Navy’s top 10 reasons for choosing Site C
The Navy has decided that a site in Washington and Beaufort counties in eastern North Carolina, about three to five…
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Man of Stihl: HCC student to compete at national collegiate timber sports championship in July
By Michael Beadle Jay Blackburn never figured he’d be competing against the best axe-chopping, saw-cutting athletes in the country when…
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Nature Center unveiled: Balsam Mountain Preserve opens Southern Appalachian exhibit to the public
Walking into the new nature center at the Balsam Mountain Preserve in Jackson County is like walking into a replica…
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Navy still at war with NC
You have to admire the tenacity of America’s armed forces. We can all take pride in the heroism, courage and…
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Franklin trail network to offer new rides for bikers
For years, Jack Lansford and his mountain biking buddies in Franklin would have to load up their bikes and hit…
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Judge strikes blow for property rights advocates
A federal judge in San Francisco told the Bush administration on March 30 that it didn’t have the right to…
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Hiking to build a better world
By Michael Beadle Jon Brown and Scott Cochran want to help a small town in Bosnia and Herzegovina rebuild after…
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May the North Shore Road rest in peace
Swain County native Heath Shuler is doing his home county a favor by putting together a powerful congressional coalition to…
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The Northshore Road: What they say
Rep. Heath Shuler, D-Waynesville “As a Swain County native, I have a deep, personal understanding of the issues and emotions…
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Road to Nowhere: Getting dimmer by the day
Those opposed to building a $600 million, 30-mile road through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park got welcome news last…
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Beetles being raised to save hemlocks
A new lab has opened at the University of Georgia to raise predator beetles aimed at countering the deadly hemlock…
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Honeybees and hemp: Where did we go wrong?
By Kathleen Lamont I’ve got two cents to add to the honeybee dilemma. There are approximately 20,000 species of bees…
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Pristine shmistine says the curmudgeon-naturalist
First let me get this disclaimer out of the way. I am thrilled to hear that Congressman Heath Shuler has…
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Move over harbingers
George Ellison talked about the harbingers of spring in his Feb. 28 column in The Smoky Mountain News. Well those…
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Antlers born anew
By Joe Yarkovich Spring is upon us and with the days beginning to lengthen, signs of the season can be…
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The great salamander adventure
Twelve of the world’s foremost salamander authorities converged on Balsam Mountain Preserve Sunday March 11 for an informal survey. The…
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Ice age relics
Chris Kelly didn’t seem fazed by the frigid February temperatures as she rock-hopped an icy stream and plunged down a…
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Importance of N.C. Wildlife Federation Endangered funding
Chris North might not wile away his work week scaling trees in search of endangered Carolina Northern Flying Squirrels, but…
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Why the Easter bunny brings eggs
Did you ever wonder why this big, furry, long-eared mammal was hoping around with eggs in its basket?
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At the starting line: New running group gathers momentum in Haywood County
By Michael Beadle Running can be a lonely sport. It’s hard finding someone who has a similar pace, someone who…
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Simple living: Up from grassroots
By Kathleen Lamont There are lots of examples today of what a few determined and focused people can do.…
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Getting jiggy at the vernal pool
It’s March 1, the night is black and soggy. It’s around 50 degrees and “pourin the rain” as natives say.
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Fire on the mountain
By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer A forest fire burned nearly 40 acres in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park…
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Smokies National Park conducts 530-acre prescribed burn
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park conducted a prescribed burn on a 530-acre tract of forest in the Cataloochee Valley…
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One acre at a time: Paul Carlson helps set the standard among WNC land trusts
By Michael Beadle Paul Carlson has plenty of maps to show you. There are maps with stars. Color-coded maps of…
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Allons au Bayou Noire
I guess the real Bayou Noire would be in Houma or Sulphur or somewhere else across Acadiana, where the slow…
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LTLT preserves 850 acres in Cherokee County
A cattle farm in Cherokee County known as Ridgefield Farm has been preserved for future generations thanks to a conservation…
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N.C. side of Smokies goes biodiesel
About two dozen diesel vehicles used by the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on the North Carolina side of the…
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On the mark: Cullowhee base-camp raises profile in wilderness emergency training
Landmark Learning, a Cullowhee-based wilderness training center for the outdoor industry, has forged a new partnership with the National Outdoor…
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The realities of being green
The Western Carolina Forest Sustainability Initiative (WCFSI) under the direction of Pete Bates, associate professor of Natural Resources Management at…
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American Whitwater withdraws lawsuit on Chattooga paddling
American Whitewater has withdrawn its lawsuit challenging a paddling ban on the upper Chattooga River outside Cashiers.
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No excuses
Now here’s a way to bird from your kitchen table, in your pajamas and slippers, with a steaming hot cup…
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Ivey wins conservation award
George Ivey, a well-known leader in conservation efforts in Haywood County, received the Pigeon River Award for 2006 from Haywood…
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Catamount Conservation: Eco-CATS challenge WCU community to take on more environmental responsibility
By Michael Beadle The cost of college can get pretty expensive, especially when it comes to paying the monthly electric…
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What Price Sweetness
By Kathleen Lamont In the late 1970’s, Dr. Robert Atkins had a clinic in Santa Monica, Calif., where people went…
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Stairway to heaven
In 1885 Jerome B. Freeman built a stairway to the top of a 535-million-year-old granite monolith overlooking Hickory Nut Gorge.
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Bear your support
When George Ivey broached the idea of a new specialty license plate design for Friends of the Smokies, feedback on…
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Finding the essence of the Smokies
Micah McClure, a graphic designer in Waynesville, faced a daunting task when asked to redesign the Friends of the Smokies…
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Peanut butter log is the bomb
This past summer I stopped feeding birds, except for the hummers. The squirrels had become too brazen and were chewing…
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Bold & Cold: Icycle Mountain Bike Race at Fontana Village promises thrills and chills
By Michael Beadle If you’re a mountain biker looking for a challenging course that’s as cold as it is fun,…
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A.T. license plates raise dollars for conservancy
Drivers with Appalachian Trail license plates raised $55,000 last year to support the Appalachian Trail Conservancy in North Carolina.
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Deer dilemma
This week’s column is a follow-up to last week’s piece about urban archery seasons and deer/human conflicts within municipalities. Most…
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Forest on fire: How much should we tamper with Mother Nature?
By Michael Beadle For the longest time, forest fires were viewed as hazardous events to avoid at all costs. Remember…
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Canary Coalition reaches membership milestone in 2006
Canary Coalition, a regional air quality advocacy group based in Sylva, recently reached the 1,000 mark in members, showing a…
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Carrying on a tradition: New NOC president Sutton Bacon brings paddling, business savvy
By Michael Beadle Sutton Bacon once had dreams of becoming a surgeon.
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ATBI identifies 5,000-plus species ... and counting
The All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory, an ambitious project to identify every organism in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, is…
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Coexistence on the Chattooga
Paddlers floated down the Chattooga River outside Cashiers last weekend for the first time in 30 years since the U.S.…
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The Annual Balsam CBC
The fifth annual Balsam Christmas Bird Count was conducted last Saturday, Dec. 30. The 15-mile diameter circle, which covers a…
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Working on the fly
By Michael Beadle Wintertime may not offer the best opportunities for fly-fishing, but that doesn’t mean fly fishers aren’t busy.
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It’s that time again
By Kathleen Lamont The tradition of New Year’s Resolutions can be accurately traced to 153 B.C., although it could go…
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