Two projects underway in Jackson County are set to expand walkability and access to green spaces for residents. 

“The park is more than a green space; it is a hub for connection, culture and commerce,” said Matthew Tornow, chair of Cullowhee Revitalization Endeavor, also known as CuRvE. 

While most of the river access points and parks are open along the Jackson County Greenway, there has been some damage that will take some time to clean up since the FEMA cleanup group has to remove debris before the county can start its own cleanup and repairs.  

The Franklin Bird Club leads walks along the greenway on Wednesday mornings at 8 a.m. Walks start at alternating locations: Macon County Public Library, Big Bear Park and Salali Lane.

A portion of the Waynesville Greenway is closed to the public starting from the end of Industrial Park Drive on the Asheville Highway side, extending all the way to the end at Lake Junaluska. 

During 2023, volunteers with the Highlands Plateau Greenway contributed 640 hours to create new trails and maintain the existing ones that connect the Highlands community, participating in more than 23 workdays over the past year. 

Help remove invasive plants on the Jackson County Greenway 1-4 p.m. Friday, Jan. 12 in Cullowhee. 

There will be legal penalties for camping on the Little Tennessee River Greenway in Macon County after the County Commission updated the ordinance that regulates use of the greenway last week.

Citing precedent and historical trends, the town of Waynesville will request that Haywood County government resume its annual financial contribution to the town’s recreation budget. 

Haywood County is taking the first steps to establish a comprehensive greenway plan that could end up linking all the county’s municipalities with nearly all its attractions. 

The capital of Kazakhstan, Alma Ata, translates to “full of apples” — an homage to the country’s heritage as the birthplace  of the now-ubiquitous fruit. In the approximately three-quarters of a million years since people first discovered wild sour crab apples in a central Asian forest, the apple has traveled the world, splitting into 7,500 varieties as diverse as the orchardists responsible for breeding them, separated by miles and millennia.