Cherokees and rivers: Water a centerpiece of Cherokee culture
Just like Haywood County’s watershed, fed by springs that all have their start inside county borders, Cherokee mythology surrounding places…
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WCU shoreline study program lands grant
A $483,000 National Park Service grant will allow Western Carolina University to map shoreline storm vulnerability in 12 costal parks…
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Restrictions in place for Staire Creek Trail
Equestrians and bikers who enjoy the Staire Creek Trail in the Big Ivy Area of the Pisgah National Forest will…
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Haywood stream cleanup logs big numbers
Nearly two tons of trash were removed from Haywood County waterways this year thanks to Haywood Waterways Association’s Adopt-A-Stream Program.
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Great Smoky Mountains Association names new director
The Great Smoky Mountains Association, a nonprofit that provides millions for visitor programs, conservation and special projects in the Great…
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Naturalist to give sneak peak at upcoming book
Naturalist and historian George Ellison will preview his upcoming collection of essays, Literary Excursions, at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 9,…
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Meteors, stars and planets, oh my!
Crisp wintry weather makes for perfect sky-watching weather, and the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute in Rosman is planning a pair…
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Watch Santa practice his chimney technique
Santa Claus will start training for the big day with rappels down Chimney Rock 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday,…
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Wilderness — we don’t need no stinkin wilderness
Flying around Facebook pages (after all this is the age of information) is, apparently, a poll or online survey declaring…
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Rare salamander found in new area
The rare green salamander had never been documented in the Highlands area before, but a September excursion to the Overflow…
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Projects to close Parkway sections
A pair of tunnel closures on the Blue Ridge Parkway will impact travel and trail access beginning Dec. 1 and…
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Rockslide temporarily closes 14 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway
A rockslide has kept the 14-mile section of the Blue Ridge Parkway between Maggie Valley and Cherokee closed for a…
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NC leaders balk at federal carbon control plan
North Carolina has issued a draft plan to comply with federal carbon-control rules, but the plan falls short of federal…
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Trail improvements coming to Fontana: Work begins on $380K trail project
National forest trails around Fontana Village are in for an overhaul, thanks to a federal grant that’s putting the final…
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Parkway Foundation recognized for tourism contributions
The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation was recently awarded the Tourism Excellence Award from by the N.C. Travel Industry Association. “We’re…
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Get outside for the holidays
The Blue Ridge Parkway is supporting fresh air over shopping malls to launch the Christmas season, offering two excuses to…
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Grant protects Haywood farm with easement
The Glance Cove Farm in the Crabtree area of Haywood County will keep its agricultural character for a long, long…
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Coming down the mountain: Cataloochee turns attention to user experience
It’s a feeling that Chris Bates can’t shake. “Being outside, in the winter, on the mountain — there’s nothing like it,”…
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Game land management plans available online
Final versions of management plans for seven North Carolina game lands, including Sandy Mush Game Lands in Madison and Buncombe…
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Thanksgiving events planned at Fontana
A week of fall fun will celebrate Thanksgiving at Fontana Village, with a schedule of events including hiking, hunting and…
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Half a hunert
There’s nothing I like better than mixing pleasure with pleasure. Last weekend, I got to spend three wonderful nights in…
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Ski season starts at Cataloochee
Cataloochee Ski Area opened for the winter last weekend, kicking off the first run of the season at 8:30 a.m.…
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Former Congressman Taylor recognized for forestry career
Former Congressman and Brevard resident Charles H. Taylor was recently named 2015 North Carolina Tree Farmer of the Year by…
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Federal bill could change funding for outdoor rec projects
If a bill recently introduced to Congress passes, a federal fund used to support parks and open spaces across the…
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Trout Unlimited donation will help Smokies trout
Fish habitat and the brook trout populations in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park got a $19,000 boost thanks to…
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Franklin wants help with bike and pedestrian planning
A survey to find out what can be done to make walking and biking in Franklin easier and safer is…
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Hitting the ground running: SCC the first to host expanded training for future NPS officers
“I just don’t want to take any chances,” the hard-hatted contractor tells the officers as they get out of their…
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Referendum on tobacco assessment coming up
On Nov. 19, North Carolina tobacco growers will get to choose whether to continue paying 10 cents per 100 pounds…
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Take a guided hike to Chimney Tops with its trail engineer
A strenuous hike to one of the most unique peaks in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will also include…
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Haywood students to get creative with trash
A competition challenging students to take their best stab at trash sculpture aims to get Haywood County teens thinking about…
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Information sought in national forest vandalism
Vandalism in the Nantahala National Forest has prompted the U.S. Forest Service to offer a monetary reward for information about…
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Outdoor camp celebrates its friends
A celebration for friends of Outdoor Mission Camp, based in Maggie Valley, will be held 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12,…
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Duke pulls the plug on 45-mile transmission line, but will still replace coal plant with natural gas
In response to public opposition to its proposed 45-mile Foothills Transmission Line, Duke Energy has settled on a revised plan…
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Fight the good fight
"It’s like déjà vu all over again." —Yogi Berra (RIP) Maybe some of you who, like me, are getting longer in…
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An even Dirty Dozen: After 120-plus miles in the wilderness, hikers reflect on Wilderness Society challenge
Olga Pader will always remember the Naked Ground Trail in the Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness as “the hike from hell.” It…
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New guides demystify elk viewing, road biking in Haywood
A pair of new guides to the outdoors in Haywood County, produced by the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority, will…
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Be bear aware
It’s a scarce year for the fall foods such as acorns and grapes that bears depend on to prepare for…
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New Bryson City fishing pier finds easy popularity
A handicapped-accessible fishing pier along the Tuckasegee River in downtown Bryson City was dedicated this fall. It is located beside…
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WNC’s biggest bear
One of the most unique leaf-looking experiences in the country — the Shadow of the Bear — is now visible…
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Tuck accesses to close for construction
The Barkers Creek and Locust Creek River access points in Jackson County will close over for construction over the coming…
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Aiming for adventure: Competition encourages families to get exploring outside
For Tim Petrea, it was a truck and a red box that launched a lifetime affinity for the outdoors. Growing…
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The Eagle Lady says goodbye to Blue Ridge School
Nearly 200 people gathered at Blue Ridge School this month to hear a parting presentation from Doris Mager, known around…
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Bat week in the park
It’s bat week in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and park rangers are celebrating by setting up bat information…
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Prescribed burn planned near Cataloochee
A 600-acre prescribed burn near Cataloochee Valley in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will start soon, perhaps as early…
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Share the woods during hunting season
Hunting season is underway in Western North Carolina, with bear season opening Oct. 12. Bear season opened last week and…
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Boxwood disease found in Jackson and Macon
A serious boxwood disease known as boxwood blight, Calonectria pseudonaviculata, has been confirmed on the Highlands Plateau in Macon and…
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State solar tax credit to disappear
The North Carolina Legislature did not renew the state’s solar tax credit, which will now expire on Dec. 31.
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Zombie apocalypse comes to WCU
The fastest runners at the Zombie 5K Race Chase Saturday, Oct. 31, will have survival of the zombie apocalypse to…
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Like a good neighbor: LTLT to clean up Duncan Oil site this winter
Thanks to some fortunate happenstance and a lot of hard work from the staff at the Land Trust for the…
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More than one way to skin environmental regulations
According to Steve Ford, in a piece for NC Policy Watch called “Policies, power, pride divide the NC House and…
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