Girls on the Run to increase presence in Macon County
 

Girls on the Run to increase presence in Macon County

Girls on the Run is reaching out to elementary and middle school girls in Franklin to get involved in a…
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Bringing back the native river cane
 

Bringing back the native river cane

River cane, a native type of bamboo that once grew in large stands along mountain rivers, has gotten a helping…
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Venture to a unique high-elevation granite dome on guided hike
 

Venture to a unique high-elevation granite dome on guided hike

A special guided hike to the Ridges of Cedar Knob in the Highlands area will explore a high-elevation granite dome…
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Get off the eaten path with guided wild mushroom hunt
 

Get off the eaten path with guided wild mushroom hunt

Join a renowned mushroom forager for a guided mushroom hunt from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Sunday July 29.…
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A measure of hope for the hemlock forests?
 

A measure of hope for the hemlock forests?

A scientist fighting to save the dying hemlock forests of the Southern Appalachians will give a talk on ongoing efforts…
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Smokies workshop to engage teachers
 

Smokies workshop to engage teachers

An all-day workshop on July 31 will explore the ethics and ethos behind ecology and conservation in the Great Smoky…
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Land a hand for the Smokies’ historic cabins
 

Land a hand for the Smokies’ historic cabins

The historic cabins, churches, school houses and farmhouses that date back to the times of early Appalachian settlers in the…
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Wild places, wild  things featured at Mountain Wildlife Days
 

Wild places, wild things featured at Mountain Wildlife Days

The ninth-annual Mountain Wildlife Days will be held Friday, July 20, and Saturday, July 21, at Sapphire Valley Resort near…
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Hiking the Southern Appalachians? Download this App
 

Hiking the Southern Appalachians? Download this App

Hikers who want to travel smarter on trails in the Southern mountains now have access to a mobile app called…
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Take a working vacation on the AT
 

Take a working vacation on the AT

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy is searching for volunteers to help maintain sections along the fabled footpath. No previous trail experience…
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Learn how to manage your forest land
 

Learn how to manage your forest land

Four workshops for private forest landowners in Western North Carolina will be held on Wednesdays and Thursdays between mid-July and…
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Fox sightings not always a cause for concern
 

Fox sightings not always a cause for concern

Foxes sighted in daylight, or in urban and suburban settings are not necessarily rabid or dangerous, according to the N.C.…
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Reward offered in elk poaching case
 

Reward offered in elk poaching case

The N.C. Wildlife Federation is offering $5,000 for information about the recent elk killings that directly leads to an arrest…
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Top supporters for national parks include local groups
 

Top supporters for national parks include local groups

Friends of the Smokies and The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation are among a select group of organizations featured as part…
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Pigeon River Fund awards grants
 

Pigeon River Fund awards grants

Seven projects received $116,300 in grants from the Pigeon River Fund of The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina. Grant…
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Summer doldrums? Students can volunteer in the Smokies
 

Summer doldrums? Students can volunteer in the Smokies

Students can join a park ranger in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park this summer in a hands-on work project.…
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Kids camp to explore heritage farming
 

Kids camp to explore heritage farming

Kids will explore local agriculture in the 4-H Farm to Fork Day Camp in Haywood County held from 9 a.m.…
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State recognizes Western Carolina for its energy reduction efforts
 

State recognizes Western Carolina for its energy reduction efforts

Western Carolina University has gotten more kudos for lowering energy use and costs and promoting utility savings.
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Famous NYC offspring
 

Famous NYC offspring

New York City is big, bustling and in July – hot, but there are always entertaining and even educational ways…
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‘Around the World in 80 Birds’ coming to Highlands
 

‘Around the World in 80 Birds’ coming to Highlands

International birder and Highlands-Cashiers resident Romney Bathurst will present “Around the World in 80 Birds” at 7:30 p.m. July 23…
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Franklin couple collaborate on outdoor books for children
 

Franklin couple collaborate on outdoor books for children

In 25 years of teaching kindergarten, Cathryn Sills of Franklin read a lot of books to her young students. In…
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Farm tour and garden walk in Jackson
 

Farm tour and garden walk in Jackson

The Jackson County Farmers Market is sponsoring the sixth annual Farm Tour and Garden Walk from 1 to 5 p.m.…
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Highlands art center hosts eight garden tours
 

Highlands art center hosts eight garden tours

The Bascom’s 2012 Mountains in Bloom Garden Festival, which includes a garden tour and flower show, will take place July…
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Winged creatures of the night unveiled
 

Winged creatures of the night unveiled

The Cradle of Forestry in Pisgah Forest just outside of Brevard will host a night for nature enthusiasts of all…
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Audubon Society to host birding tours, talk
 

Audubon Society to host birding tours, talk

The Highlands Plateau Audubon Society is offering birders a chance to stroll around the grounds of a private home on…
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Hike the Smokies  with a naturalist
 

Hike the Smokies with a naturalist

A guided hike on the three-and-a-half mile round-trip Thomas Divide Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will be…
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Land Trust hosts Yellow Creek Falls hike
 

Land Trust hosts Yellow Creek Falls hike

The Land Trust for the Little Tennessee will host a nature study and leisurely hike to Yellow Creek Falls and…
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Guided hike explores Purchase Knob
 

Guided hike explores Purchase Knob

Meet with a park ranger and enjoy mountain views while lunching on top of Hemphill Bald July 19. Hiking enthusiast…
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LTLT to share vision and work
 

LTLT to share vision and work

Learn the latest about the Land Trust for the Little Tennessee, including an update on land conservation initiatives, at noon…
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Hay Day rolls into Haywood July 12
 

Hay Day rolls into Haywood July 12

The Mountain Research Station will hold its annual Hay Day on July 12, featuring demonstrations of the latest hay equipment…
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Take the aerial  challenge with NOC’s new zip line park
 

Take the aerial challenge with NOC’s new zip line park

Nantahala Outdoor Center has opened a new Nantahala Zip Line Adventure Park that features a traditional zip line and aerial…
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Stargazing comes to a telescope near you
 

Stargazing comes to a telescope near you

An evening of stargazing using optical or radio telescopes will be held at 7 p.m. July 13 at the Pisgah…
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Mapping ancient Cherokee mounds
 

Mapping ancient Cherokee mounds

Cherokee mounds will be the focus of a 7 p.m., July 12, presentation at the Highlands Biological Station. Ben Steere,…
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Fly fishing guide to share secret spots
 

Fly fishing guide to share secret spots

The Plateau Fly Fishing Club will hold a casting clinic at 6:15 p.m. and a meeting at 7 p.m. July…
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Learn about “hummers” in upcoming program
 

Learn about “hummers” in upcoming program

A hummingbird program by Cathyrn and John Sill will be held July 10 at 6:30 p.m. at the Kern Youth…
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Kudos, Gov. Perdue
 

Kudos, Gov. Perdue

News outlets began reporting Sunday night (July 1) that North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue vetoed Senate Bill 820, which would…
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Paging Robin Pope: When no hospital’s in sight, treating medical emergencies takes quick wit and know-how
 

Paging Robin Pope: When no hospital’s in sight, treating medical emergencies takes quick wit and know-how

If you fall from a ledge rock-climbing, break a leg backpacking in the wilderness or twist your shoulder paddling a…
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The changing face of WNC’s national forests
 

The changing face of WNC’s national forests

 A million acres of national forests sounds like a lot, and indeed it is. But consider the 8.6 million people…
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Mapping Mountain Treasures: Wilderness on the line
 

Mapping Mountain Treasures: Wilderness on the line

A sweeping review of the Pisgah and Nantahala national forests will get under way in a matter of months, a…
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‘Spectacular’ nature photography on exhibit at Cradle of Forestry
 

‘Spectacular’ nature photography on exhibit at Cradle of Forestry

 “Spectacular Southern Appalachians” is the theme of a Nature Photography Exhibit by the mountain chapter of the Carolinas Nature Photographers…
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Chimney Rock completes new elevator and staircase to iconic rock tower
 

Chimney Rock completes new elevator and staircase to iconic rock tower

 Building the original elevator to the mountain’s summit in 1949 took workers 18 months to blast through solid granite, creating…
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Youth National Fly Fishing Championship held in Cherokee
 

Youth National Fly Fishing Championship held in Cherokee

This year’s U.S. Youth Fly Fishing Championships were held in Cherokee last weekend, with venues including the catch-and-release waters in…
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Firecracker 5K lights a fuse with runners
 

Firecracker 5K lights a fuse with runners

  If you are looking to run a personal best, consider the Bryson City Firecracker 5k on July 4th. The…
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Horse exhibition to benefit Panthertown
 

Horse exhibition to benefit Panthertown

  The Bald Rock Horse Exhibition will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 30 in Sapphire to…
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Lecture series travels into the world of bogs
 

Lecture series travels into the world of bogs

  From spider behavior to salamander pheromones, researchers with the Highlands Biological Station are seemingly undaunted by the finer, even…
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Watch that stream
 

Watch that stream

  The Town of Waynesville has partnered with Haywood Waterways Association to strategically place stream-crossing signs around town and help…
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Join rangers for a hike to Black Balsam
 

Join rangers for a hike to Black Balsam

Rangers with the Blue Ridge Parkway will lead a hike to the summit of Black Balsam Knob in the Shining…
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Growers needed for new Stecoah market
 

Growers needed for new Stecoah market

  A new farmer’s market has opened at the Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center in Graham County every Wednesday morning…
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Canary Colition to screen documentaries at annual meeting
 

Canary Colition to screen documentaries at annual meeting

The Canary Coalition’s annual membership gathering will take place from 6:30 to 9 p.m. June 29 at the Jackson County…
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Wielding a symbolic veto against fracking’s unknown downsides
 

Wielding a symbolic veto against fracking’s unknown downsides

  Gov. Perdue has to be weary. This weariness was apparent months ago when she declared she would not seek…
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