Outdoors
Up Moses Creek: Cinnamon Bun eats out
A female timber rattler lived inside an old railroad tie beside our back porch last summer, coming out in the afternoons to lie on the steps in the sun. Curled up like that, the snake showed swirls of light brown, with dark-toasted bands, and her scales gave off a sugary glaze, so Becky named her Cinnamon Bun.
HCLT to conserve 100 acre tract of pristine land in Cashiers
Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust (HCLT) is under contract on 100 acres of raw and pristine land in Cashiers. Fully surrounded by U.S. Forest Service land, this property is visible from Whiteside Mountain and protects streams in the Chattooga watershed.
NCWRC votes to advance Red Wolf recovery
The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission today voted unanimously in favor of a resolution to advance Red Wolf recovery in the state.
Sign up for night skiing at Cataloochee
Jackson County Recreation is offering four, five and six-week programs that will allow skiers to enjoy lessons under the night sky at Cataloochee Ski Area in Maggie Valley. Lesson times run from about 3-5 p.m., but skiers can hit the slopes afterward until 10 p.m.
North Carolina announces drinking water awards
The North Carolina Division of Water Resources has honored 79 water treatment plants for surpassing federal and state drinking water standards in 2023.
Most of WNC now in moderate drought
The North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council has again classified the whole state as at least abnormally dry with a moderate drought now affecting the entire Smoky Mountain News coverage area other than a sliver of northern Haywood County.
Jackson County hosts youth spring soccer
Youth soccer is coming to Jackson County next month.
Registration for spring soccer begins Jan. 1 and runs through Jan. 31. Registration fee is $65. Anyone born between 2011 and 2020 is eligible to participate.
WNC skier shares love of sport with family, community
On the weekdays, Alex Masciarelli proudly works as principal of Junaluska Elementary School in Waynesville. But, on the weekends during this time of year, he’s also a member of the Ski Patrol at Cataloochee Ski Area in Maggie Valley.
The Joyful Botanist: Bogged down in winter
I’ve been getting bogged down a lot this year. I don’t mean that I’ve been in a quagmire or morass necessarily, but I’ve been slogging through some incredibly beautiful wetland ecosystems in the mountains and throughout the southeastern US.
I’ve been bog stomping.
