Outdoors
Submit soil samples to avoid peak-season fees
Now is the time to submit soil samples for faster turnaround time on results and avoid peak-season testing fees. This year, the peak laboratory season starts Wednesday, Nov. 26, and runs through March 31, 2026.
Samples must physically arrive at the Agronomic Services’ loading dock by Tuesday, Nov. 25, by 5 p.m. or earlier to avoid being charged a peak-season fee of $4 per sample.
‘Girls on the Run’ 5K coming to Asheville
Girls on the Run of Western North Carolina (GOTR WNC) will host its annual Fall 5K Presented by AdventHealth. Hundreds of girls, families, coaches and community members will lace up their sneakers for this celebration of confidence, connection and joy.
Lawsuit alleges Forest Service timber sale is illegal
The Center for Biological Diversity and MountainTrue are suing the federal government, seeking to ensure laws are followed where they claim the U.S. Forest Service is skirting regulations in allowing the logging of a 135-acre parcel in the Nolichucky Gorge near the small Poplar community on the border between Yancey and Mitchell counties.
The Joyful Botanist: Skeleton Trees
As the fall winds blow the remaining leaves from deciduous trees and the plants have gone dormant for the season, the bones of the mountains and skeletal shapes of the trees come into view. Especially on snowy days, when the fallen snow lays on both forest floor and the branches of trees and shrubs, creating a stark outline of the forms of both hills and limbs.
Word from the Smokies: Early mussel restoration efforts show promise
Flowing over nutrient-rich limestone rock that fueled a diverse assemblage of species, Abrams Creek was once one of the most productive streams in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. That changed in 1957, when wildlife managers intent on expanding opportunities for anglers stocked it with non-native rainbow trout — after applying the fish pesticide rotenone to the entire lower portion of the creek, hoping to protect the trout from competition. Chilhowee Dam was completed later that year, cutting the creek off from downstream fish populations.
Smokies to remain open through Jan. 4
Amid the ongoing federal government shutdown, the nonprofit Friends of the Smokies will continue to provide funding to ensure Great Smoky Mountains National Park remains open with basic visitor services and limited staffing from Nov. 3, through Jan. 4, 2026.
Jackson greenway obtains therapy trail status
Jackson County is now home to two certified forest therapy trails endorsed by the Association of Nature & Forest Therapy. The most recent certified trail is the Jackson County Greenway. The first trail certified was the popular Pinnacle Park lower loop section.
Haywood Waterways seeks water collection volunteers
Haywood Waterways is putting out a call for volunteers to collect water samples.
In 1996, the Volunteer Water Information Network program was established as a water quality monitoring program for many Western North Carolina counties.
Dispose of pesticides in Haywood County
Farmers, homeowners and small businesses are invited to safely dispose of unwanted pesticides Tuesday, Dec. 2, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Mountain Research Station, 265 Test Farm Road, Waynesville.
This free collection, sponsored by the N.C. Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services and N.C. Cooperative Extension, is open to individuals, farmers and small businesses—no dealers or large retailers.
