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Adventure at the arboretum

Registration is open for two upcoming sessions of Outdoor Adventure Kids, or OAK, at the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville. 
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Prescribed burn planned for Graham County
 

Prescribed burn planned for Graham County

A 1,295-acre prescribed burn in the Yellow Creek area of Graham County could take place any time before April 15. 
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Volunteers needed 
to help track seasonal changes of trees 

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is currently recruiting local volunteers to ‘Adopt-A-Plot’ and track the seasonal change of trees, also…
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Tremont receives gift from Lawson Family Foundation
 

Tremont receives gift from Lawson Family Foundation

Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont has been awarded $25,000 from Lawson Family Foundation to support their efforts to connect…
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Smokies record second busiest year ever

Great Smoky Mountains National Park experienced its second busiest year ever in 2022 with 12,937,633 visits. Last year’s visitation was…
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Park it Forward: Congress won’t pay for Smokies maintenance backlog — you will

After years of inaction by Congress led to a massive $262 million deferred maintenance backlog in America’s most-visited national park,…
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Up Moses Creek: Look up!

The day dawned clear, and I was standing on the ridge behind our house looking west and waiting for the…
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Spur Tunnel work to switch lanes
 

Spur Tunnel work to switch lanes

Much of the maintenance on one side of the Spur Tunnel is complete, allowing contractors to begin work on the…
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Wildlife Commission approves rule changes
 

Wildlife Commission approves rule changes

During a business meeting Thursday, Feb. 23, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission voted to adopt eight proposed rules related to…
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African American Project lead reflects on 2022, plans for 2023

Who were they? How did they get here? What were their lives like? These are questions that constantly resonate with…
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Smokies parking tag program takes effect
 

Smokies parking tag program takes effect

Starting March 1, any vehicle parked in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park for more than 10 minutes must display…
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Notes from a Plant Nerd: Red Maple Winter

There’s a change in the air every year around this time. A subtle shift in energy. Days start getting longer,…
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Soehn selected to lead Friends of the Smokies
 

Soehn selected to lead Friends of the Smokies

Dana Soehn, a 34-year employee of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park who has been part of its management team…
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Writer and naturalist George Ellison dies at 81

George Ellison, a writer and naturalist whose home and inspiration was on Lands Creek in Bryson City, died Sunday, Feb.…
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Forest management plan now final

After 11 years of work, the U.S. Forest Service released the final, revised Nantahala and Pisgah Forest Plan Feb 17,…
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Holding court: Pickleball grows 
in popularity 


It’s 4 p.m. on Thursday, which for a growing subset of Haywood County residents means only one thing — it’s…
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Trail building starts soon at Old Fort

Construction of 4 miles of new trail will soon be underway on the Grandfather Ranger District of the Pisgah National…
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Road construction could delay A.T. hikers
 

Road construction could delay A.T. hikers

For the next two years, Appalachian Trail users will experience delays at Stecoah Gap due to construction on Corridor K. 
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Greenbrier area closed for flood repairs

Access to the entire Greenbrier area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will be closed from Feb. 13 until…
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Rock faces closed for falcon protection

Twelve rock faces in the Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests are closed to climbing, rappelling, hang-gliding and other activities through…
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Sights on elk season: Bill would implement N.C.’s first elk hunt

North Carolina could see its first elk hunt since wildlife rules existed if a bill introduced to the General Assembly becomes…
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Equine infectious anemia found in Henderson County
 

Equine infectious anemia found in Henderson County

Equine infectious anemia has been found in 19 horses located in nine counties, including Henderson County. Of the 19 horses,…
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Project funding approved for state parks
 

Project funding approved for state parks

The N.C. Parks and Recreation Authority has approved $13.7 million to fund 11 capital improvement projects at state parks, including…
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Podcasting the park: “Smoky Signal” brings national park science to a new audience

Antoine Fletcher’s love affair with podcasts blossomed back in middle school when he made his first one with his best…
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Notes from a plant nerd: Winter moss gathers no stones

Among my favorite types of plants that grow year-round, and tend to especially shine in the wintertime, are mosses.
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Norton Creek firefly tickets on sale

Save the date for a magical evening watching the synchronous fireflies of the Smokies, with tickets available to see the…
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Notes from a plant nerd: Winter Green

While there are many plants that stay green throughout the winter, there is only one plant known as wintergreen.
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Master planning process starts for DuPont Forest

Friends of DuPont Forest has received $99,000 in grants from the Tourism Development Authorities in Henderson and Transylvania counties. The…
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Federal funding 
to combat chronic wasting disease

The federal Consolidated Appropriations Act that became law on Dec. 29, 2022, included a major win for wildlife advocates — inclusion…
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Boone firm chosen for Parkway planning effort

Boone-based Destination by Design will be leading efforts to create an economic development plan tying together all 29 counties along…
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Parkway Foundation selects new leaders
 

Parkway Foundation selects new leaders

The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, which is the nonprofit partner of the Blue Ridge Parkway, has confirmed new leadership to…
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Bike swap: With Motion Makers exit, Bryson City Outdoors expands in Cherokee

Less than a year after owner Kent Cranford sold his three Motion Makers Bicycles stores to Specialized Bicycles, the company…
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Mole and Thrush and Pretty Polly

A mole tunneled out of the woods early this winter and started digging back and forth behind the house in…
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New year brings new species to the Smokies
 

New year brings new species to the Smokies

Discover Life in America had a busy year, with many new species added to the nonprofit’s ever-increasing inventory of species…
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Pay to play: Smokies parking tags now on sale

Starting March 1, Great Smoky Mountains National Park visitors will have to pay to park. As the date approaches and…
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Forest Service completes objection reviews for Pisgah-Nantahala forest plan

The U.S. Forest Service has completed its review of 891 objections to the Pisgah-Nantahala forest management plan it released a…
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Up Moses Creek: Buck Fever

I had read in natural history books about white-tailed deer that during the fall rut, deer hunters have sometimes been…
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Proposal for Overmountain Shelter replacement

A proposal for the future of the Overmountain Shelter on the Appalachian Trail, closed since 2019, will be discussed during a…
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Franklin group recognizes new A.T. supporter

Highlands Aerial Park in Scaly Mountain is a new A.T. Supporter with the Franklin Appalachian Trail Community Council. 
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Forest Service completes objection reviews for Pisgah-Nantahala forest plan

The U.S. Forest Service has completed its review of 891 objections to the Pisgah-Nantahala forest management plan it released a…
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New board members wanted for Friends of DuPont Forest
 

New board members wanted for Friends of DuPont Forest

Friends of DuPont Forest is looking for new board members to start a term beginning in April. 
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Word from the Smokies: Inaugural event shows that Elkmont is not a ghost town

If you’ve been to the Elkmont Historic District of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, you’ve probably come across a gathering…
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Private land, public impact: Workshop series helps woodland landowners better steward their forest

Usually, talk around conservation and forest management focuses on big chunks of public land like the Pisgah-Nantahala National Forest and…
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From the mountains to the sea: WCU alum, scientist helps preserve coastal parks through NPS grant

Growing up in Franklin, Katie Peek never dreamed she would one day be living in the mountains and working as…
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Notes from a Plant Nerd: The winter forest

I love walking in the woods in the wintertime. Sure, there aren’t any wildflowers blooming, but there are no mosquitos…
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Tennessee native lead Smokies Lands Office
 

Tennessee native lead Smokies Lands Office

Joshua Johnson has been hired as the new lands specialist for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
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Word from the Smokies: Old wallet helps archivist breathe new life into Cades Cove history

When a wallet talks, Mike Aday listens. At least, metaphorically speaking. 
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Spur tunnel repairs begin

Tunnel repairs have begun on the northbound Spur between Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, with ongoing lane closures expected through April…
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Cataloochee offers program for women

A six-week winter sports program aimed at women who learn better with female instructors starts on Wednesday, Jan. 11, at…
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Smokies mountain biking plans to move forward

A Finding of No Significant Impact from the National Park Service clears the way for the Great Smoky Mountains National…
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