Convert your used cooking oil into biofuel
Christmas is a time to recycle many things: bows, wrapping paper, gifts . . . and cooking oil. The Haywood…
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Area agency, citizens honored by Haywood Waterways
Haywood Waterways Association passed out its annual awards this month to water quality heroes. • The Big Creek Award for…
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Ramos selected as acting superintendent of the Smokies
The National Park Service has selected Pedro Ramos to serve as the acting superintendent of Great Smoky Mountains National Park…
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Environmental groups push forest service to scale back logging below Devil’s Courthouse
Conservation groups reached a compromise with the U.S. Forest Service over a controversial logging project in the Courthouse Creek area,…
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Slow day at Lake J
I believe Lake Junaluska has spoiled local birders like me. I spent about an hour and a half poking around…
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‘EPIC’: First-ever rail jam at Cataloochee attracts 50 competitors
By Lindsay Wertz • Correspondent After hours of work and preparation, six terrain elements sparkled imposingly under the lights on Cataloochee…
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Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests input meeting
A public input meeting that will help shape the future of the Pisgah and Nantahala national forests will be held…
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Help determine future management plans of the Appalachian Trail
National Park Service officials want your input on how to manage the Appalachian National Scenic Trail (AT).
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Go to college, help a landfill
Nearly 12,000 plastic bottles will have been saved from a landfill when Western Carolina University students graduate this month. What’s…
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Volunteers continue historical bird count
Thousands of eyes will look skyward this month as volunteer birders, armed with binoculars, participate in the 114th annual Audubon…
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Winter officially arrives Dec. 21
Those sky watchers at the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute are preparing for the winter solstice. Astronomers there say that the…
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Young runners excel at regional meets
Several young runners from Western North Carolina turned in best times at recent state-wide and southeastern regional cross country events.
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Record snowfall
This snowfall is measured in feathers or bodies, not inches. This year is turning out to be a major irruption…
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Outdoor gift guide: Local outfitters recommend their faves for this holiday season
By Colby Dunn • Correspondent Though winter may have you couped up inside, you can dream of sunnier days in…
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Find unique gifts at the farmers market bazaar
The Jackson County Farmers Market will hold its annual Holiday Bazaar from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7…
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WNC residents urge Duke Energy to move away from coal
Western North Carolina residents are asking Duke Energy to rethink its use of fossil fuels in the region. Community leaders…
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Moss Knob shooting range to reopen in 2014
The Moss Knob Shooting Range, located in the Nantahala Ranger District, Nantahala National Forest, will reopen in spring 2014 following…
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Hear research presentations at the Highlands Biological Station
College students who spent the past semester doing research at the Highlands Biological Station will present their findings at 2…
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WCU athletic training majors help young high school sports teams
Western Carolina University’s athletic training major is giving hands-on experience to its students while helping area high school athletic departments,…
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Experts taking wildlife education to area schools
Mountain Wildlife Days has created a wildlife education speakers bureau of sorts to share its pool of wildlife experts with…
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Hunting season
Orion the Hunter has taken to the late autumn skies. One of the loveliest and most easily recognized constellations will…
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WCU will digitize historic Smokies photos
Western Carolina University’s Hunter Library will produce a new digital collection of 2,000 items focused on the history of Great…
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Fresh from the farm: Meat gets a sizzling reception at farmers market
By Paul Clark • Correspondent Mary McNeil carried her shopping bag around Haywood’s Historic Farmers Market like a kid on Halloween.…
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Recycle your cooking oil this Thanksgiving
Hey, all you turkey deep-fryer users. What are your plans this Thanksgiving for all that cooking oil once you have…
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Waynesville Judo team dominates tournament
The Waynesville Judo team took top honors at the Fall Brawl judo tournament Oct. 5 at the Waynesville Recreation Center…
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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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Traveling from east to west, the Mississippi River Bridge is a time portal for me. I drive for hours squarely…
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