The Pisgah Conservancy has begun construction of the new Upper Falls Connector Trail in Graveyard Fields. This project is a major milestone in a long-term effort to restore and protect one of Western North Carolina’s most iconic natural landscapes.

The new 0.9-mile trail will connect the John Rock Overlook parking area on the Blue Ridge Parkway to the valley floor of Graveyard Fields.

The second event of the Zahner Conservation Lecture Series season will take place on Thursday, June 18, and will feature Lauren D. Pharr, postgraduate researcher at North Carolina State University, presenting “Story: Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, Conservation, and the Science Inside the Nest.”

The red-cockaded woodpecker once faced a severe decline as longleaf pine forests disappeared across the southeastern United States. Today, it stands as one of the most recognized examples of successful species recovery. 

The Franklin Bird Club leads walks along the greenway on Wednesday mornings at 8 a.m. through September. Walks start at alternating locations: Macon County Public Library, Big Bear Park and Salali Lane.

Walks are about two and a half hours. The public is welcome. All walks are weather dependent. Additional information, including directions to each location and a bird club checklist  can be found at  littletennessee.org/franklin-bird-club. 

On the title page of “Walden,” Henry David Thoreau sets the tone for his book with this pronouncement: “I do not propose to write an ode to dejection, but to brag as lustily as chanticleer in the morning, standing on his roost, if only to wake my neighbors up.” “Chanticleer” is an old literary name for the rooster. Chaucer uses it in his rollicking “The Nun’s Priest’s Tale.”

The series Where We Live: History, Nature, and Culture, will present a program called “Beautiful, Beneficial Bees.”

The program will be focused on beekeeping in Western North Carolina and will cover a brief history of beekeeping, structure of a hive, what it takes to be a beekeeper here, issues that we face, the need for bees and what the average person can do to support bees and other pollinators. 

When the U.S. Department of Agriculture first announced its intention to rescind the Roadless Rule in August 2025, Southern Environmental Law Center staff received around 8,000 mailed public comments opposing to the decision, which they stuffed into boxes and delivered to the Forest Service. 

In all, the agency received 625,930 public comments, despite a historically short comment window. 

I would never wish upon anyone a plague of locusts. Unless, that is, I’m wishing for you to come across a dense stand of bristly locust (Robinia hispida) shrubs in bloom along a trail or edge of the woods. Then, by all means, may this kind of pox be upon you. 

At first glance, the stems of bristly locust look mean and dangerous, covered in what appear to be numerous spines and prickles. But they are actually soft, bristly hairs that give this plant both the common name of bristly locust and the epithet in the botanical name of “hispida.” 

Construction has begun on the long-planned renovations to the Bobby N. Setzer Hatchery near Brevard, and contractors are saying the project is on schedule for a full-reopening early next year. 

During a tour for local media last week, contractors and state officials provided an inside look at the construction. Stacks of piping, totaling about 2.5 miles line the site of future trout raceways, heavy equipment moves rock and laborers dig and survey.

Who’s in charge of the chickens at the Mountain Farm Museum in Great Smoky Mountains National Park? According to the National Park Service, it’s Interpretive Park Ranger Michael Smith. But the chickens themselves recognize the authority of the large, golden rooster that struts among them — the unchallenged leader of the Oconaluftee flock.  

Fifth graders from Cullowhee Valley School and Scotts Creek School participated in conservation field days at East LaPorte Park Wednesday to learn more about natural resources and conservation.