West Swain Fire Department hosts bass tournament and BBQ dinner
The West Swain Fire Department — an all-volunteer department — is hosting its 31st annual bass tournament and BBQ dinner.
The event will be held from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on May 3 at the Almond Boat Park at Fontana Lake.
Good intentions gone wrong: Maconians sound alarm on excessive debris removal
By this point, more than six months after Hurricane Helene barreled through Western North Carolina, it’s a common sight. Heavy machinery moving in and around waterways, working to remove debris that choked rivers and streams during extreme flooding caused by the storm.
‘Kids Fishing Days’ in the Cherokee National Forest
Spring is here, and it’s time for that childhood tradition of fishing at the local fishing hole. To honor and promote that tradition, the USDA Forest Service and Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency will host two “Kids Fishing Day” events during April in the Cherokee National Forest’s Ocoee/Hiwassee Ranger District.
‘The fish that wears a feather’: Sicklefin Redhorse fish given scientific name
The Sicklefin Redhorse has a long history in the waters of southern Appalachia. But the fish wasn’t rediscovered and recognized as a distinct species until 1992. Now, the fish has been scientifically described and as of February, has an official scientific name — Moxostoma ugidatli.
WCU’s Gibbs earns grant for sicklefin redhorse research
Inside Keith Gibbs’ office hangs an imprint of a sicklefin redhorse, a sucker fish that the Western Carolina University assistant professor in the Department of Geosciences and Natural Resources takes great interest in.
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 on Saturday, Feb. 22, in the Old Oconaluftee Visitor Center near Cherokee. The workshop is open to any interested folks at no charge.
Armstrong fish hatchery severely Impacted by Helene: Commission responds to continue Public Mountain Trout program
The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission’s (NCWRC) Armstrong State Fish Hatchery in McDowell County north of Marion sustained significant damage as a result of flooding and landslides during Hurricane Helene.
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 hit. The storm reached Category 4 before slamming Florida’s Gulf Coast, then headed north toward the Smokies.
State of the waterways: New report details potential impacts of ordinance revisions
The Macon County Commission decided this month to delay consideration of changes to its watershed and floodplain ordinances until at least the new year, in part due to the organization of a Water Quality Advisory Committee and its new report on the state of Macon County waterways.
Delayed harvest fishing regulations begin
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) will implement Delayed Harvest Trout Waters regulations on 34 trout waters beginning Oct. 1.
