Throughout the United States, monarch butterflies are an iconic sight. Their striking orange-and-black pattern, their annual 3,000-mile flight south to Mexican wintering grounds and their absolute dependence on the unassuming milkweed plant all make this butterfly a beloved ambassador for insect-kind.

A pair of young archers recently earned bragging rights at the 4-H West District Shooting Sports Tournament.

Inspiration Point — a garden on the grounds of Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center tucked away near the Lambuth Inn — will be the subject of the upcoming meeting of the Tuscola Garden Club, 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 15 at the Bethea Welcome Center at Lake Junaluska.

More than 200 acres in the Sandy Mush area — located at the convergence of Haywood, Buncombe and Madison counties — have been protected through two separate conservation projects by the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy.

Question:  What is this “Milk Drive” that I’ve heard Ingles is doing?

Answer:  Ingles, in cooperation with Feeding America, is selling Captain Protein Power icons to raise money to supply families with milk through Feeding America.

Editor’s note: The following letter was recently sent to all members of the North Carolina General Assembly

As students and teachers start the new school year, instead of an exciting time for many, it’s a period of confusion, tension, fear and, in some cases, tears. We have traveled around the state talking with teachers, teacher assistants, and parents as they prepare for a new school year, and there is tremendous unrest about the future of public education and the impact recent public school setbacks are having on students, their families, and our communities.

To the Editor:

With the new school year just starting, parents’ attention is on school clothes, supplies and lunches. Yes, school lunches.

In past years, the USDA had used our nation’s schools as a dumping ground for surplus meat and dairy commodities. Not surprisingly, one-third of children have become overweight or obese. Their early dietary flaws become lifelong addictions, raising their risk of diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

Gradually, the tide is turning. New guidelines mandated by President Obama’s Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act require doubling the servings of fruits and vegetables, more whole grains, less sodium and fat and no meat for breakfast. A recently released survey released shows the guidelines are supported by 86 percent of Americans.

Sixty-four percent of U.S. school districts now offer vegetarian options. More than 120 schools, including the entire school districts of Baltimore, Boston, Buffalo, Detroit, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Oakland, Philadelphia and San Diego have implemented Meatless Monday. Some schools have dropped meat from their menu altogether.

As parents, we need to work with school cafeteria managers and our own children to encourage the availability and consumption of healthy, plant-based school foods. 

Weston Madrigal

Waynesville

To the Editor:

Like many across America, I’ve become very tired of politicians of both parties talking out of both sides of their mouth. On the one hand, they promise voters that they will create jobs, bring about a better health care system, put laws in place to curb pollution and so on. Next thing you know, they‘ve become cozy with their corporate donors and the rich get richer and pay fewer taxes. Our country gets mired down in useless wars and the health care and criminal justice systems remain broken.

 But there is an alternative candidate for President who has a different view of things — U. S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent who is running as a Democrat. Unlike other candidates, Bernie refuses to align himself with any Political Action Committee and instead relies on small individual donations. A self-described Democratic Socialist, Bernie wants to introduce America to a new way of looking at capitalism.

While there are those who fear the term “socialist” and think it’s the next thing to a communist, Bernie isn’t interested in starting a red, Marxist-style revolution. He simply wants to bring about a more humane way of looking at capitalism. Bernie’s plan calls for a more equitable tax structure in which the rich are taxed more and corporations will pay significantly more for initiatives that will benefit the poor and middle class. This is only fair and equitable.

Additionally, Bernie wants universal health care for all, a living wage, large investments in infrastructure that will create jobs and promotion of initiatives to promote sustainable energy programs to rid our nation of dependence on fossil fuels.

Bernie recently appeared in Greenville, S.C., and a group of Jackson County supporters attended the rally. There is a movement to get him to Asheville. To learn more about the local campaign to elect Bernie and to find out how you can get involved, join the Facebook page “Jackson County & Westward for Bernie 2016.”

Betty Dishman

Sylva 

A movie chronicling the adventure of a pair of middle-aged men attempting to hike the Appalachian Trail hits the theaters this week (Sept. 2), and Western North Carolina’s tourism and environmental groups are preparing for the impact.

Drier-than-normal conditions during 2015 will translate into one of the best shows of fall color in years, according to Western Carolina University’s prediction expert Kathy Mathews.

The death of a prominent Sylva hiker whose body was found in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in June was likely a suicide, according to an autopsy just returned from the Sevier County Medical Examiner’s Office.

A fundraiser to support the effort to create a river park along the Tuckasegee River in Cullowhee will be held 4-8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12, at Tuck’s Tap and Grille, following the Old Cullowhee Canoe Slalom.

A family-friendly paddling competition featuring a variety of categories will be held on a flatwater portion of the Tuckasegee River near Western Carolina University at 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 12. 

The Francis Mill Preservation Society will celebrate the preservation of the 128-year-old mill during the 10th annual Music at the Mill from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12, in Waynesville.

The 1887 timber frame mill operated until 1976. More than just a place of business, the mill served as the mountain community’s social hub for many of its early years. The FMPS first pioneered Music at the Mill at the mill site in 2006. The bluegrass and barbecue celebration will include performance by Whitewater Bluegrass Co., Hill Country Band and The Frog Level Philharmonic 

Advance tickets are $7 per person and are available at Elements Salon in Waynesville or Mountain Dreams Realty in Maggie Valley. All proceeds from this event go to the continuing preservation of the Francis Mill and educational/heritage programs.

828.456.6307.

The Seven Clans Rodeo will be held Sept. 4-5 at the intersection of U.S. 19/441 in Cherokee. Gates open at 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 12:30 p.m. Sunday. Rodeos begin at 8 p.m. 

Between the broncos that will be busted, the bulls that will be bucking, and the rodeo clowns looking to avoid getting stomped in the head, there will be all sorts of skills competitions and top-name riders in this SRA-sanctioned event. All performances are included in the price of the ticket

Single day tickets are $12 for adults ($15 at gate), $6 for children ($8 at gate). 

For more information, tickets and a full schedule, click on www.showclix.com.

www.visitcherokeenc.com or 800.438.1601.

The fourth annual Dazzling Dahlia Festival will be Saturday, Sept. 12, at the Highlands Rec Park and Civic Center.

The Golden Dragon Acrobats will bring the 2,000-year tradition of Chinese acrobatics to the stage at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 9, in the John W. Bardo Fine & Performing Arts Center at Western Carolina University.

There will be a wildlife photography exhibit showcasing the works of Ed & Cindy Boos through the month of September at the Macon County Public Library.

Mountain music, dancing and tradition will be on display once again as the 45th annual Smoky Mountain Folk Festival celebrates the culture and heritage of Western North Carolina Sept. 4-5 on the shores of Lake Junaluska.

Question: Is canola oil safe and healthy for me to use?

Answer: Yes! I use it myself for cooking and baking. Here are some facts about canola oil:

Fact: “canola” comes from “Canada low oil acid”.

To the Editor:

Thank you Macon County. It was truly humbling to see the community turnout for the Homeless Symposium. The interest, support and concern was evident in the questions, comments, and suggestions.  

We discussed the need to rebuild a homeless person’s support network by addressing the themes of prevention, crisis sheltering and transitioning to a home. The threads that bind all of our efforts in these areas are prayer, volunteers and funding. Our vision is to see the homeless become fruit bearing members of our community.

In order to rise to the homeless challenge, as a community, the next steps will be to encourage and equip prayer warriors to seek out and edify volunteers, and develop funding sources. Our foundation is on THE ROCK, we should now begin “raising the building”.

Please join us in our community’s efforts to address homelessness. For more information contact Macon New Beginnings, Inc. at 828.202.3103; www.maconnewbeginnings.org, like us on Facebook; and/or contact your church, civic, business or political leaders.

Again, thank Macon County. 

Robert Bourke

Macon New Beginnings

To the Editor:

I am a human being, a member of a family, an American, and a Democrat, in that order.

Notice what I didn’t list. 

I could have been born in Asia, Africa, or Palestine, on a reservation, in Harlem, or in Mexico. I could have been born looking much different than I do, and treated accordingly by society, but I wasn’t. I could have been born a girl, or gay, or differently abled, but I wasn’t. I could have been raised Buddhist, Muslim, Anglican, Jewish, atheist or animist, but I wasn’t. I could have been taught only Hindi, Spanish, Russian, Swahili, or Arabic. I could have been raised only by my mother, my grandmother, or adopted, but I wasn’t. I could have been born in a different time in history, in any situation.  I had no choice in the matter. In some ways I won the lottery, in other ways, I lost. Imagine that. In some ways I lost.

Perhaps you believe that God has a plan for you, but then God has a plan for each of us, and God has us born into these very different situations around the world. Given that, how do we treat our brothers and sisters in our neighborhood, in our nation, and across the globe? Do we treat them as equal human beings, with the respect they deserve? Do we listen to each other in our vast array of experiences, or yell at each other? In this country, do we truly afford all God’s children the equal opportunities that we espouse as Americans? 

This is the great challenge of this world, now more than ever.

As a member of the human race, are you a person of good will? Do you strive toward respect, fairness, and peace?

Or do you give into fear, anger, hatred, and false division?  Do you give into arrogance or greed?

This is your choice. For the sake of your soul, for the sake of the world, for the sake of the billions of your brothers and sisters alive today and for all our descendants, please choose wisely.

Dan Kowal

Franklin 

To the Editor:

Traditionally, Americans have sent lawyers to congressional offices in Washington. The assumption was that they would be able to make laws and regulations. What they actually did is cut deals and trade agreements that are killing American businesses and jobs.  

While you know me as the pistol instructor, my background is stronger in business, having run several major- and medium-sized corporations. Over the years I’ve written many times that we need to send experienced businessmen/women to Washington. The government of the U.S. is one of the largest businesses in the world. Why would you send an inexperienced attorney, with no business experience to run it? A man who have never held a job, never punched a clock, never supervised people, never managed people, never created business plans, budgets or negotiated business deals? 

What Donald Trump is finally revealing is what I have written about for years. Fair trade laws that Washington negotiated served to send large parts of American business overseas. It has created severe economic results in the U.S. Our companies are not doing well, there are not enough jobs for Americans! It is difficult to achieve a middle-class position. Trump is validly pointing out that other countries are stealing from us, bad deals have been negotiated, and it is killing our economy.  

General Motors has now announced that it is going to build a new factory in Mexico. This is a company that the U.S. government had to bail out with taxpayer financial aid. Mitsubishi is closing its Illinois production factory, their only one in the U.S. If you tour the industrial parks in Mexico you will find thousands of U.S. companies that have facilities and jobs there.  

From a business point of view, GM is forced to go outside the U.S. It is the UAW that has almost put our auto companies out of business with $60 to $70 per hour salaries for production line workers. Toyota and Volkswagen have taken over our market. Trump has finally opened Pandora’s Box and has brought the truths to the surface. Now, we all know he is a jerk, but one hell of a businessman. He is leading the polls not because of who he is, but what he knows. We missed one huge opportunity with Mitt Romney. He had the business skills to turn this country around.

Americans seem inclined now to want a woman in the highest office. Regardless of political party, there are many qualified women who head up major corporations who would make an excellent leader for our country. I am searching for a bumper sticker that says ANYBODY BUT HILLARY! She doesn’t have the business qualifications and is just a crafty politician. We need to send business people to Washington who wake up every day with these thoughts:

• What can we do to strengthen American businesses today?

• What laws and regulations can we get rid of today?

• How can we lower the national debt today?

If your child came to you and asked you to cosign for a credit card, and he/she said they were going to charge half of everything they spend, would you cosign for the credit card? You bet your bippy you wouldn’t! Then, why did you let the U.S. government do this over the past few years? That’s why the national debt has skyrocketed. Over 50 percent of the money they spent was borrowed! We need to wake up folks!

Jim Sottile

Franklin

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

Grants to help famers offset the risk of trying something new are available through the WNC Agricultural Options program, which will distribute $178,000 in the 2016 grant cycle.

A series of informational meetings across the region includes:

• 2-3 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10, at the Swain County Extension Center in Bryson City.
• 6:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10, at the Jackson County Extension Center in Sylva.

An October meeting will also be scheduled in Murphy. Since 2004, WNC Agricultural Options — funded by the N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission — has awarded nearly $2 million to farmers in the 21 western counties, through mini-grants of $3,000 and $6,000. 

“The WNC AgOptions program is an excellent example of grant funds providing direct support to those who need it most,” said Ross Young, Madison County Extension Director and WNC AgOptions steering committee leader. “Our farmers are arguably the most important people in our society.”

Previous projects have run the gamut from helping farmers get started raising broiler turkeys to pick-your own berry operations to new grazing techniques.

The nonprofit WNC Communities administers the grant. Applicants should set up an appointment with the Cooperative Extension office in their county by Oct. 16. Applications are at www.wncagoptions.org.

The public comment period for a 1,000-page study of the effects of hydraulic fracturing — known as “fracking” — on drinking water is open through Aug. 28. 

The Environmental Protection Agency study concludes that fracking can affect drinking water, through either above-ground mechanisms such as spills and inadequate treatment of waste, or below-ground mechanisms such as substances moving into drinking water through the production well. However, the number of cases when fracking impacted water resources is small relative to the number of the fracked wells, the study concludes. That could be because it’s rare for fracking to affect water or due to other factors, such as insufficient pre- and post-fracking water quality data. 

“We did not find evidence that these mechanisms have led to widespread, systemic impacts on drinking water resources in the United States,” the report says. 

Frack Free N.C., a group opposed to hydraulic fracturing, takes issue with that conclusion. 

“There is far too little known by EPA and scientists to say that there aren’t ‘widespread, systemic impacts,’” the group said in a press release. 

The report is online at cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/hfstudy/recordisplay.cfm?deid=244651. 

Comments can be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with Docket number EPA-HQ-OA-2015-0245” in the subject line. The deadline is Aug. 28.

A talk on the migration of monarch butterflies at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 3, at the Highlands Nature Center will close out the Zahner Conservation Lecture Series in Highlands for the year.

A student-conducted energy audit of Western Carolina University won first place at the Appalachian Energy Summit in Boone, marking the third year in a row WCU students took the top prize. 

The team included 18 students, who undertook the project as their environmental science capstone project. The submission, “Evaluating Sustainability of Purchasing Practices at Western Carolina University,” measured and evaluated energy costs — both direct and indirect — of buying and using resources such as water, electricity, office supplies, electronics and fuel. 

“The research took about a year to complete,” said Julia Robinson, one of the project presenters. “We began it as a sustainability audit of WCU’s campus and then during the spring semester, we expanded on the research where we focused mainly on the indirect energy consumption occurring on our campus.”

Another WCU team also presented at the summit, examining the challenges of converting solar power to usable form. 

The summit, part of the University of North Carolina Energy Leadership Challenge, has convened annually at Appalachian State University for the past four years. This year projects from 80 students, including 15 out-of-state colleges and universities, were presented under the theme “A New State of Energy.” 

Haywood Community College recently got word that its fish and wildlife management technology program has received five more years of accreditation from the North American Wildlife Technology Association. 

The only such associate degree program in North Carolina, the program earned praise from NAWTA’s executive director Jim Westerhold.

“You truly have an outstanding program at the college and should be commended for it,” Westerhold wrote in a letter to the college. 

Accreditation assures students they’re entering into a quality program and gives graduates an edge in the job market. 

The fish and wildlife program focuses on conservation and management of wilderness areas; management of wildlife reservations; and management of zoos and aquariums. It’s a hands-on curriculum that allows students to practice the skills they learn in the classroom and interact with professionals in the field.

Four new members will join the 18-member board of Land Trust for the Little Tennessee, a Franklin-based nonprofit focused on land and water conservation. 

• Dave Ackerman is a Boy Scout Leader, board member for Cherokee County Schools and owner of Andrews Veterinary Clinic.
• Joyce Dugan was the first female chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and is a retired educator. 
• Tom Hahn is a managing member of Hahn properties and lives in Franklin. 
• Rita Salain is a Macon County native and principal in Georgia-based Health Management Consultants. 

Hundreds of callers, online donors and private sponsors teamed up to raise $202,351 for work in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park through the Friends the Smokies’ 21st annual telethon last week. It was the second year in a row telethon donations topped $200,000.

“It was heartwarming to see the support pledged by so many individuals during Friends of the Smokies’ telethon. Their gifts will have a lasting impact on the Smokies and we are truly thankful,” said Cassius Cash, superintendent of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The television program is over, but park supporters can still donate to the telethon online at www.friendsofthesmokies.org/donate. The money will help fund more than $800,000 of park needs this year, including black bears management, programs for school children and preservation of historic buildings. 

Stocking will resume in North Carolina’s hatchery-supported trout waters now that testing for whirling disease in fish raised at Marion and Brevard fish hatcheries has come back negative. 

Stocking had halted after the disease was confirmed in rainbow trout collected from the Watauga River near Foscoe in late July — the first occurrence of whirling disease in North Carolina. Caused by a parasite, whirling disease is often fatal to juvenile fish and can severely impact adult fish’s chance of competitive success in the environment, but it does not affect people or pets. 

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will resume stocking but will not retroactively stock locations that did not receive fish during the testing period, due to drought conditions and concerns of high water temperature there.  

Biologists will continue to test waters in the Watauga River basin to determine the extent of the disease’s spread, with results expected within two weeks. 

Report observations of fish with deformities or strange swimming behaviors, as well as fish with rice-like gill lice attached to their gills, to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Budding fly tyers looking to get beyond the basics may enjoy a second-level fly-tying class at the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education, offered 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Aug. 29 at the center.

A small study on Satulah Mountain near Highlands hopes to shed light on what might be responsible for poor reproduction in a pair of rare species.

An orientation for volunteers who’d like to tell visitors about the history of Mingus Mill in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Cherokee will be held 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, Aug. 31, at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center.

The Cowee Pottery School in Franklin, an emerging nonprofit outlet for people of all ages wanting to play in clay, has announced its September pottery options.

Students are given an opportunity to learn to create beautiful objects, both functional and nonfunctional, in an atmosphere of both fun and productivity.

• Lydia Patillo will teach on Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., from Sept. 1-29. Students will learn to center, throw, trim and glaze a variety of forms.

• Doug Hubbs will also teach a daytime wheel class on Friday mornings from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. from Sept. 11-Oct. 2. Students will start out with salsa bowls, move to salad bowls and finish their throwing experience with at least one serving bowl. They will then glaze all their bowls.

• Hank Shuler is scheduled to teach three hand building classes in September. These include a Sunday afternoon class called Advanced Doowhockers, which means a variety of thingy-ma-bobs. No experience is required to design and complete a number of projects on lazy Sunday afternoons from 1 to 5 p.m. Sept. 13-27. On Wednesday evenings from 6 to 9 p.m. Sept. 2-30 (skipping Sept. 9), Shuler will teach a ceramic box class. Salt boxes, key boxes, earring boxes, boxes for all occasions.  Students will hand build a variety of boxes for several uses. On Thursday afternoons, Shuler teaches Hand Building for Gifts. The emphasis will be on student selected projects and functional items to be passed on as gifts.

• Maria Greene will teach a class designed to bring parents, grandparents and aunts together with a child or children to participate in a class where everyone enjoys the pleasure of working with clay. This Wednesday evening class will meet from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. from Sept. 2-30 (skipping Sept. 23). 

• On Monday evenings, Molly Suminski will teach a multi-generational class as well entitled Kids Play for All Ages. Both the children and their accompanying adults will have a blast in this hand building class. The class meets from 4 to 5:30 p.m., Sept. 5-26.

The registration fee for each class is $7 per meeting hour per student plus the cost of clay at $17 per 25 pounds. Included in the clay cost is glazes and multiple kiln firings. Class registration fees range from $42 for 6 hours to $84 for 12 hours.

www.coweepotteryschool.org or 828.524.7690 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..  

An exhibition of works by photographer Cathryn Griffin will be on display through Friday, Sept. 25, in the Fine Art Museum at Western Carolina University.

Great Smoky Mountains Association’s “Carroll Best and the White Oak String Band” has been named among the best of the year by earning an award nomination in the International Bluegrass Music Association’s annual competition.

The 14th annual RailFest will be held Sept. 5-6 at the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad depot in Bryson City.

Legendary rock act The Steve Miller Band will perform at 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 3, at Harrah’s Cherokee.

By Katie Reeder • SMN Intern

With evolving regulations and a complicated system of reporting, there is no end in sight for the work university officials are doing to put a stop to sexual violence on campus.

A month after the sudden death of Maggie Valley Mayor Ron DeSimone, longtime alderwoman Saralyn Price has decided to seek the mayor’s seat as a write-in candidate in the fall election.

Question: What is acetic acid and is it bad for me?

Answer: Acetic acid…. sounds like one of those scary chemical ingredients that fearmongers warn you to avoid. If you were to inhale acetic acid it could cause your eyes to become irritated, you’d feel a burning sensation in your nose, you might feel congestion and a sore throat.

The 2014 IBMA “Entertainer of the Year” Balsam Range (bluegrass/gospel) will perform during the open house and barbecue on Saturday, Aug. 29, at the Balsam-Willets-Ochre Hill Volunteer Fire Department on Mount Pleasant Church Road in Sylva. 

Barbecue begins at 3 p.m., with Balsam Range at 6 p.m. There will also be live music from the Trinity River Band. Barbecue is $10 per person, which includes dessert and drinks. Kids ages 12 and under are $6. 

Acclaimed actress Barbara Bates Smith will bring her performance of “Granny D” to North Carolina NAACP President Reverend Barber at 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22, at the Harris Chapel A.M.E. Zion in Canton.

The Open Air Indian Art Market will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 29, at the Qualla Arts & Crafts Mutual in Cherokee.

The Haywood County Fair will be held through Aug. 31 at the Haywood County Fairground in Lake Junaluska.

Rock legend Joan Jett & The Blackhearts will perform at 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21, at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort.

Acclaimed bluegrass act Balsam Range recently received eight nominations by the International Bluegrass Music Association.