Grant to help farmers fence cattle out of Little Tennessee tributaries
Several organizations have won a $214,195 state grant that will allow Macon County landowners improve water quality in the Little…
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Local river outfitters sponsors elite paddler
The Nantahala Outdoor Center has launched its own elite paddling team and signed whitewater slalom paddler Michal Smolen as its…
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Green Oscars V
Wild South held its fifth annual Green Gala celebrating the 2012 Roosevelt-Ashe Society’s Conservation Award winners last Friday, March 22.…
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Changing recreational habits challenge forest service
The painstaking process of outlining a clear mission for the U.S. Forest Service and how it will manage its expansive…
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I have seen the light
I have seen the light, and I don’t like it. I have seen the light emanating from strip malls; from…
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I once was lost, but now I’m found
The directions said turn left, so naturally I turned right. I was still an hour drive from Sugarland Visitors Center…
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Follow me, into the wild
The last time I went camping I was 10 or 11. I was in my grandparents’ backyard, snug in my…
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Cubs on the Run 5K kicks off spring
The family-friendly Cubs on the Run 5K will be held on Saturday, March 23, at Meadowbrook Elementary School in Canton,…
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Friends of the Lake 5K to celebrate Junaluska lakeshore recreation
Lake Junaluska will host the Friends of the Lake 5K, Family Walk, and Children’s Fun Run at 9 a.m. Saturday,…
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Smokies backcountry fee taken to court
A lawsuit has been filed over a new backcountry camping fee imposed in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.Southern Forest…
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A.T. hiking season kicks off in Franklin
Franklin will celebrate its love for Appalachian Trail hikers with the annual April Fools Trail Days festival on Saturday, March…
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Graveyard Fields overlook to get makeover
The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation will provide $740,000 for projects and programs on the Parkway this year, including children’s education,…
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Paddling springs eternal
Whitewater fanatics wait in line for their chance to do tricks, flips, spins and somersaults with their play boats on…
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Lorca, Neruda and the beautiful game
By Ted Olson • Contributing writer New Native Press, a small independent book publisher based in Tuckasegee in Jackson County, recently…
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Booth display class for the farmers market
Farmers market vendors can get tips on how to set up their booths at a free seminar called “Booth Display…
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And now for something completely different
So what’s in the news nowadays? Any bad news for the environment? Let’s see. Wednesday, February 13, 2013, in the…
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Mountain anglers gain toehold in national fly fishing scene
Like New York is known for its basketball legends, and Texas is known for its football stars, Western North Carolina…
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Prepping for the AT 2,184 miles to be ‘in the moment’
During the next several weeks, thousands of people will leave from Springer Mountain in Georgia and begin the 2,184-mile trek…
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News from the AT
Teachers invited to bring the AT into their classroom Teachers and educators interested in incorporating the Appalachian Trail into their…
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U.S. 441 through park should reopen by May 15
Newfound Gap Road (U.S. 441) through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is expected to be repaired and open by…
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Mountain scramble to Black Rock
The third annual Assault on Black Rock will test the strength and stamina of trail runners as they try to…
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Hikes of the Smokies series kicks off
A guided hike in the Deep Creek area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will be held on Tuesday,…
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Louisiana lagniappe
I know, I know, we’ve been in Louisiana for two weeks now, but when I look back at some of…
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“Operation Something Bruin:” Dozens of rogue hunters busted in illegal mountain poaching ring
Last week, state and federal wildlife officers began rounding up dozens of suspected poachers in Western North Carolina, bringing to…
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Honest hunters have little tolerance for renegade tactics
Shock waves rippled through the mountain hunting community last week as word spread of a sweeping undercover investigation targeting dozens…
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WCU trail system now open to the public
Western Carolina University’s new trail system is open and ready for bikers, hikers and runners. About 100 people turned out…
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Loosiana part deaux
What better place to start part deaux than Breaux Bridge along Bayou Teche? Firmin Breaux originally purchased the area that…
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Taking the polar plunge
Around 30 daring souls splashed and jumped into Lake Junaluska last Saturday for the first annual “Polar Plunge” to raise…
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Climbing event at Chimney Rock
An event called “Climbin’ the Chimney” from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on March 2 is an opportunity to for…
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Duke grants to aid education, environment
Duke Energy is helping to fund new educational and environmental projects as part of its hydropower relicensing agreement in the…
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Land Trust for Little Tennessee helps gain protection for another town watershed
The Land Trust for the Little Tennessee recently helped the town of Andrews protect and conserve its 930-acre watershed in…
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Smokies Association pushes for membership
The Great Smoky Mountains Association is launching a membership drive in honor of its 60th anniversary this year.
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GBBC at BBLNWR
Translation — Great Backyard Bird Count at Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge; the tradition continues. Since a spur-of-the-moment GBBC…
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Last call for Polar Plunge
Wade, dash, splash or take the full plunge into Lake Junaluska from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23…
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Bear Creek Lake on upper Tuck gets boat ramp, dock and pier
A boat ramp on Bear Creek Lake in the Tuckasegee area of Jackson County has been renovated by the N.C.…
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Float, boat or fish the Tuck
This spring, rolling down the Tuckasegee River will be, for the most part, as it has been in years past…
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Wild game on the grill at wildlife club dinner
The Wildlife Club at Haywood Community College is hosting a wild game dinner at 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 22, at…
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Parkway chief to retire
Parkway Superintendent Phil Francis has announced that he will retire on April 1 after 41 years in the National Park…
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Cataloochee road closed due to wash out
The gravel road leading into Cataloochee Valley in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was washed out by recent heavy…
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Vandals hit park with paint and profanity
Vandals hit an area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park known as “the Sinks” — a popular roadside waterfall…
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Great count in your backyard
Of course, you’re no longer confined to your backyard like you were back in 1997 when the Great Backyard Bird…
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More trail talk…
A regional trails map showing hiking trails, greenways, public lands, rivers and other outdoor recreation landmarks in the seven western…
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Trail triage? Tough choices ahead as forest service weighs 1,600 miles in trail plan
For the past year, the National Forest Service has been taking inventory, collecting public input and meeting with outdoor interest…
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Dark skies — and the stars that go with them — slowly disappearing
Although the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a protected expanse of land, all types of contamination — from air…
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Local fisherman lands silver at championships
Angler and Sylva native Josh Stephens recently earned a silver medal in team competition during the National Fly Fishing Championship…
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Donation will go to Smokies priorities
Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park was recently awarded $2,000 from Sustainability for Generations to Come, a Western North…
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Farmers get a helping hand with diversification grants
28 Western North Carolina farmers received nearly $150,000 total in grants to help diversify their farm businesses. The money was…
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Fees proposed for forest service recreation sites
The U.S. Forest Service may increase, or begin charging, fees at seven recreation sites within the national forests in North…
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Hops finds a home in WNC soil and economy
A free program on “The Business of Growing Hops” will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb.…
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The Rainbow to Nowhere?
What happens when you finally get to the end of the rainbow and there’s no gold in the pot? Perusing…
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