Registration is under way for the Rivercourse Coldwater Conservation and Fly Fishing Youth Camp at Lake Logan Center in Haywood County the week of June 19 - 24.

The program is designed to teach the ethics of coldwater conservation to youth and is sponsored by the North Carolina State Council of Trout Unlimited.

Campers will receive instruction by volunteer experts in specialties such as geology, entomology, herpetology, stream restoration techniques, wetlands ecology and environmental policy. In addition, fly-fishing and fly tying instruction will reinforce traditional values of patience, technique, attention to detail and a general love of the outdoors.

Sixteen boys and girls ranging from 13-15 years of age will be selected to attend camp. The cost of camp is $595. Registration deadline is March 31. Tuition is not due until candidates have been notified of selection.

www.nctu.org/rivercourse or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation has given $500,000 in funding for projects and programs on the parkway.

The projects for 2011 include:

• Continued funding of the Parks As Classrooms initiative for next school year: Parks as Classrooms is the Blue Ridge Parkway’s outreach program to children, instilling values of parkway protection to students in all 29 Virginia and North Carolina counties that border the parkway.

• Relocation of the park communications center: A 1,200 square foot communications center will be constructed at the Blue Ridge Parkway Headquarters in Asheville that will house the parkway’s interagency dispatch operation.

• The “Roots of American Music Program:” Funding for a series of concerts at the Blue Ridge Music Center on the parkway in Virginia.

Haywood County landowners can learn about conserving their land Monday, April 4, at the Haywood Agricultural Center in Waynesville.

The workshop will review how conservation agreements work and why they are beneficial to landowners of rural lands. A conservation easement is a voluntary and permanent agreement that limits certain development on a property in exchange for possible federal, state, and local tax benefits, a cash payment, or some combination.

The meeting is part of an ongoing series of “Saving Rural Lands and More” workshops supported by the Pigeon River Fund.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.712.6474.

Jackson County resident Thomas Crowe will read from and sign copies of his new collection of poems, Crack Light, at 7 p.m. on April 1 at Grateful Steps Publishing at 159 S. Lexington Ave. (behind and one block over from Orange Peel) in Asheville.

The book includes powerful and stunning black and white photography by Simone Lipscombe.

This is Crowe’s first collection of poems that are exclusively focused on the Western North Carolina region. Combined with more than 20 original photographs by Lipscomb, it is a multi-dimensional look at the landscape of the mountains, as well as it’s cultural and environmental diversity.

“Crowe has become one of the most interesting writers in this region to follow. He has established a lifestyle and a voice that are both universal and local …,” wrote reviewer Rob Neufeld in the Asheville Citizen-Times

For more information contact Grateful Steps at 828.277.0998 or email Laura Hope-Gill at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Jennifer Pharr Davis will discuss her book, Becoming Odyssa: Epic Adventures on the Appalachian Trail, at 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 2, at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville.

After graduating from college with a classics degree, Jennifer wasn’t sure what she wanted to do with her life. She was drawn to the Appalachian Trail, a 2,175-mile footpath that stretches from Georgia to Maine. Though her friends thought she was crazy and her mom worried about her safety, she set out alone and spent four months hiking the trail, an experience that changed her life.

828.456.6000.

It wiggles nicely on a hook at the end of a fishing line. It also has such a large appetite for decaying vegetation that it can eat its body weight every day, so it’s great for composting. It’s no wonder that fishermen and gardeners love it so much.

It can also jump nearly a foot, more than enough to escape from a bait bucket or composting bin, and once loose in the natural world it seems to have few limits, if any. It plows through the forest floor, eating all the leaf litter in its path, leaving no place for creatures like salamanders and millipedes.

Researchers have even found it in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, where fishing with live bait is prohibited, and no one is left to practice any gardening or composting. They haven’t found it in just one isolated spot, but in half of all the sites they have sampled.

I’m guessing there’s one somewhere near you right now. Probably a lot more than one.

It goes by more names than a secret agent. It’s often called an Alabama Jumper or Georgia Jumper, though it’s not native anywhere in the United States. It’s more accurately known as the Asian Jumping Worm, and scientists refer to it as Amynthas agrestis. However, since different species of worms look fairly similar to the untrained eye, it may be mistakenly bought or sold with the name of any of the dozens of native and exotic earthworms now found in the United States.

Most of the time, earthworms actually offer a lot of benefits to almost any vegetation trying to grow on land, from forests to agricultural crops to home gardens, because they aerate the soil and produce nutrient-rich “castings,” the official scientific name for worm poop.

After traveling to the Galapagos Islands back in the 1800s, some guy named Charles Darwin spent several decades studying earthworms and their impacts on soil health, thus becoming one of the world’s first experts on earthworms. His conclusion? “It may be doubted whether there are many other animals which have played so important a part in the history of the world as have these lowly organised creatures.”

Both before and after Darwin’s time, humans have traveled the globe in trips both big and small, bringing with them potted plants, bait, mulch, and more, in the process transferring many species of earthworms to new locations. As is often the case (kudzu, multiflora rose, hemlock woolly adelgid, and so on), the new arrivals have done more harm than good, but the Asian Jumping Worm has set a new standard for forest floor destruction.

Current methods of controlling this worm are few and far between. We can slow its spread by being much more selective about what’s in our bait buckets, nursery plants, composting bins, and mulch. Also, since worms are high in protein and low in fat, we might all want to pick up some ideas from Thomas Rockwell’s 1973 novel How to Eat Fried Worms. Perhaps Rockwell, like Darwin, was ahead of his time. Just make sure you eat the exotic ones, and let the native worms be.

(George Ivey is a Haywood County-based and author of the novel Up River. Contact him at www.georgeivey.com.)

To the Editor:

Humans need to know that our lives have meaning. Our searches for meaning are labeled religion and philosophy. Often, unforeseen tragedies such as the recent Japan earthquake and tsunami check our progress in these disciplines. Our emotions rage and reason fails when we consider the instantaneous and overwhelming destruction and loss of life. Even so, the world remains in anticipation, awaiting the final outcome of the damaged Fukushima nuclear reactor.  It’s too late for disaster to be avoided, but we wait to find out the final magnitude of the environmental cost of this disaster.

Our worries over the fate of this ongoing nuclear emergency are well-founded. Nuclear power plant emergencies are potentially far more dangerous than any nuclear weapon ever detonated in war. The Chernobyl disaster, for example, produced more widespread and persistent radiation contamination than the bombs released on Nagasaki and Hiroshima combined.

The obvious risks of nuclear power are in contrast to the more subtle costs posed by other means of electrical generation. Coal is our most abundant form of fossil fuels and produces most of our electrical energy needs. However abundant and cheap it may be, coal has costs, and despite modern pollution prevention techniques, still contributes to poor air quality. As a result, rates of adult and childhood asthma are radically increasing. Burning coal liberates sulfides and mercury, which acidify rain and pollute our food supply. Hydropower satisfies a much smaller proportion of our electrical consumption but radically alters natural environments by disrupting thermal, chemical, and physical processes in rivers. As a result native fish communities with specific habitat needs are displaced by other species that can better survive in the new and novel habitats.

I’m extremely thankful that plugging in a lamp in my house produces light and that my freezer allows me to store food easily for long time-periods. However, just because electricity is cheap and easy to use, I must remember that the sum of its costs that accumulate beyond my monthly power bill.

I recognize some of these costs as a necessary evil. It’s impossible to survive in contemporary society without electricity or the internal combustion engine. Even if you absolved yourself of these conveniences, you would still find yourself participating in an economy that depends on modern energy sources.

However, the relevant question is what level of energy consumption is appropriate? If I must contribute to environmental degradation, am I minimizing the problems I cause? Is my environmental footprint as small as possible?

A few minutes of consideration will reveal a substantial collective guilt. With complete callousness, we consume energy without considering inherent environmental costs and risks. Our televisions and stereos are left on continually, even when no one is paying attention. Rather than endure a 60-second boot-up time, we let our computers, printers, and routers run idle, needlessly consuming energy. We leave for vacation without turning off our hot water heaters. We have believed the lie that our house should never be more than 70 degrees and never less than 60 degrees, regardless of occupancy. Further, we have bought into the central-air fallacy that every room in our home should be the same temperature. We consume and consume and pretend the only cost is the (apparently acceptable) damage our power bill does to our wallet. We know better.

We refuse to connect the dots. We burn coal to meet our wasted-energy requirements and never consider the impact of asthma and mercury-contaminated seafood on our children. We over-consume energy and then wonder why someone would consider building a nuclear plant in a vulnerable location.

While our faith and understanding are challenged by the apparent meaninglessness of the recent tragedy, we should note that the ongoing nuclear emergency is far from an un-interpretable occurrence but rather a direct result of mankind’s wanton consumption. Let’s continue hoping for a miracle at Fukushima and a chance to reconsider the way we’ve always done things.

Powers Wheeler

Clyde

(Powers Wheeler is a fisheries biologist and a teacher and lives in Clyde, NC. He considers himself fortunate to work in nature and teach others about her. )

To the Editor:

Where are the jobs? The new Republican majority in the North Carolina state legislature promised just that if elected. As of now there have been more than 420 bills introduced, and not a single job created or even suggested. In fact, many of the bills actually eliminate jobs.

The most obvious job killer yet is HB422. This bill is to reject a $480 million grant from the federal government for improvement of infrastructure and high-speed rails. It outright kills the creation of 4,800 new, good-paying jobs.  The Republican majority will cut off its nose to spite its face with this one.  

How many times do we need to be hit in the head with a brick to know that it hurts? Call your new Republican representatives and senators and let them know we are not fooled. Their actions are telling us their campaign promises have proved to be a ruse. In other words, they lied about their intentions for wanting public office. North Carolina needs this grant, and if we don’t take it another state gets it.

Sylvia Blakeslee

White Oak

To the Editor:

Hypocrisy is defined as the “condition of a person pretending to be something he is not, especially in the area of morals or religion; a false presentation of belief or feeling.”

Mike Huckabee recently described an unmarried Hollywood starlet as a disgrace because she was getting ready to have a child. Yet when Bristol Palin had a child out of wedlock he defended her and her appearance at the 2008 convention. Classic hypocrisy.

The Tea Party Republicans rails against “BIG” government. They want it out of our lives and our business, so we can be free to pursue our lives as we see fit. Yet it is a basic tenant of the Republican agenda to tell woman how to manage the most sensitive and private aspects of their lives. In general, they want to tell us what God we should worship, who we can marry, and what we can and can not do in the privacy of our bedrooms. Well, which is it?

Every time the Democrats mention the terrible and growing disparity in income in this country – the top 1 percent own 80 percent of all the wealth – we are accused of class warfare. Yet teachers, police, fireman and government workers are roundly criticized by Republicans for making more money than non-union workers. I guess it is OK for them to use Class warfare as a tactic, but heaven forbid we point out the destructive social inequity caused by the super rich.

It appears to be OK for oil companies to use any pretense to raise their gas prices and maximize their profits. Any company can charge any price, only the market place should govern what they can charge. Yet when a union negotiates a contact using the same market forces, they are accused of being socialist out to destroy capitalism.

During the financial crisis Republican were particularly angry at the millions of homeowners who took out risky loans that put the housing market in jeopardy of collapsing. Yet the real damage was done by the big Wall Street speculators who manipulated these mortgages into risky financial instruments. Republicans to a person refused to pass legislation to rein in Wall Street, but came down hard on all those homeowners. So I guess it is OK to risk billions of dollars in other people pension plans, but it is not OK to risk your own house.

The concept of the individual health insurance mandate originated in 1989 at the conservative Heritage Foundation. In 1993, Republicans twice introduced health care bills that contained an individual health insurance mandate. This mandate is at the heart of Obamacare, a market-based private health insurance plan. Every Republican now calls this Republican idea socialized medicine. I call that stupendous hypocrisy.

I have no problem with real fiscal conservatives. Government must be leaner, more efficient, and more focused on the real needs of the citizens of this great country. Republicans on the other hand have taken hypocrisy to a new low in public discourse.

Louise Vitale

Franklin

More than 100 restaurants will participate in the Western North Carolina AIDS Project’s annual Dining Out for Life benefit Thursday, April 28.

Restaurants in Arden, Black Mountain, Brevard, Flat Rock Hendersonville, Maggie Valley, Saluda, Waynesville, Weaverville and Woodfin will donate 20 percent of their gross sales to the WNC AIDS Project.

Last year’s event raised more than $120,000. Money raised will help the organization continue its mission of increasing awareness to at risk individuals through their outreach education and prevention programs and provide case managed care to those already affected by HIV/AIDS.

The Waynesville Kodokan Judo Club has moved its classes to the Waynesville Recreation Center.

Classes are from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays and are offered for adults and children as young as four.

Judo club members must purchase an annual membership to the Waynesville Recreation Center plus pay $20 per month for club dues.

The club travels to state and national tournaments throughout the year, most recently to Atlanta, Raleigh and Jacksonville, N.C.

828.506.0327.

The first 2011 luncheon and business meeting of the Mountain High Republican Women’s Club will be held at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, April 5, at The Oak Street Cafe, (formerly Cafe of the Arts) on Main Street in Highlands.

The featured speaker will be Orville Coward Jr., a Jackson County attorney, whose topic will be the history of the North Carolina Republican Party. The cost is $20 in advance or $25 at the door. 828.200.0437 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Renovations are set to begin on Harrill Hall, a residence at Western Carolina University, including energy efficiency improvements that would qualify the building for nationally recognized Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification.

WCU’s board of trustees approved funding for the project earlier this month and work is scheduled to begin in May. The project will cost $15 million and should be completed by August 2012.

A free bridal show is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 9, at the Whistle Stop Mall in Franklin. The event will feature more than 40 vendors from across the region, covering all aspects of the wedding industry, including caterers, bakers, florists, travel agencies, venues and more. Guests will also be eligible for $500 in door prizes.

The show is hosted by the Center for New Mountain Business.

828.369.8660 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

A heavy load sky air crane helicopter, one of the world’s largest commercially available helicopters, lifted 15,000 pounds of air conditioning equipment into place at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and Hotel this week.

The RTU-6 Semco rooftop air handler was installed as part of the casino’s $633 million expansion plan. The Sikorsky helicopter, which can lift up to 25,000 pounds, carried three separate pieces of the equipment to the roof. The air conditioners are chilled with water units with heat recover wheels and will condition all outside air to decrease smoke within the property.

Faculty and staff at the Schatz Energy Research Center at Humboldt State University in northern California have built a hydrogen fuel cell power box for Southwestern Community Center.

Ron Poor received grant funds through the Appalachian Regional Commission to purchase the fuel cell, which will be used to teach the concepts of hydrogen based renewable energy.

“It’s basically the same hydrogen fuel cell technology NASA uses,” said Poor.

In the system hydrogen, stored in a small-pressurized cylinder, is fed to a proton exchange membrane fuel cell to produce direct current electricity.

The patented low air pressure design ensures high fuel cell system efficiency, Poor explained. The 16-cell PEM fuel cell power system has a peak power of 125 watts.

In basic terms, Poor said a small inverter converts the fuel cell’s 12 volts direct current output to 110 volts alternating current. It’s a pollution-free renewable energy system and the only by-products, he said, are water and heat.

The All-American Boys Chorus will perform at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 3, at Franklin’s Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts.

Featuring boys ages 8 to 15 from more than 30 cities in Southern California, the chorus is one of the most widely traveled boys’ choirs in the world.

In addition to providing its members with musical training and performance opportunities, The All-American Boys Chorus inspires its young members to become outstanding people, as well. The chorus seeks to nurture a boy’s self-discipline and sense of responsibility, creating not only a professionally trained singer, but also a leader who understands the real work that produces true accomplishment.

For tickets, visit www.greatmountainmusic.com or call 866.273.4615.

A community old-time music JAMboree is scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 9, at the Fines Creek School in Clyde to raise funds for the Haywood County Arts Council’s Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM) afterschool program. A barbecue will also be available from 5 to 8 p.m.

The arts council and the Fines Creek Community Association are hosting the show, which will feature a cake walk, flat foot dancing and a square dance called by former N.C. Senator Joe Sam Queen, as well as a bluegrass jam with musicians young and old.

Jim Sisk, a legendary old-time musician, will receive the first Haywood Master Mountain Musician award for his decades in the local Appalachian music scene. Sisk, 86, is a Bethel native who recorded and traveled locally, nationally and internationally with his band the Carolina Country Boys.

Prices are $15 for adults and $10 for children for the barbecue and jamboree. Supper only is $8 per adult, $5 per child and the jamboree only is $10 per adult, $5 per child.

828.452.0593 or stop by the office at 86 N. Main Street in Waynesville to purchase tickets.

Join One Step Closer as it celebrates one year of the gospel music ministry at 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 2 at the Bryson City Church of God. The singing and reunion will feature special guests the Barker Family and Walking By Faith. A full-service nursery, and hearing assistance systems will be available. Refreshments will be served immediately following the singing. www.1scgospel.com.

Chorus students at Pisgah High School are gearing up for the annual country show called “Where the Green Grass Grows.”

The show will feature group and solo acts from the elite show choir Orion and spring semester chorus classes. A live band will accompany soloists. Kendra Medford, Pisgah’s chorus teacher, looks forward to the show each year because she believes it gives students a chance to shine outside of sports and academia. “Even though country music doesn’t seem like an art form sometimes this is the only form of art some kids can be involved in,” she said.

The country show will take place at 6 p.m. each night Thursday, March 31 to Saturday, April 2 at the Pisgah auditorium. Tickets are $6 and can be purchased by calling the school, at Elite Hair and Nail Salon in Waynesville or at the door of the show. Proceeds help students pay for a choral trip to Disney World in May.

The annual Heritage Alive Mountain Youth Talent Contest is coming to downtown Sylva on Saturday, April 23, as part of the Greening Up the Mountains Festival.

Young artists ages 5 to 18 can showcase their talents in music, dance and poetry, prose or storytelling. 4-H will also host contests in Macon and Swain counties later in the year, and winners from all three competitions will have the opportunity to compete at the district and state level.

To enter, call 828.586.4009 or visit jackson.ces.ncsu.edu or www.spiritofappalachia.org.

Claymates, in conjunction with Country Traditions, is hosting a Ladies Night from 6 p.m. Thursday, March 31, at the pottery painting studio in Dillsboro.

Light snacks will be free of charge, while Country Traditions will be bringing a selection of wine samples for ladies over 21. All ladies 14 and over will receive 20 percent off all pottery purchases and a pottery/wine basket door prize, valued at over $30, will be given away.

828.631.3133.

International Day, a festival of cultures, celebrates its 32nd year from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 6, at Western Carolina University.

The festival will feature music, dance, arts and crafts, entertainment and food from a variety of countries in an effort to promote cultural awareness and appreciation. The event is free open to the public.

Scottish Highland pipes and drums, an Indonesian gamelan ensemble and a Saudi Arabian mock wedding are among festival events, along with information booths about international food, student organizations and traditions.

For information, call 828.227.2557, e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit www.wcu.edu/28443.asp.

It’s finally here: the week Haywood County property owners find out just how well their home and land values held up through the recession.

It’s not secret the real estate market tanked in the mountains compared to the hey day in the first half of the decade. But did the downturn wreak havoc on your home’s value or did you weather the storm with your price intact?

Find out this week as property appraisal notices from the county begin arriving in mailboxes. Notices with your new home and land values were sent out Monday (March 28.)

Higher priced homes are more likely to drop, as well subdivision lots, while median priced homes have held their value better and may see increases.

The last countywide appraisal was in 2006.

Ramp Biscuits

4 cups Flour

1 tablespoon Baking Soda

1 teaspoon Salt

2 Heaping T Baking Powder

½ cup Shortening or oil

2 cups Buttermilk

1 cup uncooked Minced Ramps

Sift flour, salt, baking powder and soda together. Cut in shortening until mixture looks like grapenuts, add ramps and enough buttermilk to make a soft dough ball, make sure ramps are well mixed in dough. Turn out on floured surface.

Knead dough from north to south, east to west adding flour if too sticky, the more you knead the lighter the bread, flatten the dough and cut out your biscuits or just leave as flat bread or "pone."

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and place biscuits on a lightly greased pan, lightly caramelize a small about of ramps in a bit of butter, strain out ramps and brush the top of your bread with the butter, place in oven for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown. Pry a biscuit open to see if it is done, if not return to oven for a few more minutes baking time.

Baking time depends on your oven and the thickness of the biscuits... when the bread is done the ramps will be too. Serve immediately with real butter for best experience.

Note*** If you are using baking mix use 4 cup mix, ½ cup shortening, 2 cup buttermilk, 1 cup minced ramps and follow package directions.

You may also use self-rising flour, shortening, buttermilk and ramps. Whole milk can be substituted for buttermilk follow directions.

For heavier bread leave out the shortening and use old fashioned buttermilk, this is a better recipe for diabetics.

Killed Ramps and Branch Lettuce

1 quart of ramps with tops

1 quart of branch lettuce

1 package of bacon

Fry bacon crisp and set aside to drain. Chop ramps and branch lettuce coarsely and place in a heat resistant bowl.

If you don't have enough bacon dripping to make ¾ cup, melt enough lard into dripping to make ¾ cup.

Pour hot dripping over chopped ramps and branch lettuce. Add salt and pepper to taste and top with crumbled bacon.

Must be served hot.

Note*** If you can find it you may add some "crows foot greens" to the ramps and branch lettuce. They will add a bit of zip to the flavor.

You may substitute regular green onions and leaf lettuce or spinach, but isn't nearly as good.

Fried Potatoes and Ramps

6-8 Medium White Potatoes

2 Cup New Ramps or 3 cups chopped with tops

1 package of bacon

Salt and pepper to taste

Fry bacon crisp, set bacon aside to drain. While bacon is cooking peel and slice potatoes into 1/8 inch thick slices. Place in cold water to prevent drying out.

After bacon is removed turn down heat a bit, drain your potatoes and pat dry with paper towel. Place potatoes in skillet with hot bacon grease, add salt and pepper to taste, brown gently then add ramps and cover with lid. Let simmer for 8-10 minutes or until ramps are clear.

Place ramp and potato mixture in bowl and sprinkle the crumbled bacon on top. Serve hot!

Ramp Cornbread

1½ cup white cornmeal

½ cup flour

1 t salt

3 t baking powder

2 T sugar

2 eggs

1 cup milk whole or butter

¼ cup oil

1 cup finely minced ramps

Sift dry ingredients together, add ramps, combine eggs, milk and oil. Fold into dry ingredients beat until smooth. Preheat oven and well oiled 8 inch iron skillet to 400 degrees. Pour mixture into hot skillet and bake for about twenty minutes until top is golden brown and a piece of spaghetti inserted into the center come out clean.

Serve hot with plenty of butter and a big glass of buttermilk or whole milk as desired.

This April, Headwaters Outfitters in Rosman will lead a guided overnight trip in hopes of introducing paddlers to the lower Chattooga River.

Headwaters will ltake up to 12 canoes down 11 miles of the river over two days, camping in a forested site roughly halfway down. Participants will paddle through a remote wilderness setting, running Class II rapids suitable even for novices.

The expedition coincides perfectly with the peak of the spring wildflower bloom, providing ample opportunity for identification and photography. Crested dwarf iris, wake robin trillium, Solomon’s seal, mayapple, bleeding heart and wild geranium may all be found along the Chattooga’s fertile banks this time of year.

The night will be spent in one of the many primitive campsites along the river. Participants will have to bring their own camping gear, including tents and sleeping bags. Headwaters will provide four meals, drinks and all paddling gear, including canoes and lifejackets. The price of the trip is $295 per person, and reservations are required.

In the event of high water, the trip will be postponed. All participants must be able to swim, be in good physical shape and should be comfortable canoeing a river such as the upper French Broad. 828.877.3106. Or, visit www.headwatersoutfitters.com and click on “special events.”

Join Friends of the Smokies April 2 for a hike to see early spring wildflowers and historic remnants on the Smokemont Loop trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Hiking enthusiast and author Danny Bernstein, who wrote “Hiking North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Heritage,” will lead this 6.2 miles hike. It is moderate in difficulty, and has a total elevation gain of 1,400 feet.  

The group will depart from Asheville at 8:30 a.m., and Maggie Valley at 9 a.m., returning to Asheville by 5:30 p.m. Exact meeting locations specified upon registration. A donation of $15 is requested to benefit the Smokies.

Space is limited. Contact Friends of the Smokies to register for the Smokemont Loop hike: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.452.0720.

The Greening Up the Mountains 5K Run/Walk in Sylva is forsaking its historically grueling course on the hillside streets above Sylva for more friendly terrain this year.

The Greening Up 5K will be held on Saturday, April 23, in conjunction with the downtown street festival.

This year’s course runs from Mark Watson Park across Business 23 and down Old Dillsboro Road, then turns around in Monteith Park and comes back on the same route to the finish at Mark Watson Park. This course is primarily flat, with few slopes, but does have one gravel section.

The race is put on by the Jackson County Recreation/Parks Department. This year, all proceeds will benefit the greenway trail being built at the Webster Department on Aging complex. 

The race starts at 9 a.m. prior to the opening of the festival events.

Light refreshments will be provided at the end of the race and prizes will be awarded to the top three in each age group, the top three male finishers, and the top three female finishers. T-shirts are provided with registration and are guaranteed to the first 75 to register.

Sponsorships are available for $50 or $100 and are due by Friday, March 25.

Pre-registration is $20; race-day registration is $25, and begins at 8 a.m. the day of the race. Registration forms may be printed from www.downtownsylva.org and online registration can be completed at www.active.com.

828.293.3053 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Another 110 acres of mountain landscape are now part of the Blue Ridge Parkway’s protected corridor, thanks to a landowner whose family has lived near the scenic highway since its construction.

The Conservation Trust for North Carolina bought the tract from landowners Joe and Wilma Jo Arrington last year at a bargain sale price. It recently conveyed the tract to the National Park Service in February for $500,000 to become an official part of the Parkway.

The property, known as the Richland Creek Headwaters tract, is near Milepost 440 in Haywood County. The Arrington family purchased it in 1936. When parkway construction reached the region in the late 1950s, 30 of the family’s 188 acres were condemned and used for the site of Pinnacle Ridge Tunnel.

The Richland Creek Headwaters tract provides a backdrop for Blue Ridge Parkway travelers – especially from the Waynesville and Saunook overlooks – near the boundary of Haywood and Jackson counties in the Great Balsam Mountains.

The tract’s position will help safeguard water quality in the region; the property contains headwaters streams of Richland Creek, which flows through Waynesville and into Lake Junalaska. The land also contains important wildlife habitat in the Pinnacle Ridge Significant Natural Area.

Learn how to put together a backyard habitat March 28 at 7 p.m. at the Rickman Store in Macon County’s Cowee community.

The program, led by Deborah Boots, is sponsored by the National Wildlife Federation and is titled, “Attracting Wildlife.” Five components will be taught and explained: food, water, places to raise young, cover and sustainable gardening.

Both families and communities can attain Habitat Certification by learning and working on a variety of habitat restoration projects. The series of lectures and workshops on “Gardening for Wildlife” organized by the Friends of the Rickman Store this year will support these efforts by providing monthly lectures, field trips and workshops at the store the second Monday of each month, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. May to November.

828.524.2711, ext. 209.

The Cashiers Historical Society is sponsoring its 2011 Heritage Apple Day from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Saturday, March 26, at the Cashiers Community Center.  

This popular annual event celebrates the region’s history by identifying and preserving ancient apple varieties throughout the valley and in surrounding communities.  

Bring scionwood (the new growth cuttings from your favorite apple trees), even those that have long since produced fruit, to graft onto the provided rootstock.  If you do not have your own apple tree cuttings, don’t worry — a large supply will be on hand.  

About 15 apple varieties will be available, including June Stripped, Winter Banana, Jonagold, Rome Beauty, Red Burgundy, and the Grimes Golden.

Apple-grafting techniques will be taught at the free workshop. Those interested in gardening, orchards, natural landscaping or the social heritage of apple growing will benefit from the knowledge and experience offered by this group of experts.

In addition, local author and historian Jane Nardy will be on hand to chat about apples, regional heritage, and other interesting lore and legend.     

Everyone is encouraged to bring their favorite apple dish or recipe to share with others. 828.743.7710.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has sued the Bureau of Indian Affairs for failing to hand over what it maintains are public documents under the Freedom of Information Act pertaining to the lease agreements for bear exhibitors in Cherokee.

PETA maintains about 30 bears are kept in what it characterizes as roadside zoos “in cramped, barren enclosures with no opportunity to express natural behavior.”

PETA maintains the Bureau of Indian Affairs is responsible for managing the lease agreements governing Indian trust lands — including those in Cherokee — and is required by federal law to release these agreements. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court.

Cherokee bear pits have been the target of PETA over the past two years, from sidewalk protests to billboard campaigns, as well as vocal appeals to tribal government to shut down the attractions.

Sixty-five runners started and finished the first Assault on Black Rock Trail Race at Sylva’s Pinnacle Park on March 19, raising more than $1,400 for the Community Table soup kitchen.

The 8.3-mile course boasts a 2,700-foot elevation gain and forced participants to use hands and feet to scramble to the craggy pinnacle atop Black Rock. Organizers hope the first-time event – which is basically uphill the first half and downhill on the way back, with the last half-mile of uphill featuring a ridiculously steep climb – will catch on in trail racing circles.

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“I am very pleased with the turnout, although I am sure the good weather helped,” said race organizer Brian Barwatt. “… The thought that 65 people stood on the summit of Black Rock on Saturday (not including my volunteers) is awesome because I have been up there about a dozen times in the past couple years and have only seen three people on the trail up to Black Rock.”

Participants traveled from as far away as Atlanta and Raleigh.

The top three men and women finishers were:

Men:

(1) Chad Hallyburton, age 42 of Sylva, with a time of 1:31:17

(2) Andrew Benton, age 20 of Hickory, with a time of 1:33:12

(3) Sean Botzenhart, age 18 of Cullowhee, with a time of 1:35:19

Women:

(1) (11th overall) Ginny Hotze, age 50 of Asheville, with a time of 1:46:42

(2) (14th overall) Hannah McLeod, age 15 of Waynesville, with a time of 1:51:53

(3) (16th overall) Brenda Holcomb, age 38 of Cullowhee, with a time of 1:56:42

The teen friends of the library meeting will be held at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 24, at Marianna Black Library in Bryson City. Area teens are invited to come share their ideas about materials of interest to them, including what sort of programming they’d like to see at the library. There will be food, crafts, games, and much more at the meeting.

The Friends of the Macon County Public Library (FOL) have unveiled a new informational web site, MaconLibraryFriends.org. The site showcases the group’s programs and events; and their used book store, which is located at 121 Highlands Road in The Shops of Riverwalk in Franklin. A “What’s New At The Bookstore” section updates viewers with special books and new arrivals and upcoming sales.

Membership and volunteer forms are also available on the site.

“We value the key educational role played by the library in the life of a progressive community. Please join us today to keep our public library viable,” said FOL President Betty Huffman says.

Ahead of Western Carolina University’s upcoming literary festival, the Macon County Public Library will host a book discussion on Alan Weisman’s The World Without Us at 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 24. 

James Costa, executive director of the Highlands Biological Station, will lead the discussion. The book offers an original and alternative approach to questions of humanity’s impact on the planet.

Author Alan Weisman will be speaking at Western Carolina University’s Coulter recital hall at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 7, as part of the festival.

Copies of the book are available for check out at the library. 

828.524.3600 or visit www.fontanalib.org.

To the Editor:

We turn on our televisions every day and witness to the devastation that neighbors inflict on neighbors.

We live in a world today where “environmental consciousness and green” are the right paths to take, whether it is energy, wind and solar, food, paper products, new buildings or cars. Our planet is warming to such a degree that in 50 years no human will find shelter from our ever-changing weather patterns. These are facts in our future, that unfortunately, neighbor-to-neighbor in Franklin, we cannot predict what results will be. However, we can oppose what is happening in our residential backyard.

Mr. Herman “Bud” Talley is proposing that even without the variance he tried to obtain was denied for various reasons by the Board of Adjustment on Dec. 21, he will build a motocross track on his farm in this residential community. It doesn’t matter whether the neighbors like it or not.

The definition of a farm is for agriculture use. This will no longer be considered a farm and will also not be given farm tax deferments. Taxes will continue to get proportioned off for others to pay in tax hikes.

Mr. Talley has also made comments at meetings ….”If you have a problem … come talk to me … we will work it out.” It is my belief, that Mr. Talley is not hearing us … most of us do have a problem with it, but unfortunately he is turning a deaf ear to our pleas that this motocross track will not only destroy the peace and quiet in the valley, but will contain noise pollution, dust pollution, raw sewage concerns, waste concerns, water table concerns, traffic concerns and road maintainance concerns. I could go on and on, but I know you have heard it all before. Mr. Talley is always quick to point out the development of the Fulcher Vista as a “High Impact Area,” but what Mr. Talley refuses to realize is that all we did was buy lots from a local developer, build our dream homes (just as he did) and want to live in our residential community without the environmental consequences.

Mr. Talley repeatedly brings up his heritage as if he were the only person who had any. We all come from somewhere and frankly his heritage is no greater than yours or mine. I am proud of mine and want to preserve the respect and dignity that comes from having generations before me.

The difference between Mr. Talley and me is that I will honor my forefather’s traditions and pride in a way that will not desecrate their land. He keeps telling us that they have tilled their land since 1935, and now he wants to turn it into a circus. He tries to tie the churches into the dynamics of this project, family activities done together, community economics and all things he thinks will sell this vision in the name of his family heritage. I do question his motives.

I think Mr. Talley must look in the mirror and ask himself, “What would my father and mother want as their legacy?” I believe they would want the pristine land they worked so hard for to remain intact with the beauty they saw in it. The beauty Mr. Talley is willing to destroy. How sad.

Mr. Talley knows exactly what the impacts will be. In one meeting he made a statement in front of the Board of Adjustment, that … “One month before the meets he would kindly notify the press, radio and by any other means and let us know when they would occur,” and [We could go visit someone else.”

He failed to include in his request for variance that there are practice times, time trials and heats, none of which could possibly take place in a matter of 16 days, especially with the estimated 300 to 400 riders he had hoped would attend. The arrogance of his statement goes to the fact that he is very aware of the impact this would and will have on our residential community. Now he states it will run all year.

Clarks Chapel area is a very small, residential community, but all these environmental impacts affect us all in the immediate area and we should all be concerned. We have frail elderly residents who live within the direct impact zone who will suffer terribly from this track. These effects will then have far-reaching impacts to all those in Macon County, possibly for generations to come.

I believe Mr. Talley’s vision is admirable for the children and families in this area, but he is not thinking about his immediate neighbors and the impact it will have on this residential community. I know the economic atmosphere in the whole county is dismal, but not only will this motocross track have an impact on our property values, but we have all heard the term …”trickle down affect.” If this motocross track is allowed to be built the property values in the immediate area will be drastically diminished, the tax dollars collected by Macon County will be affected, your salaries will be affected and people will not come into this area to retire with his operation in their back yard.

We already have evidence of this with buyers backing out of contracts near the Talley Farm simply because of Mr. Talley’s intent to build it. The influx of people from out of the state is enormous. Retirees, whether you want to admit it or not, put a lot of money into this beautiful little town. It will stop! It will be a thing of the past and Macon County will remain one of the poorest counties in North Carolina. This issue was addressed on the front page of the Ashville Citizen Times Newspaper on March 6. That is not what I want for this community. I believe we all want to preserve the integrity of Clarks Chapel Residential Community, City of Franklin and Macon County.

I want Franklin to prosper, I want Macon County to grow with people who want to enrich the area, to keep our grandchildren coming back and to enjoy the fruits of all our labors. I want Mr. Talley to have a heritage he can be proud of! A farmland to pass down to his children and grandchildren, a farm where he can go out on his deck, in his golden years with his wife and have the peace and quiet he deserves.

We will protect our own lands, however we feel fit. This is not a threat, but an absolute fact and the outcome, just as it is all over the world, will come down to neighbors inflicting devastation upon neighbors, either way. Why can’t we work on a solution?

Janet Cramer-Binkley

Franklin

To the Editor:

What happens when you fix something that ain’t broke? You’re sure to break something else. But the Republicans in Raleigh apparently don’t care about that fundamental truth, or anything else that stands athwart their path to perpetual power.

Today’s example is their steamroller bill to require photo IDs from voters at the polls. The only supporting evidence is not only anecdotal but it concerns absentee ballots, which are beyond the reach of any such legislation. Moreover, not even photo IDs are foolproof. Ask any bartender or employer who has been duped.

The better deterrent to voter fraud is swift and rigorous prosecution whenever it’s detected. The Republican bill, however, would disenfranchise primarily honest people, especially older voters, who for one reason or another don’t have photo IDs.

Why do this? Why throw $1 million into a new program when money is so short as to threaten massive teacher layoffs? It’s no coincidence that Republicans propose this wherever they take power. They figure that it will depress votes for Democrats.

It’s cut from the same pernicious pattern as their campaign to destroy the unions, thereby eliminating any counterweight to the GOP’s corrupt glut of corporate cash. The goal is not merely to defeat the opposition, but to destroy it forever.

Martin A. Dyckman

Waynesville

Scholarships for nursing students are available through the Judy Moore Memorial Scholarship Endowment, which was created as a memorial to Judy Moore, a registered nurse who was killed in a tragic accident in 1996.

A resident of Macon County, Moore was an inspiration to both nurses and patients in her role as a community health nurse and as an OB-GYN nurse practitioner. Since the first award in August 1998, the scholarship has been given to 20 individuals, and more than $19,000 has been issued.

The application deadline is May 5. www.nccommunityfoundation.org or 828.524.6564.

A summer day camp for rising first graders through rising fifth graders from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., June 17 to August 5, will be held at the Waynesville Recreation Center.

Campers will experience activities such as field trips, special guests, crafts, swimming, swim lessons, sports, movies, hiking, fishing, water fun, zoo time, and educational experiences. Campers can go the whole summer or only certain weeks.

The cost is $100 per week/$25 per day for recreation center members or $110/$30 for non-members. 828.456.2030 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Southwestern Community College will hold a free job fair Thursday, March 31.

The event will be from 9 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the Balsam Building and is open to the community.

Local employers will be on hand to provide information about their organization.

Employers are invited to conduct professional interviews following the job fair.

There is no fee for this event and job seekers do not have to register.

Western Carolina University students are folding and selling paper cranes for $1 to support an earthquake relief fund at a table in the first-floor lobby of McKee Building. Visitors to the table can give $1 to write a message that will be sent to the Miyagi prefectural government, where some of the worst damage has been observed. The group has raised about $700 toward its $1,000 goal. 828.227.3905.

Two portable light towers each bright enough to illuminate an area the size of a football field are the latest pieces of equipment Western Carolina University police received through the N.C. Attorney General’s Law Enforcement Support Services program. The program works through the Defense Reutilization Management Office, which makes military surplus equipment available to law enforcement agencies at no cost. The light towers will assist campus police in emergencies and power failures. 828.227.7301.

High school students interested in construction can participate in the Kimmel School Construction Training Program at Western Carolina University in July. Students will complete and earn certification in a 10 hour occupational safety and health administration course. Students will live on campus, meet with industry professionals and participate in leadership and team-building. A session for males will be from July 10 to 16 and for females July 17 to 23. Preference will be given to economically challenged applicants. Applications are available at constructiontraining.wcu.edu or 828.227.2177.

Sarge’s Animal Rescue Foundation will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new adoption center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 26. The ribbon cutting will take place at 11:30 a.m. followed by snacks donated by The Patio Bistro.

The center is located at 256B Industrial Park Drive in the Waynesville Industrial Park and will offer adoptions from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesdays and Saturdays and from 1 to 6 p.m. on Thursdays.

The foundation is accepting entries for its fifth annual pet photography contest. Deadline to submit photos is Tuesday, April 26. Categories are dog, puppy, cat, kitten, other pets, Sarge’s rescue animal and photographers under 12 years old. Entry fee is $10. Photos must be original and no smaller than 4 by 6 inches. Prizes will be awarded at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 30 at Bocelli’s Italian Eatery. Entry forms are online at www.sargeandfriends.org. 828.246.9050.

The Wesley Foundation at Western Carolina University will host its inaugural Golf Classic at Lake Junaluska Golf Course April 16 at 1 p.m. The entry fee is $200 per team of four or $50 for individuals who will be assigned to a team. Price includes 18 holes of golf, gift bag, post-tournament cook-out and chances for prizes. All proceeds will benefit the Wesley Foundation on campus. Sponsorships are $100 for a hole sponsor, $250 for a silver sponsor and $500 for a gold sponsor. 828.293.9215 or www.wcuwesley.com.

Construction on a new Homestead Inpatient Hospice Center adjacent to MedWest-Haywood hospital is progressing, with a new retaining wall, framework and roof trusses now in place.

The inpatient center will serve hospice patients whose families need a break from caregiving or need more help than families can offer.

The second phase of the project will eventually be the end-of-life outreach center, focusing on outpatient and community outreach programs. The hospital and new facility both serve the residents of Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties.