Agriculture losses from Florence top $1 billion
Initial estimates for crop damage and livestock losses in North Carolina due to Hurricane Florence are expected to top $1.1…
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River access restored at Beechertown Road
Repairs have been completed to Beechertown Road and the Nantahala River access there in the Nantahala National Forest near Franklin.
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Oil Nut, that most curious fruit
For Elizabeth and me, the fall season is one of the most invigorating times to get out in the woods…
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Mountains at a running pace
Andrew Shepherd has only been a runner for about two years. But when he took up the hobby, he was…
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Poor acorn crop leads to increased bear encounters
A nighttime breath of fresh air turned traumatic for 75-year-old Swannanoa resident Toni Rhegness when she spotted three bear cubs…
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Chimney Rock reopens
Chimney Rock State Park is now reopen, complete with a working elevator, after a tough year that included extensive damage…
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MST birthday weekend logs 2,700 miles
An initial tally shows that 434 hikers cumulatively covered 2,756 miles of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail during its birthday weekend Sept.…
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Celebration crashers
My bride and I celebrated our anniversary by ditching the kids and renting a cabin near Blue Ridge, Ga., for…
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Tremont plans monarch tagging
The Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont is inviting volunteers to take part in monarch tagging in the Cades Coves…
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Bones from coast to coast: Black Mountain runner completes 1,175-mile run while battling cancer
Most people would not see a diagnosis of incurable cancer as an invitation to run 1,175 miles. But Kenny Capps…
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Chimney Rock hike-in only
Chimney Rock State Park is now hike-in only following the start of work to stabilize its upper parking lot Sept.…
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Man found dead in Smokies after two-day search
A man and a bear are dead following an ill-fated ginseng hunt in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
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A mile-high view: State-level squabble stalls Jackson County conservation project
To call the view stretching out below the 5,462-foot bald “spectacular,” “impressive” or even “jaw-dropping” would be an understatement. It…
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Nine years yields new state forest: Headwaters State Forest will offer landowner education and primitive recreation
North Carolina got a new slice of public land last week when Headwaters State Forest was opened to the public…
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The Naturalist's Corner: Hearts are a-bursting
I started out the front door, in the early morning light the other day, to check on the whereabouts of…
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Tremont gets new CEO
Catharine Terry has been hired as the new president and CEO of the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont near…
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The Naturalist's Corner: The skies are beginning to fill
Around 70 percent of the birds that nest in the Eastern U.S. are neotropical migrants — they nest here (U.S.…
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Telethon raises $210,000 for Smokies
Friends of the Smokies collected $210,525 in donations during its 24th annual Friends Across the Mountains Telethon from hundreds of…
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150 acres protected in Jackson County
An additional 150 acres of land in Jackson County has been conserved with Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust.
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Like an old friend: Two decades of rock climbing getaways build friendship, identity for Sylva woman
Twenty years ago, Erin McManus and her friend Amy Miller were 22-year-olds fresh out of college, with no jobs, no…
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The Naturalist's Corner: It’s getting pinker
Our annual beach and marsh R&R at Wild Dunes on Isle of Palms, South Carolina, is history. Thanks to the…
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Tree seedlings for sale
Seedlings are available for sale from the N.C. Forest Service Nursery Program, with specimens offering superior growth, form and disease…
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Boating access improvements coming to the Chattooga
Restoration and recreation work has begun on the Chattooga River in the Pisgah-Nantahala National Forest thanks to funding from the…
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MST now complete in the mountains
The longest continuous section of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail is now complete in Western North Carolina thanks to Carolina Mountain Club…
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Grants awarded for farmland preservation
Farmland in several Western North Carolina counties will now be protected thanks to funding from the Agricultural Development and Farmland…
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Water Management Trust Fund awards $26 million
The N.C. Clean Water Management Trust Fund is closing out the 2017 grant year after having given nearly $26 million…
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MST sees fundraising success
Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail surpassed its fundraising goal of $200,000 to bring in $274,838 through its 40th anniversary campaign.
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Harrah’s employee recognized for environmental commitment
Harrah’s Cherokee Casinos’ housekeeping supervisor Arena Hall-Miller was one of three people chosen from across the Caesars brand for the…
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Report ranks N.C. high on solar growth
A new report from the Environment North Carolina Research and Policy Center ranks North Carolina third for solar energy production…
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Fly Fishing Hall of Famers announced
Inductees for the 2018 Fly Fishing Hall of Fame have been announced, with an induction ceremony set for Saturday, Sept.…
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Purchase to boost Bartram access: Mainspring conserves 71 acres of Little Tennessee River bottomland
A recent land purchase by Mainspring Conservation Trust could spell a new era for the Bartram Trail in Macon County. …
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Become a junior ranger
Kids wanting to earn their badge will have plenty of chances with a full slate of junior ranger programs offered…
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Champions crowned in Haywood
The 2018 Haywood County Recreation and Parks Summer Soccer Tournament concluded Monday, July 30, with a victory for the team…
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Counting the bears: UTK conducts largest-ever black bear survey
Barbed wire and hundreds of pounds of donuts are the key ingredients in a University of Tennessee Knoxville effort to…
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Key land tract conserved in Macon
Two adjoining properties that Mainspring Conservation Trust bought in July now link previously unconnected pieces of national forest and state…
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Dance raises $60K for the Smokies
The inaugural Smokies Stomp Barn Party hosted by Friends of the Smokies raised more than $60,000 to support the Great…
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Shooting range gets upgrades
The Dirty John Shooting Range in the Nantahala National Forest near Franklin will be closed for upgrades Thursday, Aug. 2,…
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Sunburst Trout celebrates 70 years
Sunburst Trout Farms in Waynesville will celebrate its 70th anniversary on Thursday, Aug. 2, coinciding with the first-ever National Rainbow…
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Students explore natural resources fields in Raleigh
A trio of local high school students recently represented Haywood County at a weeklong environmental workshop, the Resource Conservation Workshop,…
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No sight required: Summer camp spurs blind youth to outdoor adventure
When Sam Chandler heard that the summer camp he’d been attending for years planned to launch an adventure camp, he…
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The Naturalist's Corner: Best possible science discarded
Studying the red wolf fiasco taking place in eastern North Carolina takes me far away in time and distance —…
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The Naturalist's Corner: Continuing red wolf saga
U.S. Fish and Wildlife (F&W) held a public meeting regarding proposed rule changes to its Red Wolf Recovery Plan. According…
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Red wolf proposal draws criticism
A long-awaited proposal for future management of the imperiled red wolf population was released last week, drawing ire from environmental…
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Learning Center opens at PARI
The Learning Center at PARI has officially launched following a ribbon-cutting ceremony this month.
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New tick species found in N.C.
A new species of tick has been spotted in North Carolina following the discovery of a longhorned tick on an…
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Bill seeks to fund Park Service maintenance backlog
A bi-partisan bill seeking to create a fund to address deferred maintenance in the National Parks System has been introduced…
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Mountain Wildlife Days a success
More than 600 people attended the 15th annual Mountain Wildlife Days at Sapphire Valley Resort July 13-14, raising more than…
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N.C. hosts multi-state effort to boost outdoor industry
A three-day meeting to plan the future of the outdoor industry drew leaders from 11 states to Asheville this month,…
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Adventure for all: Outdoor camp for youth with special needs builds friendships and confidence
Intermittent breeze ripples the water atop Lake Junaluska as the sky vacillates between sun and cloud, but the wind can’t…
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The Naturalist's Corner: Death sentence?
On June 27 U.S. Fish and Wildlife (F&W) announced a proposed rule many in the conservation forefront have deemed as…
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