Snorkeling the mountains: New Blue Ridge Snorkel Trail will show off WNC’s vibrant streams
For most people, the word “snorkeling” conjures images of blue Caribbean waters, pink coral reefs and a rainbow of tropical fish. But witnessing a world of aquatic beauty doesn’t require a flight to the Florida Keys.
A year in outdoors
From new parks to big birthdays to policy overhauls, 2022 has been a year of change and major milestones for the outdoors in Western North Carolina. Here’s my best stab at outlining some of the biggest news to enter the region’s outdoor world this year.
Count for Christmas: In 123rd year, annual bird count yields critical conservation data
As Christmas 1900 approached, ornithologist Frank Chapman hatched an idea.
Recipe for adventure: WNC communities embark on outdoor economy initiative
More than 130 people from 25 Western North Carolina counties met in Boone last month to talk about how best to build the region’s outdoor economy — and over the next two years, that conversation will continue. Building Outdoor Communities, a program from Made By Mountains, aims to help individual communities foster collaboration and expertise to meet their outdoor economy goals.
‘Know what you don’t know’ : New book aims to stop backcountry emergencies before they start
During his 30 years living and teaching in Western North Carolina, Maurice Phipps has heard countless tales of tragedy and near misses set in the Southern Appalachian backcountry — people falling off waterfalls , shivering in the cold while awaiting rescue after a wrong turn on the trail, or logging hair-raising experiences with wildlife .
A new purpose: Finding peace in teaching the art of survival
Will White can prepare you to survive just about any situation.
The birders… they are a’changing: A new generation of birders rises up
I’ve been birding in Western North Carolina since I got here in the late 1980s, in my mid-thirties (yes, I’m that old.)
When I would show up for a birding trip or program, I would be one of the “youngsters.” I kept birding and kept attending events and the constant thing was, we all kept getting older. I have participated in the Balsam Christmas Bird Count since its inception in 2003, and trust me, to see a face under 50 years of age is a novelty.
Notes from a Plant Nerd: How a love for plants took root
Hi, my name is Adam Bigelow, and I am a Plant Nerd.
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 that took place on the region’s public lands this year.
Hands-on approach key to HCC program
When Dylan Brooks first started his college education, he began in a business program. It didn’t take long to figure out that sitting in a classroom or eventually in an office was not what he wanted to do.