Haywood Waterways hike to hit salamander capital of the world
 

Haywood Waterways hike to hit salamander capital of the world

A hike to the salamander capital of the world will come bundled with highland views and explanation from a National…
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On the way to Trout City: Bryson City trout waters to get some cred
 

On the way to Trout City: Bryson City trout waters to get some cred

Bryson City will soon have another feather in the cap proving its worth as an outdoors Mecca. If all goes…
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The red wolf saga continues
 

The red wolf saga continues

The next step for the endangered red wolf in Eastern North Carolina is an evaluation commissioned by U.S. Fish and…
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Used outdoor gear sought to fund clinic in rural Kenya
 

Used outdoor gear sought to fund clinic in rural Kenya

MedicForce, a nonprofit that provides medical care and clinics in remote, third-world areas, is looking for donations of used outdoor…
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Ginseng poacher caught for fourth time, and behind bars again
 

Ginseng poacher caught for fourth time, and behind bars again

A Bryson City man will serve five months and 15 days in jail for illegally harvesting 83 American ginseng roots…
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Farm tour features gardens, ranches, orchards, and homesteads
 

Farm tour features gardens, ranches, orchards, and homesteads

A self-guided tour of 37 farms in a several-county region of the mountains will be held Sept. 20-21, giving locavores…
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Party with PARI
 

Party with PARI

The Friends of Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute’s will unveil a new outdoor amphitheater planetarium with an adjoining nature center on…
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Cherokee help sicklefin redhorse make a comeback
 

Cherokee help sicklefin redhorse make a comeback

A new fisheries program on the Cherokee Reservation aims to restore the imperiled sicklefin redhorse fish to its native habitat…
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Hemlock Initiative looks for solution to adelgid tragedy
 

Hemlock Initiative looks for solution to adelgid tragedy

A trio of projects will launch renewed efforts to save the eastern hemlock following awards of $75,000 under the Hemlock…
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Sunburst’s trout jerky, caviar gets boost
 

Sunburst’s trout jerky, caviar gets boost

Sunburst Trout Farms in Haywood County has received a $150,000 matching fund USDA Value Added Producers Grant.
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Beyond blueberries: Backyard cornucopia revealed at native plants conference
 

Beyond blueberries: Backyard cornucopia revealed at native plants conference

Taking a walk with Ila Hatter is the outdoors equivalent of sitting beside a scrapbooker as she pages through the…
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Fish food: Aquaponics offers full-circle farming
 

Fish food: Aquaponics offers full-circle farming

Tucked away along a squirrely offshoot of Jonathan Creek Road, Dennis “Bear” Forsythe’s 15-by-15-foot greenhouse is like his own private…
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And then there were none
 

And then there were none

“As I traveled on, the air was literally filled with pigeons. The light of noon-day was obscured as by an…
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Reliving the Plott Hound legacy
 

Reliving the Plott Hound legacy

A program titled “Touching the Face of History: The Story of the Plott Hound” will be held at 6:30 p.m.…
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Cashiers adventure race kicks off second year
 

Cashiers adventure race kicks off second year

Runners looking for a wilderness challenge will get their chance with the Second Annual Cashiers Trail Mix Mountain Run Experience…
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Bryson City Bicycles snags national honor
 

Bryson City Bicycles snags national honor

Bryson City Bicycles has been named one of America’s Best Bike Shops of 2014. Awarded by the National Bike Dealers…
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Nantahala Kids Club introduces youth to paddling
 

Nantahala Kids Club introduces youth to paddling

Nantahala Kids Club, a program designed to engage kids in paddling, will kickoff a six-week outdoor recreation program Sept. 8.
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Waynesville mom takes on Iron Man
 

Waynesville mom takes on Iron Man

Waynesville resident Jennifer Jacobsen recently crossed the finish line of the Ironman Louisville, a challenging race that involves a total…
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Fracking debate heats up in WNC
 

Fracking debate heats up in WNC

The fracking issue is exploding in Western North Carolina as a public hearing on proposed oil and gas rules in…
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Sunshine on Sam Knob: Ranger-led hikes help locals explore trails along Parkway
 

Sunshine on Sam Knob: Ranger-led hikes help locals explore trails along Parkway

Despite warnings of thunderstorms earlier in the week, Aug. 22 came with a blue sky and a light breeze, temperatures…
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Eagle Scout restores watering hole used in the old days
 

Eagle Scout restores watering hole used in the old days

A monument built to commemorate a popular 1800s watering hole has long been hidden by ivy and vines, but an…
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Running for support
 

Running for support

More than 350 runners streamed down Main Street in downtown Waynesville last Friday evening for the annual Main Street Mile.…
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Freestyle paddlers to hit the Nantahala wave
 

Freestyle paddlers to hit the Nantahala wave

A major freestyle paddling competition will come to the Nantahala Gorge Sept. 4-6, with top freestylers from across the continent…
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Costa to close out Zahner series with Darwin lecture
 

Costa to close out Zahner series with Darwin lecture

Jim Costa, executive director of the Highlands Biological Station, will close out the Highlands Biological Foundation’s summer Zahner Conservation Lecture…
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Jump on the gem mine caravan tour
 

Jump on the gem mine caravan tour

A tour of four historic gem mines will give a view into Franklin’s past, beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug.…
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Key rule makers to speak at fracking forum
 

Key rule makers to speak at fracking forum

A forum organized by N.C. Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, will give the public a chance to learn more about shale…
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Jackson market celebrates tomatoes and 100 years of Cooperative Extension
 

Jackson market celebrates tomatoes and 100 years of Cooperative Extension

This year’s Taste of the Market celebration at Jackson County Farmers Market from 9 a.m. to noon Aug. 16 in…
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Runner jogs the Parkway to raise funds, awareness
 

Runner jogs the Parkway to raise funds, awareness

A Winston-Salem man is hoping to set a record for a good cause with his plan to run the entire…
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Girls got game
 

Girls got game

The Lake Junaluska Girls Junior Golf Association enjoyed a special play day and celebration Saturday, Aug. 9. LJGJGA members and…
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Conservation closes out Tuckasegee Nature Series
 

Conservation closes out Tuckasegee Nature Series

Paul Carlson, director of Land Trust for the Little Tennessee, will close out the six-week Tuckasegee Nature Series with a…
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Paddle tour to explore Lake Logan
 

Paddle tour to explore Lake Logan

The public will get a chance to paddle Lake Logan at 9:45 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 23, at the Lake Logan…
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Wildflower authors share tips and talk
 

Wildflower authors share tips and talk

 The three authors of Seasons in a Wildflower Refuge will be at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville, 3 p.m. Aug.…
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Smokies telethon brings in $200K
 

Smokies telethon brings in $200K

The 20th annual Friends Across the Mountains telethon brought in $200,000 for Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park last…
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WCU students produce walking trail brochure
 

WCU students produce walking trail brochure

Students in Western Carolina University’s Introduction to Public History course will show off the fruits of their labor during the…
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Pro photographer to give inside look to the natural world
 

Pro photographer to give inside look to the natural world

A photography program featuring images by Clay Bolt will give an inside look to the small-scale world of plants and…
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Reclaiming the landscape: Greenhouse project to spur habitat restoration
 

Reclaiming the landscape: Greenhouse project to spur habitat restoration

Under a clear sky and afternoon sun, the winding road through Cherokee and out past Birdtown is a beautiful one.…
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Road improvement to close Black Balsam
 

Road improvement to close Black Balsam

A popular trail access area and jumping off point for the Shining Rock Wilderness area at Balsam Road will be…
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Grant helps Waynesville Parks and Rec get paddling
 

Grant helps Waynesville Parks and Rec get paddling

A $25,000 Pigeon River Fund grant will help the Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department purchase kayaking supplies to add paddling…
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Cataloochee documentary to screen in Jackson
 

Cataloochee documentary to screen in Jackson

The historical documentary film Cataloochee will be shown at St. David’s Episcopal Church in Cullowhee at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday,…
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Breakaway breezes into year five
 

Breakaway breezes into year five

More than 400 riders will push off from Lake Junaluska Aug. 16 for the fifth year of the Blue Ridge…
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Tailgate Market to celebrate kids’ love of watermelon
 

Tailgate Market to celebrate kids’ love of watermelon

The watermelons will take over Aug. 16 at the Original Waynesville Tailgate Market’s August Kids Corner Market.
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DuPont mountain bike rides and trail runs to help the trails
 

DuPont mountain bike rides and trail runs to help the trails

A Save the Trails ride and run through DuPont State Forest will be held Aug. 23 to help Pisgah Area…
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Summer in the park a win-win
 

Summer in the park a win-win

A handful of teachers, high school and college students recently completed a program designed to teach them about the Great…
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Friends of the Smokies telethon to air
 

Friends of the Smokies telethon to air

Friends of the Smokies will take to the silver screen from 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 14, for the…
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If you can float it, you can boat it: Franklin Rotary spearheads RiverFest on the Little Tennessee
 

If you can float it, you can boat it: Franklin Rotary spearheads RiverFest on the Little Tennessee

When Franklin RiverFest’s Anything That Floats Raft Regatta kicks off Aug. 23, Warren Cabe hopes to see the Franklin Fire…
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What is an Appalachian forest?
 

What is an Appalachian forest?

As the USDA Forest Service’s revision plan for the Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests continues to be discussed — the…
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Time to get your run on
 

Time to get your run on

August is runners’ month in Western North Carolina. A slate of races throughout the region will give athletes a chance…
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Smokies tourism translates into dollars for local economy
 

Smokies tourism translates into dollars for local economy

According to a new National Park Service report, the 9.4 million people who visited Great Smoky Mountains National Park in…
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Highlands Biological dives into cliff ecology
 

Highlands Biological dives into cliff ecology

A cliff face might not seem like a hospitable place to forge a life, but for a good-sized group of…
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Smokies rangers rescue fallen hiker in storm conditions
 

Smokies rangers rescue fallen hiker in storm conditions

A 64-year-old Michigan man is recovering after a fall while hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park last Sunday…
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