtual public meeting and hearing 6-8:30 p.m. Thursday, April 7, will take input on a U.S. Fish and Wildlife…
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Small fire burns near Smokies headquarters
A downed powerline along Park Headquarters Road in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park ignited a 1.5-acre wildfire last week.
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Oak Island man aims for MST speed record
Oak Island resident Luke Bennett recently set off on a 1,175-mile journey across North Carolina to raise money and awareness…
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Disc golf course open in Cherokee
The Fire Mountain Disc Golf Sanctuary in Cherokee is now open for play.
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Plugged in: Cherokee receives state’s first electric school bus
With just about 2 inches to spare on each side, an 81-seat electric school bus eased into The Cherokee Convention…
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Swim lessons resume at Waynesville Rec
Swim lessons are back at the Waynesville Recreation Center, with a beginner class for ages 3-8 to be offered once…
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Runner aims to raise money to help people with rare disease
Part-time Sylva resident Richie Kahn is running the Catamount Climb at Western Carolina University April 9 to raise money for…
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‘A lot of mistakes’: Objections level strong criticism against forest plan
The 60-day objection period for the Pisgah-Nantahala Forest Management Plan is now over, and while there’s not yet an official…
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Four N.C. birds confirmed dead from avian flu
Wild bird deaths due to highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI, have been documented in four North Carolina counties, and…
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Athletes complete the Assault on BlackRock
A total of 94 people completed the grueling Assault on BlackRock trail race Saturday, March 19.
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Reclaiming the tastes of home: Apple Trail effort resurrects legacy of Cherokee orchardists
The capital of Kazakhstan, Alma Ata, translates to “full of apples” — an homage to the country’s heritage as the…
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Find the Smokies Most Wanted
Help preserve the multitude of species in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park by participating in the Smokies Most Wanted…
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Work planned for Clingmans Dome Road
When Clingmans Dome Road reopens for the season on April 1, it will do so with the caveat of single-lane…
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Ozone season underway
The 2022 ozone season began March 1, meaning that through Oct. 31 daily air quality forecasts will be available from…
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New long-distance hiking challenge issued
Thru-hiking season for the ever-famous Appalachian Trail is now kicking off, but the Benton MacKaye Trail Association, Alabama Pinhoti Association…
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Cradle of Forestry looks for help
With the 2022 season around the corner, the Cradle of Forestry in America is looking for help to make it…
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National forests announce seasonal road closures
Seasonal closures in the Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests have begun, with affected roads closed to motorized vehicles through April.…
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Time to apply for summer camp jobs
It’s hiring season for summer camp counselors, with applications now open to work at day camps in Cashiers and Waynesville.
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Paving starts on Foothills Parkway
Funding from the Great American Outdoors Act will cover the $31 million cost to repave the 17-mile Foothills Parkway West…
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Bring your own bag, Haywood: Reusable bag project aims to shine light on dangers of single-use plastics
In mid-November 2021, a group of friends was passing the evening gathered around a campfire at Lake Keowee, South Carolina,…
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Roadside volunteers wanted in the Smokies
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is looking for volunteers to help park rangers provide minor roadside assistance to visitors.
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Sliding Rock reopens after flood damage
One of the Pisgah National Forest’s most popular tourist destinations, Sliding Rock Recreation Area, will reopen on April 30 for…
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Summer camp filling quickly in Highlands
Due to overwhelming interest during the priority sign-up period for Highlands Biological Foundation members, only one session of the nonprofit’s…
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Cable Cove Campground will not reopen in 2022
Cable Cove Campground in the Nantahala National Forest near Robbinsville will not reopen this year due to extensive deferred maintenance…
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Spring blooms showing at Nodding Trillium
It’s barely March, but an abnormally warm winter means several spring flowers are already blooming.
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Become a Devils Courthouse Rover
A new volunteer program aiming to educate visitors to Devils Courthouse on the Blue Ridge Parkway and share information about…
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Help available for Tropical Storm Fred losses
Farmers who suffered losses due to Tropical Storm Fred can now apply for help through the N.C. Department of Agriculture…
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New inclusive trail open in Macon County
A new half-mile trail created to serve people with physical disabilities is now open at Mainspring Conservation Trust’s 16-acre Queen…
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Tribe leads coalition to remove Ela Dam
What started as a groundswell of outrage over a massive sediment dump from Ela Dam in Swain County has become…
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