Dig in to the white-collar side of farming
 

Dig in to the white-collar side of farming

Learn the business side of farming with the Appalachian Farm School, a pilot agricultural business training program for farmers in…
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Haywood Waterways invites you to take the plunge
 

Haywood Waterways invites you to take the plunge

There’s something alluring about plunging into icy midwinter water — enough so that it spawns polar plunge fundraisers for sundry…
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Sparrowing at Kituwah
 

Sparrowing at Kituwah

A quest for sparrow sightings will commence during the morning of Jan. 14 at Kituwah, an area of about 300…
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Land trust gets new executive director
 

Land trust gets new executive director

Land Trust for the Little Tennessee has a new executive director in Sharon Fouts Taylor, who will move into the…
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Wildlife commission roles out proposed hunting and fishing regs
 

Wildlife commission roles out proposed hunting and fishing regs

A public hearing on proposed changes to hunting, fishing and wildlife management regulations will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday,…
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School on the slopes: Cataloochee’s expanded kids program spreads the joy of sliding
 

School on the slopes: Cataloochee’s expanded kids program spreads the joy of sliding

Rain was beginning to set in on a fog-ridden day on the slopes when Annie Dephouse gave her 5-year-old charge,…
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Forest Stewards honored for conservation forestry
 

Forest Stewards honored for conservation forestry

A Cullowhee-based forest management group was recently recognized for its work by Root Cause, a regional initiative to raise awareness…
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Haywood Waterways does good work
 

Haywood Waterways does good work

Editor’s note: The following is a submission from Haywood Waterways Association reflecting on the organization’s work to protect and improve…
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Roan Mountain viewsheds protected by land trust
 

Roan Mountain viewsheds protected by land trust

A 76-acre tract along the Appalachian Trail on Roan Mountain has been permanently protected thanks to the Southern Appalachian Highlands…
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Trending in nature: WNC outdoors enthusiasts talk about trends in outdoor rec
 

Trending in nature: WNC outdoors enthusiasts talk about trends in outdoor rec

When Jim Brendle put together the first Smoky Mountain Relay in 2009, it was a pretty small affair. With only…
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Sounds in the night
 

Sounds in the night

By Burt Kornegay • Contributing writer It was around 10:30 p.m., just as we were going to bed, when my wife…
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Golden poster-bird
 

Golden poster-bird

It seems like the golden-winged warbler (GWWA) has become the non-game poster bird for everything from clearcuts to shelterwood cuts…
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Nantahala Brewing supports the A.T.
 

Nantahala Brewing supports the A.T.

Nantahala Brewing Company in Bryson City celebrated the Christmas season with a generous donation to Friends of the Great Smoky…
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Forest Service wins public engagement awards
 

Forest Service wins public engagement awards

U.S. Forest Service employees in North Carolina recently received a handful of awards for their work in 2014, including a…
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Women-only ski lessons launch in January
 

Women-only ski lessons launch in January

A six-session program aimed at female skiers and snowboarders will begin on Wednesday, Jan. 7, at Cataloochee Ski Area in…
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Land trust adds to wildlife corridor in Jackson County
 

Land trust adds to wildlife corridor in Jackson County

A new conservation easement in Jackson County will provide a critical wildlife corridor, connecting three other easements and located less…
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Seasonal road closures begin in national forest
 

Seasonal road closures begin in national forest

Seasonal road closures are starting to kick in for the U.S. Forest Service.  In the Appalachian Ranger District of Pisgah…
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Christmas on the Chimney: Claus gears up for Christmas, spreads the joy of climbing
 

Christmas on the Chimney: Claus gears up for Christmas, spreads the joy of climbing

It was still a couple weeks till Christmas, but Santa Claus already had his boots shined and suit cleaned in…
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Extreme commenting on plan for national forests
 

Extreme commenting on plan for national forests

Yogi Berra said it best — “It’s like déjà vu all over again.” When I read Holly Kays’ Nov. 12…
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Hunger initiative to build bridges with local agriculture
 

Hunger initiative to build bridges with local agriculture

A $10,000 grant will go toward building up food banks in Western North Carolina in partnership with agribusiness.  The award,…
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Permaculture school launches in Asheville
 

Permaculture school launches in Asheville

A 12-week permaculture school in Asheville will launch in 2015, teaching students how to create landscapes that maintain the health…
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Comment call for red wolf rules
 

Comment call for red wolf rules

A series of three public hearings in January will take public input on the future of protection for the reintroduced…
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Internships for Smokies fans
 

Internships for Smokies fans

Five summer internship positions are available for undergraduates looking to get involved with Discover Life in America’s mission to learn…
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Alum Cave Trail restoration to close trail in 2015
 

Alum Cave Trail restoration to close trail in 2015

Just after putting the final touches on the Chimney Tops Trail this month, the Trails Forever program in Great Smoky…
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Congressional act could expand National Parks
 

Congressional act could expand National Parks

The National Parks System could see its largest expansion in decades after bipartisan legislation in Washington, D.C. was introduced proposing…
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Aquatic invaders found in Macon County
 

Aquatic invaders found in Macon County

For the first time, gill lice have been found in brook trout in the Southern Appalachians. The parasitic crustaceans are…
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Smokies Association finishes $3.4 million investment in N.C.
 

Smokies Association finishes $3.4 million investment in N.C.

The opening of the Swain County Visitor Center in downtown Bryson City this year represented the culmination of a $3.46…
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Hike against hunger: Whittier man hikes A.T. to celebrate 65th birthday, raise money for food pantry
 

Hike against hunger: Whittier man hikes A.T. to celebrate 65th birthday, raise money for food pantry

Hiking the Appalachian Trail had been in the back of Andy Smith’s mind for a while, ever since a coworker…
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WCU dorm gets LEED certification
 

WCU dorm gets LEED certification

Western Carolina University’s Harrill Residence Hall has become the university’s second building to be LEED-certified for its comprehensive energy-efficient and…
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Giving Tuesday nets Smokies $18,000
 

Giving Tuesday nets Smokies $18,000

Friends of the Smokies raised more than $18,000 for Great Smoky Mountains National Park on GivingTuesday, far more than its…
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Smokies hires superintendent
 

Smokies hires superintendent

For the first time since Dale Ditmanson retired in January 2014, Great Smoky Mountains National Park has a permanent superintendent.…
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Franklin greenway gets some extra acreage
 

Franklin greenway gets some extra acreage

The Little Tennessee Greenway will offer users a bit more space to enjoy the outdoors following Dick and Melissa Jones’…
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Graffiti for a good cause
 

Graffiti for a good cause

Ten high school students from the Haywood Community Learning Center recently armed themselves with colorful spray paint to mark the…
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Tuscola takes all in FFA event
 

Tuscola takes all in FFA event

Tuscola High School students dominated Future Farmers of America’s Land Judging competition this year. The competition tests students’ ability to…
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Trail crews drill for backcountry emergencies
 

Trail crews drill for backcountry emergencies

Appalachian Trail license plate funds are helping to make the woods a little safer for the volunteers who maintain the…
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A feathery Christmas: Birders head outdoors for annual bird count
 

A feathery Christmas: Birders head outdoors for annual bird count

There’s plenty of tradition and symbolism that goes along with the holiday season, but for birders no tradition is more…
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Tracking the sicklefin: Understanding rare fish’s lifestyle important for conservation
 

Tracking the sicklefin: Understanding rare fish’s lifestyle important for conservation

The sicklefin redhorse is a sneaky kind of fish. It wasn’t discovered as a species until 1992, and even with…
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Biological station serves as homebase for environmental research
 

Biological station serves as homebase for environmental research

College student interns at the Highlands Biological Station have been working since August on a broad range of research projects,…
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Smokies considers ban on firewood
 

Smokies considers ban on firewood

A program on dangerous and destructive forest pests that hitchhike on firewood brought in from outside the region will be…
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New Mountain-to-Sea Trail section now open at Waterrock Knob
 

New Mountain-to-Sea Trail section now open at Waterrock Knob

A new section of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail is now complete, a 2.2-mile section that roughly parallels the Blue Ridge Parkway…
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Webster resident donates quilt to the Smokies
 

Webster resident donates quilt to the Smokies

After spending six months completing a full-size quilt, Webster resident Susanne Kerper of Jackson County donated the blanket to the…
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Help for failing septic systems in Haywood
 

Help for failing septic systems in Haywood

Homeowners dealing with a failing septic system may be eligible for help through a pair of grants Haywood Waterways Association…
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‘Tis the season for giving at Cataloochee Ski Area
 

‘Tis the season for giving at Cataloochee Ski Area

Cataloochee Ski Area continues its tradition of holiday giving with its 14th Annual Can-U-Ski Food and Coat Drive for Haywood…
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Hello darkness, my old friend
 

Hello darkness, my old friend

The full Hunter’s Moon is waning and the night sky will be revealing more of her secrets till we spin…
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Lake J is heating up
 

Lake J is heating up

I was fortunate to be able to spend a few hours last Saturday morning (Nov. 23) with members of the…
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Remember local farmers on Small Business Saturday
 

Remember local farmers on Small Business Saturday

Buy Haywood is encouraging shoppers to think local on Small Business Saturday — not just by shopping at local stores…
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New water quality standards proposed
 

New water quality standards proposed

The Environmental Protection Agency is in the midst of reviewing a set of proposed revisions to water quality standards in…
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Environmental merger chooses new name
 

Environmental merger chooses new name

When the New Year rolls around, the region’s best-known and longest-running environmental organization is changing its name, following a merger…
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New book chronicles Pisgah’s history
 

New book chronicles Pisgah’s history

A new book has come out that treks through the human, political and natural history behind the formation of the…
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Explore National Parks from the fireside
 

Explore National Parks from the fireside

With short and chilly days making miles on the trail harder to come by, a lineup of outdoors-themed board games…
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