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…
Read More
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…
Read More
Sparrowing at Kituwah
A quest for sparrow sightings will commence during the morning of Jan. 14 at Kituwah, an area of about 300…
Read More
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…
Read More
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,…
Read More
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,…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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,…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
Smokies hires superintendent
For the first time since Dale Ditmanson retired in January 2014, Great Smoky Mountains National Park has a permanent superintendent.…
Read More
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’…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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,…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
‘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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More