SMN staff
Creeping along the forest floor is a group of native plants that look like mosses, but aren’t mosses.
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park has lifted a burn ban that’s been in effect for weeks amid drought conditions and an active wildfire season.
After 20 years of living only in captivity, the federally endangered magnificent ramshorn has been returned to the wild.
County governments and conservation nonprofits have until Dec. 18 to apply for farmland preservation grants from the N.C. Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund.
Drake Fowler, deputy executive director at The North Carolina Arboretum in Asheville, has been named president of the N.C. Chapter of the American Association of Landscape Architect. He will serve a one-year term leading the organization.
Fowler joined the Arboretum during 2015 as chief operations officer and chief financial officer and assumed his current post in 2019. He has been instrumental in the recent $2 million renovation and expansion of parking; overseeing the design and implementation of the $1.2 Willow Pond project that is a stormwater management, education and conservation initiative that protects the rare mole salamander; and programming of future improvements at the Arboretum’s Parkway entrance.
Family farms across the region are eligible for emergency loan assistance from the Farm Service Agency due to damage or losses from drought occurring this fall.
Western North Carolina is well represented in the more than $15 million recently awarded to protect working farms and forests, support county farmland preservation efforts and promote agricultural enterprises.
Mountain BizWorks has named eight outdoor businesses that have been selected for the fifth cohort of its annual Waypoint Accelerator Program, which offers targeted support and resources for promising early-stage outdoor businesses.
More than 500,000 North Carolinians stand to gain free health coverage in the coming months.
The Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation announced that Charlotte Muir has been appointed as its new executive director. The announcement comes following an extensive nationwide search conducted by the Succession Planning Committee and approval from the Board of Directors.
A new hiking trail is now open in Old Fort, offering an opportunity for people with disabilities to get outside.
Held Sunday, Nov. 12, in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Cades Cove Loop Lope raised more than $110,000 to support the park.
Winter Gary has been appointed interim executive director of the Highlands Biological Foundation as the organization works through a leadership transition after Charlotte Muir left for an executive director position with the Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation.
Check out Winter Lights at the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville with a group leaving from the Waynesville Recreation Department at 4:15 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 12.
Newly released economic data measuring the outdoor recreation industry’s impact on the U.S. economy shows that, despite ongoing economic challenges, the industry continues to be a powerful driver in North Carolina.
Registration opens Dec. 1 for a program offering discounted rates to ski and snowboard Cataloochee Ski Area on Friday nights this season.
A visual exploration of the Blue Ridge Bartram Trail will be on display through Jan. 6, 2024, at The Bascom in Highlands.
Work has started on a new 3-mile trail near Old Fort.
Ride the trails with an experienced mountain bike instructor at 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, at Chestnut Mountain Nature Park in Canton.
After canvassing, the vote count is official, with Brad Waldrop, Mark Jones and Blitz Estridge winning seats on the Sylva Town Council, in addition to incoming Mayor Johnny Phillips.
Lakeview Drive in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Bryson City is now open, but rehabilitation work on the road is still ongoing.
Old Saint Nick will visit Chimney Rock State Park in Rutherford County Saturdays, Dec. 2 and 9, for the 26th year running to practice his chimney-climbing game on the iconic rock as Christmas festivities abound.
The No Man’s Land Film Festival, the premier all-woman adventure film festival, will screen at New Belgium Brewing’s Liquid Center in Asheville at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 28, and it will also stream online.
More than 67,000 pounds of trout will be stocked in the mountain and piedmont regions of North Carolina between Nov. 29 and Dec. 21, including locations in Jackson, Macon, Buncombe and Transylvania counties.
North Carolinians continue to breathe the cleanest air in decades as emissions of harmful air pollutants like nitrogen oxides and particulate matter reach historic lows, according to the latest update of the “Air Quality Trends in North Carolina” report published by the N.C. Division of Air Quality.
Celebrate the Pigeon River Watershed during Haywood Waterways Association’s annual membership meeting and holiday dinner 6-8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 6, at the Lambuth Inn at Lake Junaluska.
The committee responsible for advising on U.S. Forest Service recreation fees is looking for new members.
Through Nov. 28 agricultural employers can apply for grants through a pilot program designed to improve the resilience of the food and agricultural supply chain by addressing workforce challenges farmers and ranchers face.
Meet Santa at the Nantahala Outdoor Center in Swain County at one of three events coming up next month.
During the month of November, military members and veterans can receive a discount on tree seedling orders from the N.C. Forest Service.
The Nantahala Hiking Club will recognize outstanding volunteers during its annual awards banquet 5-8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, at First Presbyterian Church in Franklin.
A turkey shoot will be held 9 a.m. Saturdays at the American Legion in Waynesville, continuing weekly through mid-April 2024.
Incumbent Alderman Dann Jesse will return to the Town of Clyde Board of Aldermen, along with a new face, Amy Russell.
Work will start soon to add an acceleration lane from Interstate 40 East to U.S. 74A for $1.3 million.
Environmental groups working to improve water quality in Haywood, Buncombe and Madison counties recently received 10 grants totaling $285,190 from The Pigeon River Fund of The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina.
The Sandy Mush Game Lands in Buncombe and Madison counties are now 67 acres larger after the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy helped the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission acquire the property.
After closing it four years ago, the U.S. Forest Service has decided to decommission and remove the Overmountain Shelter, located on the Appalachian Trail near Roan Mountain.
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is looking for volunteers to expand its Elk Volunteer-in-Park Program in 2024.
A recently completed study on microplastics in Western North Carolina has revealed that even remote headwater streams are impacted, as a large percentage of microplastics in waters tested came from atmospheric deposition.
A newly released book from the Great Smoky Mountains Association compiles written accounts from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s archives spanning more than 230 years.
The Maggie Valley Sanitary District again earned top marks for water quality from the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality, one of 15 facilities to be recognized with the “Gold Star” honor for systems that have received an award for exceeding drinking water standards for 10 or more consecutive years.
Dubbed ‘Asheville’s brightest holiday tradition,’ Winter Lights opens Friday, Nov. 17, with the brilliant display open daily 6-10 p.m. through Sunday, Dec. 31, at the N.C. Arboretum.
The growing season is winding down, but Haywood County Master Gardeners are still available to answer questions about all manner of plant-related issues.
Earn your place as a cornhole champion during a tournament at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 18, at the Cullowhee Recreation Center in Cullowhee.
Haywood County is home to a slew of state medalists in this year’s North Carolina Senior Games.
A Haywood County jury found a former jailer-turned-security guard guilty of strangling, raping and assaulting his then-wife.
A bartender has been criminally charged following a single-vehicle collision in Macon County.
The campground at Gorges State Park in Transylvania County is closed through Nov. 16 after a bear attacked an RV last week.
Prescribed burns on about 1,200 acres of fields in Cades Cove are taking place this fall.
A burn ban has been issued for 14 Western North Carolina counties in the face of expanding drought following the state’s 10th-driest October since records began in 1895.
