National Park seeks ‘Elk Rover’ volunteers

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is seeking individuals to join the Elk Rover volunteer team for the upcoming 2025 season.…
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Lake Junaluska announces summer programming

Each Thursday evening at 8 p.m. through Aug. 7, Lake Junaluska will feature a family-friendly storyteller and music at the…
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Parks Service to improve 7 miles of Newfound Gap Road

Starting July 14, Great Smoky Mountains National Park will kick off a rehabilitation of a 7-mile stretch of Newfound Gap…
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Highlands hosts lecture on ‘Helene as a Geologic Event’

The Highlands Biological Foundation invites the public to continue exploring the forces that shape our region with the next installment…
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Audubon welcomes Dana Sargent as community building director

Audubon North Carolina has named Dana Sargent as the organization’s new Community Building Director.  Sargent comes to Audubon after serving…
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Learn about beekeeping at the Marianna Black Library

The Marianna Black Library in Bryson City will be hosting The Wonderful World of Bees from 11 a.m. to noon…
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Sylva accepts state grant for trail expansion at Pinnacle Park

A popular hiking destination in Jackson County will soon see expanded access and new trail construction, thanks state funding awarded to…
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Word from the Smokies: New trail connects visitors with African American history

In a shaded clearing near Mingus Mill lies a cemetery. Small, unmarked rocks sit at the head and foot of…
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Word from the Smokies: The eastern box turtle’s path to state symbol status

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is one of the most biodiverse places in the world, so it’s no surprise that…
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Waynesville celebrates purchase of electric lawnmower

The electric lawnmower the Town of Waynesville bought in 2024 is paying off, according to Outdoor Maintenance Supervisor Michael Noland.…
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Volunteers beautify Franklin’s Women’s History Park

On June 26, the Folk Heritage Association/Women’s History Trail completed the final stages to beautify the town’s Women’s History Park.…
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NC Forest Service tree seedlings on sale

The N.C. Forest Service began accepting orders July 1 for its annual tree seedling sale. With an average annual production…
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NCDEQ Division of Water Resources urges caution around discolored water

Amid summer’s high temperatures, the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resources reminds the public to avoid contact with discolored…
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Adult kickball league begins in Jackson County

Registration has started for an adult kickball league in Jackson County. Participants must be at least 14 years old to…
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Run to the hills: Some of our favorite trails in WNC

In this day and age, when the world seems to be one chaotic situation after another, all while the incessant…
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Sylva man pens Appalachian Trail book 50 years after his hike

Thousands of people set out to hike the Appalachian Trail every year. About a quarter of those people finish. In…
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North Carolina Arboretum unveils new “Trolls: a Field Study” exhibit

The North Carolina Arboretum and Explore Asheville announced the arrival of “Trolls: A Field Study.” Visiting on their first North…
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‘George Masa: A Life Reimagined’ wins two regional awards
 

‘George Masa: A Life Reimagined’ wins two regional awards

 “George Masa: A Life Reimagined,” was recently recognized with two regional awards: the 2024 North Caroliniana Society Book Award and…
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Trout jeopardized by unauthorized stocking and relocation

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission asks the public to refrain from the illegal practice of moving inland fish, specifically mountain trout, to other…
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Discussion on native species coming to Highlands

The Highlands Biological Foundation is excited to continue its 2025 Zahner Conservation Lecture Series with Sonya Carpenter, Co-founder and President…
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Decorate Proctor, Bradshaw cemeteries

On Sunday, July 6, with the cooperation of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the North Shore Cemetery Association will…
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Pisgah River Rangers continue freshwater stewardship

The Pisgah River Rangers, a partnership between The Pisgah Conservancy and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), has kicked off its…
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Join Franklin Bird club for Macon County walks

The Franklin Bird Club leads walks along the Greenway on Wednesday mornings at 8 a.m. through September. Walks start at…
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Paddlers converge on WNC for Week of Rivers

It’s the week paddlers from across the state and even the nation look forward to all year; it’s also the…
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Highland Games set to return to Grandfather Mountain’s MacRae Meadows

The long and storied tradition that is the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games returns to MacRae Meadows on Thursday, July 10,…
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NCDEQ awards more than $1.1 million for stream restoration, water management, recreation projects

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resources (DWR) has awarded more than $1.1 million in grants…
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North Carolina is drought-free for the first time since October 2024

North Carolina is drought-free in the latest advisory issued Thursday by the North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council (DMAC), marking…
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Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation expands efforts to enhance tourism economy

The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation has secured a three-year, $750,000 grant from the Dogwood Health Trust to support regional strategies…
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State launches ‘Beat the Heat’ campaign

The summer heat is here. Labor Commissioner Luke Farley and the N.C. Department of Labor are reminding employers and workers…
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Word from the Smokies: New ranger crew works to stop emergencies before they start

It’s not yet 9 a.m. on a weekday, but Alum Cave Trail is already bustling. With parking scarce, hikers might…
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Haywood Waterways hosts fishing tournament

The nonprofit Haywood Waterways Association will host its second annual fishing tournament on the West Fork of the Pigeon River.…
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Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation awarded $5 million grant for regional tourism

The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation has secured a three-year, $5.13 million grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) to support…
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Paddleboard at Wolf Lake

Jackson County recreation is hosting a stand-up paddleboarding event on Wolf Lake. Beginners and seasoned paddlers alike are welcome to…
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Join Franklin Bird club for walks

The Franklin Bird Club leads walks along the Greenway on Wednesday mornings at 8 a.m. through September. Walks start at…
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Word from the Smokies: Bryson City painter reflects on a lifetime of art inspired by nature

Elizabeth Ellison was dealing almost strictly in watercolors when a logistical challenge transformed her painting career. It was 2013, and…
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Wildlife Commission offers measures to protect animals from black bears

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) is providing guidance to livestock owners on methods to protect their animals from becoming prey…
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Smokies announces Cades Cove vehicle-free days

Great Smoky Mountains National Park will offer the first Cades Cove vehicle-free day of the year on June 18. Vehicle-free…
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Smokies Life releases first-ever audiobook

Smokies Life is thrilled to announce its first audiobook, a narrated adaptation of the 2021 release for middle-grade readers, “A…
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Amid Pisgah logging plans post-Helene, Forest Service shuts out public

In early April, a U.S. Forest Service office in East Tennessee’s Cherokee National Forest issued a memo inviting the public…
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Discover the Smokies with new public programs

This summer and fall, visitors can enjoy family-friendly programs in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, starting June 7. Visitors are…
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Spring road maintenance planned in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The National Park Service will complete important maintenance along popular roads in Great Smoky Mountains National Park this June. This…
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DEQ accepting comments on wastewater treatment plan for Helene-affected areas

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Infrastructure is accepting comments until June 30, 2025, on a draft Intended…
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Join Franklin Bird club for Macon County walks

The Franklin Bird Club leads walks along the Greenway on Wednesday mornings at 8 a.m. through September. Walks start at…
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Botany, beauty and Bartram: The flower hunter's legacy

More than two centuries after William Bartram explored the Southern Appalachian foothills, his words, like his footsteps, still echo through…
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Word from the Smokies: Scientific inquiry, a thriving enterprise in the Smokies

Birds, bees, bears, dragonflies, salamanders, hemlocks, fungi. Scientific research in Great Smoky Mountains National Park addresses a wide swath of…
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Trail reopenings announced across Helene-damaged Appalachian Ranger District

The USDA Forest Service announced that several trails and recreation sites damaged by Hurricane Helene have reopened across the Appalachian…
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WCU to hold groundbreaking ceremony for stadium renovations project

Western Carolina University will hold a groundbreaking ceremony at 11 a.m. Thursday, June 12, to kick off the first phase…
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Sliding Rock to open for summer season

Sliding Rock, one of the most popular destinations in Pisgah National Forest, will open for the summer season beginning Memorial Day…
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Smokies Life selects Jim and Leslie Costa as Steve Kemp Writers in Residence

Smokies Life announced Jim and Leslie Costa as the recipients of its 2025 Steve Kemp Writer’s Residency. During their residency,…
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Haywood Farm Bureau announces scholarship recipients

The Haywood County Farm Bureau Board of Directors announced the four recipients of its scholarship, given at the May 19…
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