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Forest service seeks camper
 

Forest service seeks camper

U.S. Forest Service law enforcement officials have released a picture of a man they believe may have information about the…
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Black Friday has reached the Smokies
 

Black Friday has reached the Smokies

The Great Smoky Mountains Association will hold a “blow-out sale” on select merchandise starting Thanksgiving Day at its Clingmans Dome…
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Conservation group buys more property along Parkway
 

Conservation group buys more property along Parkway

More property along the Blue Ridge Parkway near Waterrock Knob is now protected, thanks to The Conservation Trust for North…
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Town has begun thinning white pine
 

Town has begun thinning white pine

I believe it was in 2010 when the Town of Waynesville signed off on a plan to thin the stands…
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Cataloochee Ski Area opens with new shop, upgrades
 

Cataloochee Ski Area opens with new shop, upgrades

Jake Flannick • SMN Correspondent Michael Wagenseil is settling into his element, arranging displays of ski equipment and clothing as he…
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Fire in the landscape – still a burning question
 

Fire in the landscape – still a burning question

It will likely take awhile for the smoke to clear after the Table Rock Fire near Linville Gorge in the…
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Grants available to help Appalachian Trail
 

Grants available to help Appalachian Trail

Have an idea for a project that will benefit the Appalachian Trail but have limited funds to make it happen?…
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Illustrated guide to Purchase Knob available
 

Illustrated guide to Purchase Knob available

Talk about mission creep. What was supposed to be a simple, final project for his Blue Ridge Naturalist certificate of…
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Upgrades coming to Graveyard Fields
 

Upgrades coming to Graveyard Fields

Portions of the popular Graveyard Fields Loop Trail are closed for upgrades, according to the U.S. Forest Service. The agency…
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Winds prevent containment of Linville Gorge fire
 

Winds prevent containment of Linville Gorge fire

Light rainfall over the weekend wasn’t enough to slow the Table Rock fire in Linville Gorge nor will this week’s…
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Macon Commissioners honored for their vision
 

Macon Commissioners honored for their vision

The Macon County Commissioners received the 2013 Robert and Virginia Ramsey Brunner Land Conservationist of the Year Award during LTLT’s…
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Improved Green Growth Toolbox available
 

Improved Green Growth Toolbox available

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission has upgraded its Green Growth Toolbox to better equip communities to deal with wildlife…
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Landowners protect 29 acres on Pigeon River
 

Landowners protect 29 acres on Pigeon River

Rural preservation leaders in the Bethel community of Haywood County have announced the permanent protection of 29 acres through two…
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Park moves toward winter schedule
 

Park moves toward winter schedule

You know winter is just around the corner when Great Smoky Mountains National Park starts shutting down. Here is a…
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Internal medicine doctor sets example for patients, students
 

Internal medicine doctor sets example for patients, students

Dr. Randall Provost walked the walk—or more accurately ran the run—when he competed in the Mountain Jug Run for Research,…
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Book shares funny anecdotes about life as a park ranger
 

Book shares funny anecdotes about life as a park ranger

So, what does one do when a sedated bear wakes up in the back seat of a helicopter mid-flight or…
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Parkway road closure north of Asheville
 

Parkway road closure north of Asheville

A section of Blue Ridge Parkway from Milepost 376 at Ox Creek Road to Milepost 355, near the entrance to…
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Hermit in the house
 

Hermit in the house

I can be standing five feet from my girls and say something simple like, “wash your hands,” “brush your teeth”…
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Plans unfold for fly fishing museum
 

Plans unfold for fly fishing museum

By Colby Dunn • Correspondent  Each year, an estimated 50,000 people visit Cherokee looking to hit it big, but instead of…
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All in the family — Sunburst Trout Farm
 

All in the family — Sunburst Trout Farm

A crisp wind blows through Haywood County. Gazing upward, dark clouds slowly take over the sky while a few ominous…
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Biological Station launches campaign for its library furnishings
 

Biological Station launches campaign for its library furnishings

The Highlands Biological Station (HBS) is trying to raise money to buy furnishings for its newly renovated Reinke Library and…
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Parkway to have its own weather forecasting site
 

Parkway to have its own weather forecasting site

Thanks to a new partnership, travelers along the Blue Ridge Parkway can access real time current road and weather conditions…
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Classic Hike to explore Fontana’s Lakeshore Trail
 

Classic Hike to explore Fontana’s Lakeshore Trail

Renowned hiking expert and author Danny Bernstein will lead the next Friends of the Smokies Classic Hike on Tuesday, Nov.…
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Park plans controlled burns in Cades Cove
 

Park plans controlled burns in Cades Cove

Smoke could be heavy in the Cades Cove area this month due to a series of controlled burns in the…
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Laissez les bons temp rouler
 

Laissez les bons temp rouler

Traveling from east to west, the Mississippi River Bridge is a time portal for me.  I drive for hours squarely…
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Zeb’s big jump: Middle-schooler gets invite to elite snowboarding school
 

Zeb’s big jump: Middle-schooler gets invite to elite snowboarding school

Flips, spins, big jumps and high speeds — these things challenge the average human being, but, for big-air snowboarder Zeb…
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Changing of the guard
 

Changing of the guard

I believe the annual treks into the Town of Waynesville’s watershed began back in 2007. They have provided a unique…
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Cherokee run raises $22,000
 

Cherokee run raises $22,000

More than $22,000 was raised for the Madison Hornbuckle Children’s Cancer Foundation at the 2nd annual Cherokee Harvest Half Marathon…
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Conservancy buys 250 acres and a peak
 

Conservancy buys 250 acres and a peak

Blackrock Mountain summit, a 5,700 foot peak that overlooks the Blue Ridge Parkway, has been purchased by the Southern Applachian…
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Duke funds streamside enhancement projects
 

Duke funds streamside enhancement projects

Duke Energy will spend more than $100,000 on seven streamside habitat projects in the watersheds and tailwaters of its Nantahala…
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Glenville getting handicap accessible upgrades
 

Glenville getting handicap accessible upgrades

People with physical disabilities will have better access to Lake Glenville, thanks to upgrades to some of the lake’s amenities.…
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Agency honors safety and conservation efforts
 

Agency honors safety and conservation efforts

The North Carolina Wildlife Federation recently honored those who have contributed to the conservation and safety of the state’s natural…
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Third quarter nets highest specialty license plates revenue
 

Third quarter nets highest specialty license plates revenue

Platinum or china may be the standard 20th anniversary gift, but Friends of the Smokies, a non-profit organization that supports…
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Buy Haywood using YouTube to promote local agritourism
 

Buy Haywood using YouTube to promote local agritourism

Buy Haywood has gone high tech to help promote the county’s abundance of locally grown produce, flowers and food items,…
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Taproom to donate sales to conservation
 

Taproom to donate sales to conservation

A Sylva conservation organization was featured at the Making a Difference Monday program Oct. 21 at the Oskar Blues Tasty…
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New brew benefits A.T. maintenance
 

New brew benefits A.T. maintenance

A Bryson City brewery has chipped in $1,000 to support the Appalachian Trail Ridgerunner program, whose mission is to preserve…
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Area bicyclist to share her Olympic story
 

Area bicyclist to share her Olympic story

Olympic silver medalist and Asheville resident Lauren Tamayo will serve as guest speaker at the Haywood Chamber of Commerce Women…
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Tuckaseegee River selected as site of swiftwater rescue conference
 

Tuckaseegee River selected as site of swiftwater rescue conference

Paddlers and swiftwater rescue experts from across the country will gather Oct. 25-27 in Jackson County for the 2013 American…
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Land Trust to host Fall Celebration
 

Land Trust to host Fall Celebration

The Land Trust for the Little Tennessee (LTLT) will host its 14th annual fall celebration from 11 a.m. to 3…
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WCU wants native flower back
 

WCU wants native flower back

Forget roses. Susan Belcher is hoping for beds of Cullowhee lilies to blanket Western North Carolina in the coming years. …
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Ellison to lecture on ‘spring greens’
 

Ellison to lecture on ‘spring greens’

Award winning naturalist and writer George Ellison will present a lecture titled “Edible, Utilitarian, and Religio-Medical Plants Used by the…
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A climate for change
 

A climate for change

Last week we talked a little about how mountains can influence climate. Lenticular clouds are often created when warm air…
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Who protects the bear?
 

Who protects the bear?

Every fall, folks flock to Rhodes Big View between Highlands and Cashiers to photograph the bear shadow that appears in…
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Pumpkin probing: Researchers at test farm gather valuable data on the orange orbs
 

Pumpkin probing: Researchers at test farm gather valuable data on the orange orbs

By Colby Dunn • SMN Correspondent What makes the stem of one pumpkin better than another for chunkin’? Why is one…
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No Throwaways
 

No Throwaways

The recycling group Macon Pride congratulated three local organizations who at lunch or dinner meetings bring and take home their…
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Star party at PARI
 

Star party at PARI

The Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI) is hosting a public Star Party Oct. 24-27 as part of a weekend-long celebration…
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Rare hike offered to see Waynesville watershed
 

Rare hike offered to see Waynesville watershed

Once again the Town of Waynesville is offering its popular Waynesville Watershed Hike, which offers hikers a walk through a…
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Park facilities remain closed during federal shutdown
 

Park facilities remain closed during federal shutdown

Except for Newfound Gap Road (U.S.441), the Spur, and the Gatlinburg Bypass, all visitor centers, picnic areas, campgrounds, trails, and…
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Know your bear neighbors
 

Know your bear neighbors

Joel Zachary, a noted black bear enthusiast, professional outdoor guide and author of Bears I’ve Met, will be the featured…
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Harvest Half Marathon comes to Cherokee
 

Harvest Half Marathon comes to Cherokee

More than 600 runners from across the mountains and Southeast are expected in Cherokee on Saturday, Oct. 19, for the…
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