Outdoors
The Joyful Botanist: Back into the briar patch
I got stuck thinking about plants in the genus Smilax after writing about them last time out. It is such a great genus of plants, and as I discussed in my last column, most people only see them as a nuisance. I think they might be one rank below yellow jackets (Vespula spp.) and poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) as the most despised organisms in the woods.
Missing hiker found deceased in Smokies
Missing hiker Ann Houghton, 73, was found deceased in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Feb. 2 at approximately 1:53 p.m. She was found roughly a quarter mile off of Enloe Creek Trail.
WCU’s Gibbs earns grant for sicklefin redhorse research
Inside Keith Gibbs’ office hangs an imprint of a sicklefin redhorse, a sucker fish that the Western Carolina University assistant professor in the Department of Geosciences and Natural Resources takes great interest in.
Property owners reminded to take action at home, be prepared for wildfires
Now is the time for North Carolinians to act on wildfire mitigation practices and Firewise principles. By taking appropriate action, residents can help protect their homes and communities from wildfires by creating a defensible space while reducing risk.
Lake Junaluska Golf Course to host U.K.’s Proper Golfing Academy
Proper Golfing Academy, a senior golfers retreat based in the United Kingdom, is coming to Lake Junaluska Golf Course in April for its first appearance in the United States.
‘The Greatest Wildlife Photographs’ on display at NC Arboretum
Visitors to The North Carolina Arboretum can witness some of the most surprising animal behavior in the new National Geographic exhibition, “The Greatest Wildlife Photographs.”
Applications being accepted for Junior Livestock Scholarships
Youth who exhibited livestock at the N.C. State Fair are eligible to apply for N.C. State Fair Junior Livestock Scholarships.
The application period is open through March 1. Up to 25 $2,000 scholarships are available, in addition to one $2,500 Farm Credit of N.C. Premier Scholarship.
Rising above the flood: Small towns fight for survival amid funding shortfalls
With billions in damages, limited state aid and considerable uncertainty surrounding federal funding, local officials are still pushing for streamlined disaster response to rebuild their communities months after Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina.
Word from the Smokies: Monarchs proposed for threatened species listing
Before National Geographic published its famous August 1976 cover story detailing the search for the monarch butterfly’s wintering grounds, nobody knew where these strikingly beautiful creatures vanished when the weather grew cold. A 2,000-mile migration was thought to be a “foolish idea,” said Wanda DeWaard, founder of the outdoor education company Earth Kin LLC, who has led a monarch tagging program in Great Smoky Mountains National Park since 1998. Ever since, this natural phenomenon has fostered fascination among scientists and enthusiasts alike.
