The Pigeon River Fund of The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina (CFWNC) awarded 12 grants totaling $350,365 to environmental groups working to improve surface water quality, enhance fish and wildlife habitats, expand public use and access to waterways, and increase water quality awareness in Buncombe, Haywood, and Madison counties. With these grants and since 1996, the Pigeon River Fund has distributed $10,594,556 in grants.  

Flowing over nutrient-rich limestone rock that fueled a diverse assemblage of species, Abrams Creek was once one of the most productive streams in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. That changed in 1957, when wildlife managers intent on expanding opportunities for anglers stocked it with non-native rainbow trout — after applying the fish pesticide rotenone to the entire lower portion of the creek, hoping to protect the trout from competition. Chilhowee Dam was completed later that year, cutting the creek off from downstream fish populations. 

Haywood Waterways is putting out a call for volunteers to collect water samples.

In 1996, the Volunteer Water Information Network program was established as a water quality monitoring program for many Western North Carolina counties.

Jackson County commissioners have approved a sweeping new conservation framework designed to balance growth with preservation across some of the most ecologically significant lands in Western North Carolina, located in the southern part of the county. 

Since Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina, residents have learned countless lessons and encountered unforeseen circumstances, even long after the initially recovery phase began. 

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-Cashiers Land Trust announced the conservation of 31.69 acres of ecologically valuable land within the town limits of Highlands. Located off Bowery Road, the property overlooks Horse Cove Valley. 

To the Editor:

When a disaster like Hurricane Helene strikes, the impulse to “clean up” is powerful. That said, our recent approach in Jackson County to stream debris removal doesn’t make sense for the environment or our economy. 

This past spring, a group of teenagers waded through Waynesville’s Richland Creek under the watchful eye of Suzanne Orbock Miller, but they weren’t there to splash and play — thanks to an innovative grant program linking universities with local partners, Miller’s Tuscola High School students were gathering important scientific data.

The Pisgah River Rangers, a partnership between The Pisgah Conservancy and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), has kicked off its 2025 season. A team of five will work to promote freshwater stewardship in the forest and surrounding communities.