The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission recently released 12 rehabilitated black bear cubs back to the wild, four from the coastal region and eight from the mountains. 

NCWRC has been overseeing the rehabilitation and release of orphaned black bear cubs since 1976 through the agency’s cub rehabilitation program, one of the first in the country.

Duke Energy Foundation has awarded The North Carolina Arboretum a $25,000 grant as part of its effort to support local conservation efforts and environmental impact programs across North Carolina. 

The annual elk breeding season, known as the rut, is underway in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The rut can be exciting to witness, but it can also be dangerous, as elk are especially unpredictable during this time.  

Smokies Life, a nonprofit partner of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, is now accepting applications for its sixth Steve Kemp Writer’s Residency. The annual program is designed to help writers of any medium connect in meaningful ways with the national park while focusing on their craft in an inspiring, retreat-like setting. 

There’s a certain feeling you get when you cross over the Graham County line. For most “outsiders,” whether it be nearby East Tennessee or origin points from any incoming direction, it’s a sense of genuine curiosity and wonder, where you don’t know what to expect around the next curve. And that’s half the fun, you dig? 

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission advises that black bears’ eating behavior changes in the late summer through fall. They significantly increase their food consumption to prepare for the colder months when natural food is less available. It’s called hyperphagia and it means “extreme appetite.” Which means they are on the search. 

As the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Helene’s arrival in Western North Carolina approaches, two faculty members in Western Carolina University’s College of Business served as project managers for an in-depth study of storm damage to the North Carolina Arboretum in an effort to develop a plan for its recovery. 

The ideal habitat of the Eastern hellbender that Tracy Davids described was pretty much what she saw on Tuesday morning as she stood ankle-deep in the Davidson River. 

“Relatively shallow, fast-moving, highly oxygenated water because (hellbenders) breathe through their skin,” said Davids, senior southeast representative for the Defenders of Wildlife environmental organization.

Highlands Biological Station is hosting a free “celebration of place” event.

The one-day event will feature:

• Rare & unusual native plants for sale, including the beloved Oconee Bells. 

Avid botanist, dedicated environmentalist, and lifelong educator Dr. J. Dan Pittillo passed away peacefully on Sunday, Aug. 10, surrounded by family and friends, at the age of 86. This story, originally published in June 2021, celebrates his decades of contributions to natural science and environmental education in the Great Smoky Mountains region.