Could hops be one of WNC’s new cash crops?
Tobacco is no longer the cash crop it once was in North Carolina, but its partner in crime — hops…
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Environmentalists come in many forms at fair
Standing next to a display that showed pictures of West Virginia mountains scarred by mountaintop removal coal mining, Austin Hall…
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Keep telling the story
When I first arrived in Western North Carolina just after New Year’s Day, 2014, I wasn’t planning to stay.
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Word from the Smokies: Dedicated Smokies volunteer force protects elk and people
At 3:30 p.m., traffic flows smoothly along U.S. 441 past the Oconaluftee Visitor Center. The 80-some elk living in this…
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A feathery Christmas: Birders head outdoors for annual bird count
There’s plenty of tradition and symbolism that goes along with the holiday season, but for birders no tradition is more…
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Christmastime for birders: Cold weather can’t cool enthusiasm for Christmas Bird Count
At 8 a.m. on a December morning, the newly risen sun had barely warmed the air over Franklin from the…
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Christmas Bird Count marks 125 years
Since its origin in 1900, the Christmas Bird Count has become a holiday fixture for ever-expanding numbers of birders across the…
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Word from the Smokies: Volunteer roles critical to park operations
After years of vacationing in the Smokies, Scott and Jayne Young had no trouble deciding where they wanted to retire.…
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Word from the Smokies: Ramsey Cascades Trail reopens following multiyear rehabilitation
For the first time in nearly three years, the trail to Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s tallest waterfall is fully open…
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Word from the Smokies: Park and partners work to expand environmental education outreach
Anne Thomas-Abbott had a “profound” experience this October as she observed students taking part in a National Park Service curriculum…
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Word from the Smokies: New CEO takes the reins at Smokies Life
When 2024 dawned in Chattanooga, Tennessee, job hunting was the furthest thing from Jacqueline “Jacki” Harp’s mind. As regional director…
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Word from the Smokies: Rematore departs Smokies Life with strong record of accomplishment
When Laurel Rematore announced she was moving to the Great Smoky Mountains, Denise Matsuoka was shocked. Matsuoka, Rematore’s close friend…
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Word from the Smokies: I-40 rebuild offers rare opportunity for wildlife conservation
When the Safe Passage coalition started working in 2017 to make Interstate 40 a safer place for people and wildlife…
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Word from the Smokies: In the park, Cataloochee saw Helene’s worst
As Hurricane Helene fomented in the Caribbean, it seemed likely that Great Smoky Mountains National Park would take a direct…
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Word from the Smokies: Park program welcomes people with disabilities into the backcountry
Growing up, Blount County native Carly Pearson considered time outdoors a way of life. When she wasn’t exploring the stunningly…
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Word from the Smokies: Smokies cities make strides toward ensuring bear, human safety with new trash bins
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is home to an estimated 1,900 black bears — about two per square mile —…
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Word from the Smokies: Sochan gathering program grows relationship between tribe, park and plants
“There’s some legends and stories about this particular area, this place we’re at right now,” said Tommy Cabe, who is…
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Word From the Smokies: Fireflies are surprisingly diverse
For many people who grew up in the eastern United States, the soft yellow blink of fireflies drifting over dusky…
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Word from the Smokies: Cicada emergence offers rare community science opportunity
During the summer of 2011, billions of cicada eggs hatched inside tree twigs across the Southeast. The hatchlings, called nymphs,…
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Fisheries update offered next month
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park fisheries department is offering an informative and educational workshop from 9 a.m. to noon…
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Planning board opposes flood plain ordinance change
In a turn of events for the volunteers and members of the public that have been showing up in an…
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Dozens of flood reduction projects to launch in 2025
With about 280 projects approved across the state, the new year will bring visible on-the-ground progress in the effort to…
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Lake Junaluska pickleball courts completed
The pickleball courts renovations at Lake Junaluska are complete. This project, which highlights the growing popularity of pickleball in the…
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Hike Panthertown with Jackson County Rec
The Jackson County Parks and Recreation Department announced a Jan. 17 hike on the Panthertown Loop trail. Trail is about…
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WNC no longer abnormally dry
The North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council continues to classify much of Eastern North Carolina as being in a moderate…
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Haywood hosts Master Gardener advice session
NC State Extension Master Gardener volunteers are available to answer questions about lawns, vegetables, flowers, trees and ornamental plants; disease, insect,…
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USDA implements new wood processing program
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack unveiled a new program to support American wood processing facilities.
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Wilderness Wildlife Week
More than 90 free educational sessions, five days of outdoor excursions and key note speakers await attendees of Pigeon Forge’s…
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Macon to address floodplain, Lake Emory Dam in new year
After almost a year of work, discussion and often tense disagreement on the issue, Macon County is set to continue…
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Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust conserves 54.45 acres of forested land
The Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust (HCLT) announced the permanent conservation of 54.45 acres of forested land just two miles from downtown…
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Rehab efforts begin on popular Smokies trail
The National Park Service (NPS) will begin a major rehabilitation on Laurel Falls Trail, one of the most popular trails…
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Burning permit requirement reinstated in WNC
The N.C. Forest Service has reinstated the requirement for open burning permits in Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell,…
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Drought conditions lessen in WNC
After several weeks of increasingly dry conditions, Western North Carolina has finally seen some much-needed rain, taking the whole region…
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HCC hosts spring hunter safety courses
Haywood Community College’s Department of Arts, Sciences and Natural Resources and the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission will offer two opportunities for…
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Design studies on tap for Foothills Parkway
The National Park Service will conduct additional design work and technical studies for Foothills Parkway Section 8D. This decision was…
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Haywood Waterways creates jobs to clean up Helene litter
After Tropical Storm Fred moved through Western North Carolina in 2021, litter cleanup throughout the East Fork and downstream along…
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Sylva to host Cycle NC Moutain Ride
North Carolina Amateur Sports announced that the Cycle North Carolina Mountain Ride is headed to Jackson County Aug. 1-3, 2025. …
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Public comment sought on proposal to list hellbender as endangered
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced a proposal to list the eastern hellbender as an endangered species throughout its…
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State sees widespread moderate drought
Most of North Carolina continues to experience moderate drought, according to the latest advisory from the North Carolina Drought Management…
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Troxler encourages watershed protection applications
N.C. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler encourages communities impacted by Hurricane Helene to apply for the Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) program,…
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House passes bill providing millions to dams, flood mitigation in WNC
A bill approved by Congress last week will provide money for improvements to the nation’s ports and harbors; inland waterway navigation;…
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Public comment open on Ela Dam license surrender
Last week, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission accepted an application that Northbrook Carolina Hydro II LLC submitted in November seeking…
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HCLT to conserve 100 acre tract of pristine land in Cashiers
Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust (HCLT) is under contract on 100 acres of raw and pristine land in Cashiers. Fully surrounded by…
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NCWRC votes to advance Red Wolf recovery
The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission today voted unanimously in favor of a resolution to advance Red Wolf recovery in…
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Sign up for night skiing at Cataloochee
Jackson County Recreation is offering four, five and six-week programs that will allow skiers to enjoy lessons under the night…
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North Carolina announces drinking water awards
The North Carolina Division of Water Resources has honored 79 water treatment plants for surpassing federal and state drinking water…
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Most of WNC now in moderate drought
The North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council has again classified the whole state as at least abnormally dry with a…
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Jackson County hosts youth spring soccer
Youth soccer is coming to Jackson County next month. Registration for spring soccer begins Jan. 1 and runs through Jan.…
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WNC skier shares love of sport with family, community
On the weekdays, Alex Masciarelli proudly works as principal of Junaluska Elementary School in Waynesville. But, on the weekends during…
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Jackson County recreation offers Cataloochee skiing lessons
Registration is now open for another season of Cataloochee programming through Jackson County’s recreation department. Lessons are tailored to skier…
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