Wildlife ambassadors available for school programs
This summer’s Mountain Wildlife Days event in Sapphire was one of the most successful ever, and Mountain Wildlife Outreach will…
Read More
Conservation purchase will protect elk, other wildlife on I-40
A 187-acre conservation purchase in Haywood County will allow for wildlife grazing and movement near Interstate 40.
Read More
Youth learn life lessons from bees
Students in the HIGHTS program, which works with vulnerable youth and their families in Western North Carolina, learn about more…
Read More
Environmental analysis complete for national forest’s Buck Project
The U.S. Forest Service has completed an environmental analysis for the Buck Project on the Nantahala National Forest’s Tusquitee Ranger…
Read More
Work will soon begin on I-26
Widening work will begin on Interstate 26 in Buncombe County this fall, a project that will include replacing the Blue…
Read More
Two killed in Smokies car crash
Two people died during a three-vehicle collision at 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Read More
Drought arrives in the mountains
A ban on backcountry fires in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was announced Sept. 26 following the release of…
Read More
Park recognizes first African-American naturalist
Florida resident Dr. Joe Lee earned recognition recently for his role as the Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s first African-American…
Read More
Virginia Parkway section closed indefinitely
A section of the Blue Ridge Parkway’s Virginia portion that has been closed since September will continue to be closed…
Read More
Family Heirlooms return to the Smokies
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park recently received a priceless donation of Cades Cove artifacts to the museum collections when…
Read More
Gift of the Mountains: Rooted in the Mountains connects Cherokee past and global future
It was an hour and a half after sunrise, and the day’s first rays had not yet touched Judaculla Rock,…
Read More
The Naturalist's Corner: A tale of two monarchs
I was on the Blue Ridge Parkway last weekend scouting for an upcoming Alarka Expeditions trip, “Migration Celebration” which will…
Read More
More land conserved at Highlands of Roan
The Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy has purchased 62 acres at Doll Branch in the Highlands of Roan, an acquisition that…
Read More
TVA: No new floating home construction on the water
It’s been about three years since the Tennessee Valley Authority tried to remove all floating homes on its 49 lakes.
Read More
The Naturalist's Corner: Climate change brings more challenges
WNC Climate Action Coalition’s screening of David Weintraub’s new documentary “Guardians of our Troubled Waters” is both a history lesson…
Read More
To the moon and back: Astronaut discusses the Space Age’s past and future at WCU
There are a few moments in history that every American alive at the time remembers in crisp detail. The assassination…
Read More
Delayed Harvest waters to close for trout fishing
Delayed Harvest Trout Waters regulations will go into effect in 20 Western North Carolina counties on Tuesday, Oct. 1.
Read More
Nature center lands grant for school outreach
A $4,500 grant from the Duke Energy Foundation is helping the Highlands Nature Center support its school outreach program.
Read More
Webcams give round-the-clock Smokies views
Webcams recently installed at Newfound Gap and Clingmans Dome will give visitors nearly real-time access to weather conditions and views…
Read More
Conserving for clean water: Project protects 710 acres in Maggie, with 1,350 more to come
Conservation leaders from across the state and nation gathered in Maggie Valley earlier this month to dedicate a land protection…
Read More
Forest Service land closed in the Nantahala Gorge
Until further notice, public access to U.S. Forest Service lands in the Nantahala Gorge is closed due to hazards created…
Read More
Nantahala Gorge reopens for national forest users
The Nantahala River in the Nantahala Gorge is now open to the public for all uses for the first time…
Read More
Fear of collapse causes shelter closure
A beloved shelter on the Appalachian Trail near Roan Mountain is closed until further notice due to structural damage.
Read More
Taylor to retire from Mainspring
After 18 years with Mainspring Conservation Trust and five years as its leader, Sharon Fouts Taylor will retire on Feb.…
Read More
Outdoor economy efforts wins WCU award nomination
An outdoor economy initiative at Western Carolina University has been selected as a finalist in the University Economic Development Association’s…
Read More
Race to honor UNC Charlotte hero: Mighty Four Miler will raise money for Riley Howell Foundation Fund
Hometown hero Riley Howell’s legacy will live on in the form a 4-mile race through the streets of the town…
Read More
Smokies species count reaches 20,000
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park has reached a biodiversity milestone with the discovery and documentation of 20,000 species of…
Read More
The Naturalist's Corner: Santee surprise
During our annual summer beach trip to Isle of Palms, I often manage to sneak away one morning to visit…
Read More
The fungi forager: Franklin man develops a passion for wild mushrooms
Beneath the woodsy world of tree trunks, ferns and leaf litter is another, hidden realm. It’s the world of fungi,…
Read More
Schooled in ag: School gives students a hands-on education
With a new school year just begun, the 300 students who participate in Waynesville Middle School’s robust agriculture program now…
Read More
The untold story: Smokies seeks to showcase history of African-Americans in the park
Many plotlines weave through the story of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, but if the park were a book,…
Read More
The Naturalist's Corner: Could the environment be, once again, a game changer?
I ran into a fellow at Ingles just the other day. Regrettably, I don’t remember his name, but I run…
Read More
HCC student places in national competition
A Haywood Community College student recently took fourth in a national timbersports competition held in Wisconsin.
Read More
Man dies at Deep Creek
A Georgia man was pronounced dead in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Thursday, Aug. 22, following a cardiac…
Read More
Working the watershed: Forest Stewards lays out plans for Waynesville watershed’s future
Nearly four decades ago, vast swathes of the 8,600-acre Waynesville watershed were laid bare, the trees timbered for profit and…
Read More
Cradle Association gets new director
The Cradle of Forestry in America Interpretive Association has a new executive director in Natalie Britt.
Read More
Man dies following cardiac event in park
A man died in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park last week following a cardiac event near the Greenbrier Ranger…
Read More
The Naturalist's Corner: Speak up
If you want the opportunity to have knowledge about and input on actions, policies and/or decisions affecting property you own,…
Read More
New WNC trail wins national award
Weed Patch Mountain Trail, which opened last year in the town of Lake Lure, has been recognized as one of…
Read More
A new state park: Funding and opening Pisgah View State Park will be years-long process
A new state park has been created in Buncombe and Haywood counties following Gov. Roy Cooper’s signature on a state…
Read More
Girl Scouts complete Smokies service
A group of Girl Scouts recently completed 80 hours of service in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park as part…
Read More
Rainstorm causes death in the Smokies
Extremely heavy rainfall in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park caused rockslides, downed trees, flash flooding and a fatality on…
Read More
Man found alive after four days lost in the Smokies
After spending four nights lost in the backcountry of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, searchers found 58-year-old Kevin Mark…
Read More
The Naturalist's Corner: “There is a singer everyone has heard…”
Robert Frost names that singer in the title of his 1916 sonnet “The Oven Bird.” The ovenbird is a large…
Read More
Deadly bat disease spreads to more N.C. counties
There’s more bad news for bats following winter surveys that detected the deadly-to-bats white nose syndrome in four new counties…
Read More
Park Service seeks information regarding man’s death
Investigators with the National Park Service Investigative Services Branch are trying to determine the circumstances surrounding the death of David…
Read More
Floral delight: Native plants expert leads Parkway tour in search of rare species
“When we get out, we’re going to walk across the street and I’m going to show you the most sacred…
Read More
HCC wildlife club wins award
The Haywood Community College Student Chapter of the Wildlife Society recently received the Forrest E. Jarrett Wildlife Conservation Award, an…
Read More
Smokies Stomp raises $84K for national park needs
The second annual Smokies Stomp Barn Party raised more than $84,000 for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park this year,…
Read More
New members appointed to Wildlife Commission
Three new commissioners have been added to the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission and a new chairman and vice chairman elected…
Read More
