North Carolina creates outdoor rec recruitment position
North Carolina now has a position for a dedicated outdoor recreation recruitment director tasked with developing the state’s outdoor recreation…
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Winged wonders: Butterfly house is a living exhibit at the N.C. Arboretum
It’s one of those summer days that’s so hot and humid it’s impossible to walk even two steps without sweating,…
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New agritourism guide is out
The new Buy Haywood agritourism guide is now available, celebrating the 10th anniversary of this initiative to promote homegrown Haywood…
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Man airlifted following 40-foot fall
A man was airlifted from the Graveyard Fields area of the Pisgah National Forest July 12 after falling 40 feet…
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Repairs underway on the Blue Ridge Parkway
Repairs on the Blue Ridge Parkway will continue through August between mileposts 383 and 389 near Asheville, part of a…
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Fly fishing hall of famers
The Fly Fishing Museum of the Southern Appalachians Hall of Fame will have six new members when its second-ever class…
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The Naturalist's Corner: MOU – MIA
Issues surrounding the management of the country’s national forests have always been thorny. It’s easy to see why — there…
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Under the Pigeon: Snorkeling workshop gives an up-close look at aquatic diversity
The clear water of the West Fork Pigeon River tumbling from its mountain headwaters takes on a yellowish hue through…
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Endangered snail thrives after wildfire
After the fall 2016 wildfires concluded, biologists feared that the flames had devastated populations of the rare noonday globe snail…
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Becoming a trail town: Sylva embraces the Mountains-to-Sea Trail
White dots will soon pepper the sidewalks of downtown Sylva as the town sets out to claim its identity as…
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Brownfield lands a beehive
A restored brownfield property in Franklin is now home to a hive of Carniolan honeybees.
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Water quality projects receive Pigeon River Fund grants
Environmental groups working to improve water quality, aquatic habitat and recreational access recently saw $182,000 in grants from the Pigeon…
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WNC water plants honored for extra-clean water
The N.C. Division of Water Resources has honored 49 water treatment plants statewide for surpassing federal and state drinking water…
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The Naturalist's Corner: Escargot — no
There was much concern regarding the noonday globe snail, Petera clarkia nantahala, after the Tellico Fire burned through the Nantahala…
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Whitewater Falls to reopen
The Whitewater Falls viewing area is on track to reopen by July 4 after being closed since wildfire destroyed it…
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A magical thing: Retiring Parkway superintendent reflects on 37 years with the Park Service
Mark Woods will retire as superintendent of the Blue Ridge Parkway on July 3, but on July 4 he’ll don…
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Land purchase protects crown jewel of the A.T.
Views from the breathtaking Hump Mountain in the Roan Highlands are now protected thanks to a 324-acre purchase the Southern…
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Rec access to expand on the Chattooga
A plan to make recreational access to the Chattooga River ecologically sustainable calls for construction of three kayak launch sites,…
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Above it all: Fryingpan hike offers vast views, diverse plant life
It’s just a short walk from the Blue Ridge Parkway to Fryingpan Tower — 1.5 miles roundtrip — but in…
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NASA comes to WNC
A new nationwide outreach program will bring NASA resources to Western North Carolina, with the Fontana Regional Library selected as…
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Bear canisters required on Avery Creek
Bear-safe food storage is now mandatory within 1,000 feet of Avery Creek Road following an Emergency Food Storage Order issued…
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Study catalogues trout fishing’s economic impact
A recent study quantifying the economic impact of trout fishing showed that 149,000 trout anglers in North Carolina fished 1.6…
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Duke funds will help improve fisheries
Coldwater fisheries will get a boost thanks to a $95,000 grant that Duke Energy’s Water Resources Fund awarded to Trout…
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Help makeover Rainbow Falls
Volunteers are needed to help rehabilitate the 6-mile Rainbow Falls Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, with workdays…
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Bat populations remain low due to white-nose syndrome
Results are back from this year’s winter bat surveys in Western North Carolina, and numbers have remained low following the…
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Ash borer found in Asheville
The emerald ash borer has made it to Asheville, with its arrival to Craftsman Circle providing the first evidence of…
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Waterrock Knob planning begins
Planning is underway for the management of 5,329 acres that the Blue Ridge Parkway acquired around Waterrock Knob last year.
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New fence will protect Smokies museum garden
Elk will stay out of the crops at the Mountain Farm Museum following construction of a historically accurate fence funded…
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The Naturalist's Corner: That’s a wrap
Another spring, another season of bird points in the can. Each spring brings its own unique set of adventures, dilemmas…
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Trails that dance: Cherokee opens 10.5-mile trail system with plans to expand
The snip of a ribbon declared the destination that mountain bikers are hailing as “amazing” and “world-class” to be open…
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Invest in WNC’s great outdoors
The National Forest Foundation has named the Pisgah-Nantahala National Forest as a Treasured Landscape, a designation that unlocks funding to…
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A.T. plates fund conservation
Proceeds from North Carolina Appalachian Trail license plates resulted in $30,000 worth of awards to 12 projects intended to preserve…
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Parkway superintendent to retire
Blue Ridge Parkway Superintendent Mark Woods has announced his retirement from the National Park Service following four years in the…
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Life on the road: Asheville couple trades stability for life of mobile adventure
Ching Fu and Jerud Crandall had professional careers and a comfortable home when they left it all behind in 2015,…
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Students fight stormwater pollution
Students from the Haywood Community Learning Center did their part to reduce stormwater runoff through a service project to mark…
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Parkway delivers $1 billion economic impact
In 2016, Blue Ridge Parkway visitors spent $979.3 million in communities near the park, supporting 15,649 jobs for a cumulative…
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Franklin greenway could expand with land purchase
A 13.9-acre land purchase in Franklin could help expand the Little Tennessee River Greenway.
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Kids plant trees for the future
A tree planting in celebration of Arbor Day was held at Hazelwood Elementary School in Waynesville, using rooted cuttings of…
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Sleuthing for salamanders: New DNA technique boosts salamander science
A new scientific tool developed at the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont will allow salamander-studying scientists to trace the…
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Drought-free in N.C.
For the first time since March 2016, all 100 counties in North Carolina are free of drought or dry conditions.
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Smokies names Franklin woman employee of the year
Franklin resident Lisa Brown has been named the Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s Employee of the Year.
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Timber harvest has started in Harmon Den
A 96-acre timber-harvesting project is underway in the Harmon Den area of the Pisgah National Forest, in Haywood County.
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Movie documents record-breaking A.T. hike
A new movie telling the story of Karl “Speedgoat” Meltzer — who broke the Appalachian Trail speed record by hiking…
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Road closed in the Pisgah
A construction project on Cathy Creek Road in the Pisgah Ranger District of the Pisgah National Forest will cause a…
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Habitat enhancement continues on Lake Jocassee
Now in its third year, the Keowee-Toxaway Habitat Enhancement Program funded by Duke Energy has $1.3 million in available funds,…
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Local man takes state leadership in agriculture education
A Waynesville man has been tapped to lead the state’s Project Food, Land & People program, a national education curriculum…
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Wildfires as classrooms: WCU students study fire’s effects on Dicks Creek drainage
What was once a wildfire became an outdoor classroom for students in Western Carolina University’s Natural Resource Conservation and Management…
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End in sight for Foothills Parkway
The final phase of construction is underway for the Foothills Parkway — which is administered by the Great Smoky Mountains…
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The bugs are back in to-own, the bugs are back in town
The weather hasn’t been too cooperative this spring with regards to my Forest Service bird point count. First weekend in…
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