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Sylva man given state conservation award
 

Sylva man given state conservation award

A retired Western Carolina University professor and Jackson County environmentalist has been given top honors for his work in education…
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Students and teachers make the Smokies their classroom
 

Students and teachers make the Smokies their classroom

This summer was no waste for teachers and students who enrolled in a Great Smoky Mountains Park program that put…
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Conservationist recognized for Dillsboro Dam work
 

Conservationist recognized for Dillsboro Dam work

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials have honored a Duke Energy scientist for his work in helping to restore aquatic…
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Folkmoot center gardens get TLC
 

Folkmoot center gardens get TLC

Main Street Waynesville wasn’t the only place to get a spit and polish before visitors and performers from around the…
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Take a journey into space and back in time
 

Take a journey into space and back in time

The Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute will host a program about the role of the astronomical site in the Pisgah National…
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Taking the smart out of growth
 

Taking the smart out of growth

North Carolina House Bill 94 (Amend Environmental Laws) has passed the House and Senate and awaits the governor’s signature. HB…
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Breaking the mold: Triathlons now starring the aquabike
 

Breaking the mold: Triathlons now starring the aquabike

No, it’s not Aquaman’s preferred mode of commuting; nor the latest urban workout trend or new-fangled underwater gym equipment. The…
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Trout derby weekend in Cherokee
 

Trout derby weekend in Cherokee

Talking Trees Children’s Trout Derby is set for Saturday, Aug. 3, at the Oconaluftee River Islands Park in Cherokee. The…
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Triathlon at Tsali
 

Triathlon at Tsali

The Tsali Challenge Triathlon will take place Saturday, July 27, and Sunday, July 28, at the Tsali Recreation Area outside…
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AT video contest solicits submissions
 

AT video contest solicits submissions

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy is accepting submissions for the “I am the Appalachian Trail” video contest, a nationwide search for…
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Get your Breakaway jersey and pedal
 

Get your Breakaway jersey and pedal

The Haywood Chamber of Commerce has released the 2013 Blue Ridge Breakaway jersey design. The Aug. 17 ride will feature…
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Trail conservancy chooses new leader
 

Trail conservancy chooses new leader

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy has a new executive director and CEO.
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Smokies looks to include kids in hands-on science
 

Smokies looks to include kids in hands-on science

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is offering a citizen scientist program for a chance to be part of ongoing research…
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Section of parkway closed to vehicles
 

Section of parkway closed to vehicles

A 21-mile section of the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina is closed — from Ox Creek Road to Mount…
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REI gives a boost to trail crews
 

REI gives a boost to trail crews

Recreational Equipment Inc. has donated $5,000 to support trail work in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
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Expert to talk about the red wolf in the Appalachians
 

Expert to talk about the red wolf in the Appalachians

The red wolf is one of the most endangered animals in the world and a native of North Carolina. Wildlife…
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Where martins hang
 

Where martins hang

Purple martin “scouts” are some of the earliest harbingers of spring. I recorded one in February at Black Bayou Lake…
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Global warming imperils Golden-winged warbler
 

Global warming imperils Golden-winged warbler

The steady decline of the Golden-winged Warbler on the Southern Appalachian landscape is a trend that not only threatens the…
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Tennis stars to face off in Cashiers
 

Tennis stars to face off in Cashiers

Retired tennis stars Andy Roddick and Jim Courier will play a charity exhibition match, the UCB Mountain Challenge, on Saturday,…
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Regional headwaters protected from development
 

Regional headwaters protected from development

A $3 million federal grant will help protect 8,000 acres of working forestland in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North…
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Little Tennessee gets grant to protect endangered species
 

Little Tennessee gets grant to protect endangered species

A project to help federally-listed aquatic species in Macon County has received $142,500 from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.…
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Bridge dedicated to honor whitewater hero
 

Bridge dedicated to honor whitewater hero

Mystic Lands Property Owners Association has dedicated a bridge to honor Rob Kelly, a whitewater rafting guide who saved a…
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Bear cables get a boost
 

Bear cables get a boost

Backpackers in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park can continue to keep their food and packs out of reach of…
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Canton man to serve time for Max Patch destruction
 

Canton man to serve time for Max Patch destruction

Tyler Pace is expected to report to the U.S. Marshals Service office in Asheville next week to start serving his…
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Once abundant river cane is a dwindling resource
 

Once abundant river cane is a dwindling resource

Ethnobotanist David Cozzo will lead an eco tour on July 30 to the Tessentee Bottomland Preserve to discuss how the…
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Carolina birder video bombed
 

Carolina birder video bombed

Carolina birder Matt Daw from Raleigh was videoing a least bittern last week as it foraged at Bosque Del Apache…
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Jackson Farmer’s market summer sizzle cooking demos
 

Jackson Farmer’s market summer sizzle cooking demos

Chef Jen Pearson of Guadalupe Cafe will be showcasing eggplant in an original recipe during a local foods cooking demo…
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From farm to table
 

From farm to table

Get to know your local farmers and learn some tricks from green thumb masters during the annual Jackson County Farm…
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Forest service curtails ginseng picking
 

Forest service curtails ginseng picking

U.S. Forest Service officials are limiting the harvesting of wild ginseng in the Nantahala and Pisgah national forests, citing concern…
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Kayaker found dead near Shining Rock
 

Kayaker found dead near Shining Rock

The body of a kayaker who was reported missing in the Pisgah National Forest late afternoon July 4 was found…
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‘Headhunters and Toothbrushes’
 

‘Headhunters and Toothbrushes’

Jono Bryant will present a talk called “Headhunters and Toothbrushes” at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 18, at the Macon County…
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Property along parkway in Jackson protected
 

Property along parkway in Jackson protected

The Conservation Trust for North Carolina recently purchased a 31-acre property that adjoins the Mountains-to-Sea Trail and the Blue Ridge…
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Learn to use your wide-angle lens
 

Learn to use your wide-angle lens

The Lens Luggers photography club of Western North Carolina is holding a special photography clinic featuring wide angle perspective and…
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Conference serves as conduit to the natural world
 

Conference serves as conduit to the natural world

Roll out the green welcome mat for the annual Cullowhee Native Plant Conference coming Wednesday, July 17, through Saturday, July…
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Learn about GNSA
 

Learn about GNSA

The regional environmental group Wild South has a hike planned for July 13 into the heart of, what they hope…
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Appalachian Trail conference serves up full buffet of hiking fare
 

Appalachian Trail conference serves up full buffet of hiking fare

Coming to Cullowhee soon: four days of total immersion in everything trail. Camaraderie with fellow trail enthusiasts and taking in…
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One-night trips into the Smokies
 

One-night trips into the Smokies

For day hikers who want to take the next step or for a seasoned backpackers who can’t find the time…
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Riveting topics in store for conservation lecture series
 

Riveting topics in store for conservation lecture series

The summer Zahner Conservation Lecture Series will kick off in Highlands next week with a talk on biodiversity in the…
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Nowhere to go but down on this guided hike
 

Nowhere to go but down on this guided hike

A nearly all-downhill hike will be held in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Tuesday, July 16, with Friends…
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Disc golf takes off in Waynesville
 

Disc golf takes off in Waynesville

The Waynesville Disc Golf Juniors team has received a boost from the Professional Disc Golf Association, helping the team buy…
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NC wildlife officials awarded grant for bats
 

NC wildlife officials awarded grant for bats

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is awarding more than $950,000 to 28 states for projects to combat and study…
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List of Top 10 animal species on the demise
 

List of Top 10 animal species on the demise

The N.C. Wildlife Federation has released its list of the Top 10 wildlife species struggling to survive. These critters are…
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Project invites public for day at stream
 

Project invites public for day at stream

Aquatic enthusiasts have the chance to tag along with the scientists for a lesson on stream sampling. The Highlands Biological…
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Kick ball kickin’ off
 

Kick ball kickin’ off

Test your kick-ball skills this summer in the big leagues. Registration is underway for the 2013 Haywood County Recreation and…
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Catch the water ski show to remember at Lake J
 

Catch the water ski show to remember at Lake J

Jon boats and canoes are a common sight on the water at Lake Junaluska. But a water ski team stacked…
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“Ye elves of hills, brooks, standing lakes and groves…”
 

“Ye elves of hills, brooks, standing lakes and groves…”

And ye elf and sprite lovers and lovers of the Bard whose words have seeped so deeply into the fabric…
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Enthusiasts produce map with sampling of rides in Haywood
 

Enthusiasts produce map with sampling of rides in Haywood

You’ve got your chain well-oiled, air in your tires and water in your bottles. You are all set for a…
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That’s Suuthern flyin’ squerl, y’all
 

That’s Suuthern flyin’ squerl, y’all

I’ve written about these small nocturnal hang gliders before, but I posted a pic of a group from my home,…
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Cyclists commemorate Trail of Tears
 

Cyclists commemorate Trail of Tears

There were hundreds of hills, a few minor spills, but mostly thrills for the 2013 Remember the Removal bike riders…
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Fish for free(dom) on Independence Day
 

Fish for free(dom) on Independence Day

Fishing for a fun and inexpensive way to celebrate Independence Day? The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission invites anglers and would-be…
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