It was the yard birds that alerted Becky, “a crowd of them,” as she put it; chickadees, titmice and wrens all scolding their heads off at something under the fringe tree. And when she looked out the back door, there the thing was.

 The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will host two family-friendly events to recognize National Hunting and Fishing Day, an annual celebration promoting outdoor recreation and conservation. 

The ideal habitat of the Eastern hellbender that Tracy Davids described was pretty much what she saw on Tuesday morning as she stood ankle-deep in the Davidson River. 

“Relatively shallow, fast-moving, highly oxygenated water because (hellbenders) breathe through their skin,” said Davids, senior southeast representative for the Defenders of Wildlife environmental organization.

This month, The North Carolina Arboretum and ecoEXPLORE celebrates 100,000 observations of wild plants and animals taken by North Carolina youth and submitted to iNaturalist. In celebration, the Arboretum is inviting everyone to pitch in on selecting the top 10 photos by voting in this poll. The deadline to participate is Sept. 1. 

The Jackson County Tourism Development Authority (TDA) announced the launch of its Birding in Jackson County guide — a free, full-color publication designed to help locals and visitors discover one of the most engaging outdoor activities the region has to offer. 

 Haywood Community  College’s Department of Arts, Sciences and Natural Resources and the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission will offer 4 opportunities for hunter safety courses in Fall 2025.

The National Park Service urges visitors to not feed or approach black bears in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The park has seen an increase in incidents involving visitors feeding bears. Feeding wildlife is illegal and endangers you, other visitors and bears. 

Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust announced the conservation of 31.69 acres of ecologically valuable land within the town limits of Highlands. Located off Bowery Road, the property overlooks Horse Cove Valley. 

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission welcomed Justin Boyd to its governing board. Boyd was appointed as an at-large member by North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture Steve Troxler and will serve a four-year term until June 30, 2029. Boyd was sworn in on July 22 at the Department of Agriculture headquarters in Raleigh. 

With their tough, leathery shells, unique digging habits and pattern of giving birth to identical quadruplets, nine-banded armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus) are full of quirks. These solitary creatures are skilled burrowers and surprisingly adaptable — so much so that they’ve expanded their range to include some of the highest elevations in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.