Jackson Chamber tees off annual golf tourney
The 30th annual Jackson County Chamber of Commerce Chamber Challenge Golf Tournament drew 92 golfers to participate in 23 four-person…
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Grant award to spur WNC’s outdoor economy
Nearly $3 million in newly announced funding will support further development of the outdoor-driven community and economy in Western North…
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Judaculla property protected
Mainspring Conservation Trust recently closed on an in-holding of the Nantahala National Forest Service in the Caney Fork Valley of…
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Highlands educator given statewide honor
Patrick Brannon, outreach specialist at the Highlands Biological Station, has received the 2021 award for exceptional environmental education programs from…
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Winner announced for Kids in the Creek shirt design
Waynesville Middle School student Kate Clark is the winner of this year’s Haywood Waterways Association Kids in the Creek T-shirt…
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Get in gear for adventure
UPDATE: Due to rising COVID-19 cases, the Sept. 25 event has been postponed until next spring. A full weekend of…
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Songbird outbreak is subsiding
A mysterious outbreak that has been affecting songbirds since May 2020 appears to be subsiding, and thanks to diligent reporting…
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Country miles: Federal designation sought for Benton MacKaye Trail
This year marked both the 16th birthday of the Benton MacKaye Trail and the 100th anniversary of its namesake’s flagship…
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Fishing after the flood: Flood took two-thirds of state hatchery’s trout
When the Davidson River first hit flood stage on at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 17, it was a normal — albeit…
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Below the waterline: Fred’s impact on aquatic life remains to be seen
Eric Romaniszyn had been Haywood Waterways Association’s project manager for less than six months when the legendary floods of September…
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Weigh in on Haywood’s recreation planning
An update to the 2007 Haywood County Recreation Master Plan is underway, with a survey now available to take public…
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Smokies sees two fatal accidents in one weekend
Two men died while visiting the Great Smoky Mountains National Park last weekend, one due to drowning and another resulting…
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HCC student wins national timbersports title
A Haywood Community College student earned the 2021 U.S. Rookie Champion title at the recent STIHL Timbersports U.S. Championships in…
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Dispose of chemicals safely
As floodwaters recede and cleanup continues, the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services urges farmers and homeowners to evaluate…
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Second fatal bear attack in Smokies history confirmed
A man found dead in the Hazel Creek area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park last September likely died…
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Fred's impact on public lands
In addition to claiming lives, homes and livelihoods, Tropical Storm Fred has had a significant impact on many beloved sites…
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Lasting damage: Recreation impacts from Fred could linger for years
A week before Tropical Storm Fred unleashed historically high floodwaters on Western North Carolina, Greg Philipp was in Washington fighting…
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Planning for adventure: Sylva, Cherokee to partner on trails plan
The highest-elevation mountain bike trail on the East Coast is on the path from concept to reality after the Cherokee…
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Wildlife Commission elects new leadership
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission has elected Richmond County resident Monty R. Crump as its new chairman, replacing Dallas resident…
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NPS institutes mask mandate
A national mask mandate is now in place across the National Park Service.
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Closures at Waynesville pool
Lack of staffing has prompted the Waynesville Recreation Center to close its water park and constrain hours for the lap…
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Daytime closures resume on Newfound Gap Road
Daytime closures associated with an 8-mile paving project on Newfound Gap Road in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will…
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‘Year of the Trail’ planned for 2023
The N.C. General Assembly has declared 2023 to be “Year of the Trail” in North Carolina, marking it as a…
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Bear caused 2020 Smokies death, autopsy shows
A man found dead in the Hazel Creek area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park last September likely died…
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Parkway motorcycle crash causes fatality
A 74-year-old Georgia man is dead following an Aug. 8 accident on the Blue Ridge Parkway north of Old Fort.
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Effort begins to clean up Fontana campsites
On Tuesday, Aug. 10, 14 volunteers converged on Fontana Lake to clean up dispersed campsites that had been trashed by…
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Living high with the hogs: Mountain hog farm revives historic breed
Morning cool still hangs over the grassy fields at Smoky Mountain Mangalitsa Farm as Catherine Topel approaches a pair of…
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Grant to increase diversity in Smokies programs
A $10,000 grant from REI Co-op in Pigeon Forge will support community science programs in the Great Smoky Mountains National…
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Harrah’s donates to N.C. Beautiful
Harrah’s Cherokee Casinos recently donated $30,000 to N.C. Beautiful, a nonprofit organization that has for 54 years supported environmental awareness,…
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Join the Bucket Brigade
The Bucket Brigade is looking for people who are tired of passing by the same trash each day and want…
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Century Farm applicants wanted
A reunion for families who have continuously operated a farm for 100 years or more is coming up this fall…
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‘Let’s protect it’: For retiring Mountain Wildlife Days director, wildlife outreach is a calling
With his 90th birthday now approaching, John Edwards is retiring from his two-decade-long role organizing one of the region’s largest…
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Clay couple donates land for conservation
A Clay County couple has conserved their 50-plus-acre property and will donate it as a life estate to Mainspring Conservation…
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Crashes cause deaths in the Smokies, Parkway
A trio of collisions in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Blue Ridge Parkway over the past week have…
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Swain students win softball title
Two Swain Middle School eighth graders helped their softball team win a tournament title during the Native American Youth Organization…
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Tree seedlings for sale
Seedlings are available for sale from the N.C. Forest Service Nursery Program, with specimens offering superior growth, form and disease…
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Friend your farmer
Empowering Mountain Food Systems will be highlighting the stories, personalities and passions of Western North Carolina farmers through its new…
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Ticket, please: Smokies to explore paid parking, shuttle service as crowd control tools
As visitor use in the already-crowded Great Smoky Mountains National Park continues to climb, for the first time ever the…
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Dive into folklore this Friday
Blue Ridge Parkway rangers will host a new outdoor interpretive series dubbed “Fridays at the Folk Art Center” at 7:30…
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Bills aim to fund wildlife conservation
Bipartisan legislation aiming to fund local efforts to support struggling wildlife is now under consideration in both houses of Congress…
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Mountain Wildlife Days director to step down
More than 450 people participated in the 17th annual Mountain Wildlife Days this month, but it will be the last…
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New landslide mapping tool available
A new website uses GIS, aerial imagery and field work data to create a landslide mapping tool that provides critical…
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Staying alive: MountainTrue protects A.T. ash trees as research progresses against invasive threat
For millions of years, ash trees have grown tall and strong across the landscape today known as the United States…
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Conservancy marks land protection achievements
The Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina celebrated a pair of conservation achievements in recent months that together protect more than…
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Local conservationists earn statewide recognition
Conservation leaders from Asheville and Brevard were among the 16 people and organizations to earn recognition during the N.C. Wildlife…
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Pilot program will bring shuttles, paid parking to Laurel Falls
In a virtual public meeting this evening, Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials unveiled a pilot plan to manage congestion…
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Bryson City paddler to appear in Olympic semifinals
Bryson City Olympian Evy Leibfarth, 17, will advance to the semifinal women’s kayak slalom competition following her performance in the…
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Highlands Biological Foundation Board elects new president
Jennie Stowers has been elected as the new president of the Highlands Biological Foundation Board after Julia Grumbles wrapped up…
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A new chapter for Max Patch: Forest Service issues two-year camping ban for iconic bald
Following an explosion of use at Max Patch, the U.S. Forest Service is prohibiting camping and fires on the iconic…
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New Max Patch restrictions include ban on camping, fires
Following an explosion of use and impact at Max Patch, the U.S. Forest Service is prohibiting camping and fires on…
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