Winter Lights display at The NC Arboretum

The 11th annual Winter Lights returned to The North Carolina Arboretum on Friday Nov. 15, with the show running nightly through…
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Flood damage prevention ordinance, dam removal still on the table

Despite a lack of quorum at the November planning board meeting, both the flood damage prevention ordinance and now the…
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CMC seeks volunteers for trail restoration workday

Carolina Mountain Club (CMC) is gearing up for another significant trail restoration event from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday,…
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Military, veterans discounts on tree seedlings

Beginning Nov. 11, the N.C. Forest Service is offering a 20% discount on tree seedling orders placed by active, honorably…
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North Carolina gets dryer

The North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council has classified the whole state as at least abnormally dry and a moderate…
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‘Pickin’ for Pisgah’ Benefit Raises $15,000 for FIND Outdoors and Helene Recovery

FIND Outdoors announced the success of the “Pickin’ for Pisgah” benefit concert, an inspiring evening of music, community, and love…
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DEQ provides funding for projects to reduce flood risks in North Carolina communities

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Flood Resiliency Blueprint is working with the North Carolina Land and Water…
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Word from the Smokies: Rematore departs Smokies Life with strong record of accomplishment

When Laurel Rematore announced she was moving to the Great Smoky Mountains, Denise Matsuoka was shocked. Matsuoka, Rematore’s close friend…
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Haywood Waterways assists EPA to perform Hazard Assessment Surveys

The day after Helene moved through the region, Haywood Waterways Association (HWA) was on the phone calling partners or visiting…
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Submit soil samples by Nov. 26 to avoid peak-season fees
 

Submit soil samples by Nov. 26 to avoid peak-season fees

The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services soil testing lab is about to hit its busy season and growers…
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Friends of Panthertown volunteer appreciation party

Friends of Panthertown invites Panthertown volunteers, board members, partners, hike leaders, conservationists and friends to join us for an afternoon…
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Word from the Smokies: I-40 rebuild offers rare opportunity for wildlife conservation

When the Safe Passage coalition started working in 2017 to make Interstate 40 a safer place for people and wildlife…
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North Carolina sees drought, widespread abnormally dry conditions

The North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council has classified most of the state, or parts of 89 counties, as abnormally…
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Following Helene, officials working to avert agricultural disaster

A trio of high-ranking state and federal agriculture officials is warning that if farmers affected by Hurricane Helene don’t get help…
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Officials provide update on MST

It’s been just over a month since Hurricane Helene brought widespread devastation to Western North Carolina and the neighboring states.…
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USDA Forest Service releases update on Helene’s impacts on ecosystem, infrastructure

The USDA Forest Service released its preliminary data on the ecological impacts and infrastructure damage caused by Tropical Storm Helene…
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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…
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FIND Outdoors announces ‘Pickin’ for Pisgah’

FIND Outdoors is presenting “Pickin’ for Pisgah,” a benefit concert featuring the Pisgah Pickers, on Sunday, Nov. 10, at the…
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Parts of WNC abnormally dry

Following the deluge brought on by Hurricane Helene, parts of Western North Carolina are now considered abnormally dry, while some…
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Master gardener volunteers available to answer questions

The growing season is winding down, but NC State Extension Master Gardener volunteers are still available to answer questions about lawns,…
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More Blue Ridge Parkway sections open up

On Wednesday morning, Oct. 30, 2024, the National Park Service restored access to nearly 55 miles the Blue Ridge Parkway…
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U.S. agriculture secretary visits WNC

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack visited Asheville to hear firsthand from local, state and Tribal officials, emergency managers, food bank…
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N.C. welcomes breed pair of Red Wolves

The Red Wolf Center in Columbia, North Carolina, is set to welcome its first-ever breeding pair of Red Wolves. This…
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Ivey named to Appalachian Leadership Institute

The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) named George Ivey, North Carolina Development Director for the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, to participate…
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Ready for the Rotary Club turkey trot?

“First the huffin’, then the stuffin’.”  That’s the motto for the Waynesville-Sunrise Rotary Club’s fourth annual 5K turkey trot, held…
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Junaluska Sanitary District receives $9.5 million award

Junaluska Sanitary District (JSD) has been awarded $9,495,104 from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) for the HCC/Broyhill and…
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Jackson County Greenway provides access update

While most of the river access points and parks are open along the Jackson County Greenway, there has been some…
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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…
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U.S. 441/Newfound Gap Road is closed to commercial vehicles: Violators will be subject to a citation with a fine of up to $5,000

The National Park Service reminds commercial drivers that commercial vehicles are prohibited on U.S. 441/Newfound Gap Road in Great Smoky…
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DEQ Offers Emergency Loans to Local Governments

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality is offering initial emergency loans to 20 local governments for emergency projects to rehabilitate drinking water and/or wastewater systems in response to…
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NCDA&CS offers cleanup and disposal assistance for pesticides

The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services urges farmers and homeowners to evaluate pesticides and other chemical storage areas…
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Pisgah Ranger District reopens

The Pisgah National Forest has reopened the Pisgah Ranger District effective Oct. 18,, in coordination with local communities and governments. 
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Is your house termite-safe post-Helene?

Hurricane Helene not only flooded many areas, knocked out power and destroyed the possessions of thousands of homeowners and businesses…
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Farmland preservation grants available

The application period for county governments and conservation nonprofit groups to apply for farmland preservation grants from the N.C. Agricultural…
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Jackson County hosts ‘Archery 101’ class

The Jackson County Recreation Department has announced it will host an “Archery 101” class for kids ages 10-14. 
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The N.C. Arboretum remains closed, eyes reopening

 The North Carolina Arboretum remains closed following the widespread impacts of Hurricane Helene. Staff is hard at work assessing and…
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If you build it they will come: Haywood County livestock center becomes crucial aid distribution hub

Dan Messer would have preferred to host a livestock auction on Monday, but instead he was working one in a…
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EPA visits WNC

On Oct. 10, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael S. Regan joined North Gov. Roy Cooper, Sen. Thom Tillis, Rep.…
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Soil Management recommendations for Hurricane-impacted WNC

Hurricane Helene caused great devastation throughout much of Western North Carolina and farm fields were not spared. There are reports…
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Open burning permits waived until further notice

The N.C. Forest Service is waiving the requirement for open burning permits in Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell,…
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Smokies offers update on closures

The National Park Service continues to assess conditions and address damage following the impacts from Hurricane Helene in Great Smoky…
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Joyce Kilmer Memorial trail reopens

The U.S. Forest Service reopened the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Trail and all other facilities in Graham County will reopen on…
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'A minor little thing:' Macon moved ahead on watershed ordinance revision

The Macon County Planning Board voted last week to recommend a revision of the water supply watershed ordinance to the…
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Hurricane Helene recovery in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The National Park Service (NPS) continues to assess conditions and to address damage following the impacts from Hurricane Helene in Great…
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NCDOT offers update on I-40

From the Tennessee state line to about mile marker 4 of Interstate 40, the two eastbound lanes are either gone…
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Haywood Waterways hits septic repair milestone

Since 2006, Haywood Waterways Association (HWA) and the Haywood County Environmental Health Department, with grant funds, have repaired 200 failing…
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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…
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Fall comes to the Smokies

Fall is a beautiful but busy time in the Smokies. Great Smoky Mountains National Park visitors should plan their trips…
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Clingmans Dome receives a name change

The U.S. Board of Geographic Names voted to change the name of Clingmans Dome to Kuwohi. Kuwohi is the Cherokee…
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Changes in effect for WNC deer season

New rules adopted by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) have shifted the timing of the western zone black-powder…
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