Towns across the mountains will hold elections for their mayors and town board leaders this fall. The sign up period for candidates began last week. Below is a list of who has signed up to run for office as of press time Tuesday. The candidate sign-up period runs until noon Friday, July 19. 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is awarding more than $950,000 to 28 states for projects to combat and study white-nose syndrome, the deadly disease that is decimating bats. North Carolina is set to receive $45,000 through the program; Tennessee is slated for $47,500.

The money will help state wildlife officials fund and support research, monitor bat populations and detect and respond to white-nose syndrome. The disease is spreading rapidly. First discovered in upstate New York in 2006, it is now prevalent in 22 states and five Canadian provinces as of this year. The fungus-caused disease has also found its way into Western North Carolina. It is one of the most devastating diseases affecting wildlife. Estimates pace the bat death toll at more than 5.7 million.

The N.C. Wildlife Federation has released its list of the Top 10 wildlife species struggling to survive. These critters are victim to habitat loss, disease, over-harvest and other challenges that make the outlook for their kind bleak. 

Determining the Top 10 list took into consideration the species’ abundance, habitat scarcity, popularity, potential for successful restoration and other threatening omens. The list includes species from different animal classes and geographic locations — from the mountains to the piedmont to the coastal plain.

Several are also high profile species affected by different divisive issues such as development and climate change. 

Tim Gestwicki, CEO of the federation, wants the list to call attention to the environmental problems of our day and prompt action to be taken by political and community leaders to solve the problems.

 “We believe the Top 10 list will bring further attention to the diversity of species and wild places — from the mountains to the seas — that North Carolina is blessed with,” said Gestwicki.

www.ncwf.org

Aquatic enthusiasts have the chance to tag along with the scientists for a lesson on stream sampling.

The Highlands Biological Station staff will be exploring streams, conducting aquatic sampling and learning about the state of the area’s streams from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Thursday, July 11. Participants can join in and help sample and identify macro-invertebrates in Caney Fork, a tributary to the Tuckasegee River, and learn how scientists use these macro-invertebrates for biomonitoring. 

Participants will meet at the Highlands Nature Center at 9:30 a.m. for carpooling or meet at East LaPorte Park in Jackson County at 10:15 a.m. The program is part of the Highlands Biological Foundation’s “Think About Thursdays” summer activity series. All ages are welcome, and the cost is $10 for members, $15 for non-members. Registration is requested.

828.526.2221.

Test your kick-ball skills this summer in the big leagues.

Registration is underway for the 2013 Haywood County Recreation and Parks Adult Co-Ed Kickball League. Games will take place at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays from July 16 through Aug. 20 at the International Paper Sports Complex in Canton. The league is co-ed for players 18 years and older. The cost is $200 per team and teams have until July 8 to sign up. Each team must have no more than 15 players and keep two female players on the field at all times. 

828.452.6789 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Jon boats and canoes are a common sight on the water at Lake Junaluska. But a water ski team stacked three people high?  

Yes, and it will be quite the show — two, in fact — when the Carolina Show Ski Team performs at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Friday, July 5, at Lake Junaluska. The best viewing for the free show will be from the Rose Walk.

The team is comprised of 30 to 40 skiers ranging in age from 4 to 60 who perform stunts individually as well as with multiple members on the same line. Spectators at the Lake Junaluska performance can expect to see barefoot skiing at 40 miles per hour, synchronized ballet skiing and swivel skiing, where the bindings of the skis turn 360 degrees. 

It is one of many special events and festivities being held at Lake Junaluska this week in honor of its 100th anniversary.

www.lakejunaluska.com/july4 or 800.222.4930. 

The summer Zahner Conservation Lecture Series will kick off in Highlands next week with a talk on biodiversity in the Southern Appalachians.

A nearly all-downhill hike will be held in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Tuesday, July 16, with Friends of the Smokies hike leader and guide book author Danny Bernstein.

U.S. Forest Service officials are limiting the harvesting of wild ginseng in the Nantahala and Pisgah national forests, citing concern over reductions in wild ginseng numbers. The changes will take effect starting this year.

The Waynesville Disc Golf Juniors team has received a boost from the Professional Disc Golf Association, helping the team buy new discs and pay their entry fee for an upcoming championship tournament.

Metal sculptor Grace Cathey will hold a signing for her book, Fire & Steel: The Sculpture of Grace Cathey, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. July 5; 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 6; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Aug. 2; and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 3, at her studio in Waynesville. 

Quilting students from Southwestern Community College recently participated in the Quilts of Valor project, a non-profit organization with the goal of making quilts that would both heal and comfort returning service men and women touched by war.

Quilters from around the nation send their handmade “pride” to a central location, where it is pieced together with the squares of other donors to create a beautiful patriotic lap quilt. Once the quilt is completed, it is awarded at one of many different levels:  some go to military hospitals where chaplains award them to service members; there may be presentations of quilts to entire service units returning from combat deployments; they may be awarded at VA hospitals or presented individually.

Acclaimed comedian Jeff Dunham will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 6, at Harrah’s Cherokee.

The Spice & Tea Exchange opens its doors this Independence Day weekend in downtown Highlands.

The new retail destination is for food lovers, professional chefs and tea connoisseurs alike. The store is a unique retail experience where guests are encouraged to “Explore the Spiceabilities!,” watch spice masters create handmade blends in-store and let their curiosity guide them through the rustic product displays of an old 18th century trading post.

Store hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

www.spiceandtea.com. 

The “Mountains in Bloom” fundraiser for The Bascom Visual Arts Center will be July 11-14 in Highlands.

Christian singer Francesca Battistelli and rock group Jars of Clay perform at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

Battistelli hits the stage on July 12, with Jars of Clay on July 13. Both performances begin at 7:30 p.m.

Battistelli’s album “My Paper Heart” produced four major hits on the Christian charts, which included “I’m Letting Go,” “Free To Be Me,” “It’s Your Life” and “Beautiful Beautiful.”

Jars of Clay launched its breakout career with the multi-format hit “Flood” in 1995. Since then, it has amassed more than six million in career sales, three GRAMMY Awards, an American Music Award nod, three GMA Dove Awards, and BMI honors for songwriting as well as performing.

Both performances are $20 apiece, with a special price of $34 for a weekend combo ticket.

828.524.1598 or www.greatmountainmusic.com. 

A mountain dulcimer historian who discovered the instrument while living in Greenwich Village in the 1960s and a 19-year-old dulcimer virtuoso who already has been crowned national champion and is widely recognized for her progressive playing style will be on the instructional staff for Dulcimer U Summer Week at Western Carolina University.

To the Editor:

My appreciation goes to Gary Carden and Dave Waldrop from “The Liar’s Bench;” George Frizzell of the Western Carolina University Library for uncovering and reporting; and to The Smoky Mountain News (June 19th) for publicizing the profoundly moving story of the 1882 Cowee Tunnel disaster. I am struck by the convergence of the Dillsboro Dam removal, the opening of the Tuckasegee River, and the exposure of this hidden story. 

Carden’s persistence in noticing and following the story, the group’s work to bring closure for the 19 families and their ultimate vision to commemorate their loved ones’ forgotten lives — all are worthy tributes. Our part as citizen inhabitants of the area is to make sure their work as historians is fulfilled. I call on the generous better selves in us all.

Lucy Christopher

Cashiers

To the Editor:

MedWest, the company that has taken over our local hospitals as well as many local medical practices, has quite a few problems. Articles in local news outlets have documented financial problems, conversations with MedWest employees lead one to conclude that there is distressingly low morale, and the company’s billing and collection policies appear to be badly broken.

MedWest has raised prices far beyond either normal inflation or even the higher rates of medical inflation we’ve seen in recent years. In my case, I’ve seen the charges for a treatment I receive every five weeks nearly triple since MedWest took over my doctor’s practice. There’s no good explanation for the increase since most of the cost is based on the medication that’s administered and the drug company has not raised prices at the increased rates that MedWest is billing. The cost of another procedure I undergo every couple of years doubled after MedWest took over.

The interesting thing about the price increases is that MedWest doesn’t get any more money from these increases. I have fairly good insurance, and MedWest is in their PPO so they get a negotiated amount from the insurance company regardless of what they bill. The increases do, however, affect those without insurance or those who don’t have insurance that have negotiated agreements with MedWest. The higher billings may also have an impact on Medicare reimbursement rates the system receives.

In addition to significant price increases, MedWest has changed its billing and collection practices. Billing is noticeably slower and more confusing. Many people I’ve spoken with have noticed padded or additional charges for procedures and appointments that are reoccurring. It’s hard to know if MedWest is now capturing services it didn’t before in billing codes or if there is something else going on. 

It would behoove people to check their bills carefully and contact Medicare or their insurance companies if there are any questionable charges. Even if your insurance provider pays additional charges, the padding of bills raises prices, including co-payments and insurance rates for everyone.

MedWest has taken to using some fairly aggressive collection techniques. I’ve received calls from someone purporting to represent MedWest pushing for collection of charges that haven’t even been billed yet or charges for items that have been paid. I’ve spoken with more than a dozen people who have experienced similar calls. Besides the fact that these calls seem generated by a billing department where one hand doesn’t know what the other is doing, there is a rather disturbing technique being used.

Upon receiving one of these calls, an individual is told that the representative is from MedWest and that the call may be monitored. Then the customer is asked to provide personal information to verify who they are, usually an address and a birthday. This is a big problem. Fraud via the Internet and telephone is an increasing problem in our society. One of the best ways to prevent fraud is to never give out personal information over the phone or the Internet unless you initiated the contact.

A caller may represent that they are from MedWest or some other legitimate concern and they may even be who they say they are but ignoring the basic practice of refusing to give out personal information to unsolicited callers, even in the case where one might be fairly certain that the caller is legitimate, is a way to weaken one’s future responses. Those who commit fraud are pretty smart and they generally are aware of which businesses are using techniques like those used by MedWest.

It is not inconceivable that sooner or later someone intent on committing fraud will mimic a legitimate business’ calling techniques and get personal information; and even a birthday can give someone intent on committing fraud an important tidbit. The simplest response when an unsolicited caller asks for personal information, even if they seem legitimate, is to simply decline to provide that information and request they contact you some other way.

MedWest has lots of problems, and from my experience they don’t seem focused on solving them. In this last instance, though, they are simply being a poor corporate citizen.

Mark Jamison

Webster

To the Editor:

I would like to share with your readers what I have come to realize are fundamental objectives of the Highlands Plateau Audubon Society, which is the local Audubon chapter for Cashiers, Franklin, Highlands, Scaly Mountain and surrounding areas of Macon and Jackson counties.  

Education and partnering with local schools is one such goal. Initiating and promoting programs that lead to enhanced, safe habitat for native birds is another. Being a local advocate for conservation within our community is a third.

But by far our chapter’s largest expenditure of personal energies is involved with our ambitious weekly Saturday bird field trips and evening programs, which the community is encouraged to attend regardless of birding experience level. Now that we are well into a new season of weekly field trips and evening programs, perhaps it is worth reflecting on what these activities can mean within a greater context.  

Birding is one pathway, accessible to anyone in the community, to experience an enhanced interaction with, and appreciation for, our natural world. And the value of such personal experience appears to be crucial to the future of our world. About 65 years ago, Aldo Leopold wrote, “It’s inconceivable to me that an ethical relationship to the land can exist without love, respect and admiration, and a high regard for its value.” Jane Goodall is quoted as saying, “Only if we understand can we care. Only if we care will we help. Only if we help shall they be saved.”   

Our bird outings and programs may appear to be enjoyable adventures, and they are. However, greater, if subliminal, HPAS goals include cultivating those feelings of wonder, understanding, respect, caring, and value for the environment, along with personal commitments to conservation, to which Leopold and Goodall have famously referred.  

Russ Regnery

President, Highlands Plateau Audubon Society

Children of all ages are invited to participate in this year’s 22nd annual “Stars & Stripes Celebration” at 10 a.m. Thursday, July 4, on Main Street in Waynesville.

Participants can decorate their bicycles, tricycles, scooters, strollers and wagons. Patriotic dress and/or decorations are required.

The procession led by Waynesville’s Mayor Gavin Brown and Uncle Sam will go from the courthouse up Main Street to First Baptist Church where parade participants under the age of 18 will receive free ice cream and free hot dogs at the new Main Street Cook Out. No motorized vehicles or animals will be permitted in the parade. 

The Main Street Cook Out located in the United Community Bank parking lot will offer hot dogs, burgers and brew from local breweries. Sponsored by the American Legion, Knights of Columbus and the Main Team from Main Street Realty, all proceeds will benefit local charities.  

828.456.3517 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The second session of “Good Neighbors, Good Stewards: Community and Environmental Change in Macon County” will take place at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 29, at the Rickman Store on 259 Cowee Creek Road, seven miles north of Franklin.

The goal of the forum is to identify and understand what environmental issues are of concern to residents and what knowledge about the local environment they can share to enhance Coweeta Long-Term Ecological Research.

The meetings are part of a partnership between the Coweeta Listening Project and the Friends of the Rickman Store.

828.369.5595.

Towns across the mountains will hold elections for their mayors and town board leaders this fall. The mandatory sign-up period for anyone wanting to run is from noon July 1 to noon July 19. 

A bear carcass marked in white paint with a message seemingly taunting law enforcement officials was dumped onto a road in Buncombe County. The bear was discovered last week with “WHATS BRUIN?” written across the head and “w-h-a-t-s” across the claws on the right paw and “b-r-u-i-n” across the claws on the left paw.

In February, state and federal wildlife officials made numerous arrests from a four-year undercover investigation in North Carolina and Georgia deemed “Operation Something Bruin.” 

The state is currently prosecuting cases in Haywood County for arrests made as a result of the operation. Ten defendants were convicted earlier this month in U.S. District Court on federal charges stemming from the undercover investigation.  

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission and the Wildlife Federation are offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in this latest case. “We feel strongly that this malicious and cowardly act of illegal activity has no place in N.C.,” said Tim Gestwicki, CEO of the N.C. Wildlife Federation. “We are providing these resources to underscore the seriousness we place on the poaching and outright desecration of this animal.”

Anyone with information pertaining to this or other wildlife violations should call 1.800.662.7137. Callers may remain anonymous. 

The Macon County Public Library was recently recognized as a community leader in recycling.

Fishing for a fun and inexpensive way to celebrate Independence Day? The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission invites anglers and would-be anglers of all ages to go fishing — for free. 

There were hundreds of hills, a few minor spills, but mostly thrills for the 2013 Remember the Removal bike riders who completed their 950-mile bicycle ride in Tahlequah, Okla. last week to honor their Cherokee ancestors.

To the Editor:

I wanted to reply to the “Did That Used to be a Tree?” article in the June 5-11 paper. I have worked in the natural resources community for a number of years, and nowhere have I seen the amount of tree-topping as in Haywood County. When you cut off all the branches of a tree, you are accomplishing several things: reducing your property value; encouraging new, weak growth that will be more likely to fall than the original branches; encouraging disease and decay to sicken and weaken the tree, which will hasten its death; and wasting your money. If you are worried about tree branches falling on your house or your power lines, then you should replace the tree with a native tree or shrub that fits into the space available, such as a flowering dogwood. What follows is an excerpt from an article that I published in the Carolina Country magazine on this very topic:

Many homeowners think that topping a tree reduces the height of the tree and helps to prevent hazards. Unfortunately, exactly the opposite is true. Instead of tree topping becoming a simple, inexpensive solution, it magnifies the problem and costs the landowner in additional ways.

When a tree has no leaves, its food production source is removed, and it must tap into energy reserves in order to prevent starvation. Numerous small branches will form near the end of each stub in order to produce as many leaves as quickly as possible. This rapid new growth not only increases the height of the tree, but also the branch density, making the tree taller and fuller than before. These new branches are weakly attached and prone to breakage in windy or icy conditions — a liability for which the landowner is financially responsible.

Topping a tree causes stress in other ways, as well. Newly revealed tissues may become sunburned — possibly resulting in cankers, splitting bark, and even death of the branches. Large wounds and long stubs close slowly and are prone to decay and insect invasion. These factors combine to shorten the life of the tree and cost the landowner in terms of tree maintenance and removal.

Removing tree branches leaves a disfigured, aesthetically displeasing tree. Because of the rapid new growth, the tree will need to be regularly pruned.  While healthy trees can add 10 to 20 percent to the value of a home, topped trees decrease a home’s value as potential buyers are faced with future tree maintenance.

There are several alternative approved and healthy methods for managing your trees. First, be sure when planting a tree that it is the right tree for that place. There should be adequate space for the mature tree, including the height and diameter of the crown (the branches and leaves extending from the main stem of the tree), as well as the roots. In the long run, it may be worthwhile to replace a mature ill-fitting tree with a smaller tree that is right for that space.

The “Hazelwood Haircut” is really just a cute name for a horrible and harmful practice that no certified arborist or tree service would ever recommend or perform. It is much wiser — and more cost-effective — to replace the tree. For more information about native plants that will fit your landscape, visit www.ncsu.edu/goingnative.

Amy Ney

Canton

To the Editor:

As Congress wrestles with immigration reform, it appears that folks of all political stripes are convinced that our current system is broken and needs fixing. This brokenness is seen when:

• Hardworking  individuals are detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials, held in custody, and deported — uprooted from their families, jobs, and communities, separating families and leaving wives and children with no means of support. Who benefits from this?

• Millions of workers are forced into an underground economy, made vulnerable to exploitation, wage theft and obscene underpayment by unscrupulous employers. Does this make America proud?

• Thousands die in the Arizona desert — forced off their lands by unfair tariffs and subsidies embedded in NAFTA and other unfair “free trade” treaties that allow U.S. imports to undersell their local products — coming here to find work to support their families back home. Can this be called humane?

• Millions of migrants, who are also consumers and taxpayers, are denied an immigrant status that could mean higher wages, more tax revenue, and an upward spiral in consumption, jobs, and prosperity for us all. Does this make practical, economic sense?    

• Billions of dollars are poured into “border security” — walls, detection devices, patrols — that can never stop the flow of desperate persons seeking a path to survival and a better life. Our country has been built by persons like this — our forebears. Aren’t we shooting ourselves in the foot by trying to keep them out?

• More than 11 million undocumented persons (no human being is “illegal”) are already contributing to our economy, and could benefit us much more if their status were regularized. Among these are the so-called “dreamers,” young people brought here by their parent who could be our future scientists, doctors, inventors if allowed to get the training and opportunity their abilities deserve. Why deprive ourselves of this rich pool of human potential?

Comprehensive immigration reform must be passed this year. We need to fix this broken system that harms so many of God’s children. In a subsequent letter, I hope to tell how.

Doug Wingeier

Waynesville

Editor’s note: Marie Cochran attended the production of the “Liar’s Bench” on June 20 at the Mountain Heritage Center on the WCU campus and wrote this review for The Smoky Mountain News.

I am very familiar with the term “the Liars Bench” in its practice of casual storytelling among Southern men sitting in the courthouse square and at barbershops; yet I was skeptical to hear this lighthearted phrase associated with the account of 19 Black men who drowned on a chain gang only decades after the Civil War.

As a disclaimer, for the last month I’ve been a witness to the assemblage of information and a participant in debates that raged about the proper way to engage a diverse audience. Yet, I waited like every other audience member wondering whether “Tears in the Rain” would be told as a gruesome ghost story, a sorrowful tale of faceless men who perished in an unfortunate accident, or an insightful portrayal of a human tragedy.

Pro wrestling stars from the WWE, WCW, NWA and ECW jump into the ring at 1 p.m. Sunday, July 7, at the Birdtown Gym in Cherokee.

Key events include the Rock & Roll Express versus Powers of Pain, Matt Hardy versus Chris Hamrick, Buff Bagwell versus The Shiek, and George South Jr. versus The Priest Shane Williams, among others. There will also be a six-man tag team and women’s champ match. 

Ringside seats are $40 per person. General admission is $20 for adults and $10 for children. Tickets available at Ric’s Smoke Shops.

828.497.3556 or 828.497.0178.

Jonathan Maracle of Broken Walls will be the guest speaker and facilitator at the Native American Conference June 28-30 at Lake Junaluska.

Maracle, a Mohawk from Tyendinaga Territory in Ontario, Canada, will share his experiences, skills and knowledge of First Nations ministry. He will also perform a benefit concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 29, at Stuart Auditorium in Lake Junaluska. Maracle’s band, Broken Walls, was conceived in 1995 in response to the walls he saw built between First Nations people and the dominant culture.  

Tickets are $20 per person.

www.lakejunaluska.com/sejanam or 828.454.6731.

American Idol singer Lauren Alaina will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 3, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

Enjoy traditional, bop, and original jazz during the Summer Jazz Festival on Saturdays from June 29 to July 20 at the Classic Wineseller in Waynesville.

The 12th annual Graham County Artisan Drive-About will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 28-29 in conjunction with the opening of the Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center’s Appalachian Evening Music Series in Robbinsville.

By Michael Beadle

The leg. The hand. The face. The breast.

Albert Race Sample, aka “RACEHOSS.”

(Instead of listing several diversions, I have decided to devote the entire column to a single recommendation. Certainly, “Racehoss” deserves no less.)

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer

Images from Sylva-based photographer Matthew Turlington’s 1998 work “A Photographic Depiction of Jackson Paper Company” stand out on the company’s corporate office walls, lining the hallway with their stark black and white freeze frames of work in the mill.

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer

A lawsuit over deed restrictions that could prevent a controversial high-rise condominium near Highlands from being built is past due for mediation.

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer

A 3 to 1 vote by the Swain County Board of Commissioners last week will effectively reduce the salary of the newly elected sheriff.

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer

Jackson Paper Engineer Chas Mathis strides confidently through the company’s used cardboard warehouse, up a steep metal grate, and up to the pulper. The machine churns like a giant blender as loads of cardboard boxes slowly move up the conveyor belt, and upon reaching its end drop down into the murky tank with a splash.

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer

The deadline for Mediacom and Sinclair Broadcast Group to reach an agreement that will allow the cable provider to continue carrying Sinclair stations — including local ABC affiliate WLOS Channel 13 — is up Dec. 1, and it appears that there is no resolution in sight.

By Michael Beadle

Cataloochee Ski Area, North Carolina’s oldest ski slope, can now boast the longest running ski season in the state as well — open earliest and closed latest.

The shorter days and cooling temperatures of September and October were an important time of the year for the elk of Cataloochee: the fall rut. The rut is the several-week breeding period when the cows cycle into estrus and the bulls compete for dominance to mate with the cows.

By Mark Jaben

In an earlier column, I discussed whether cutting costs should be the underlying motive for our health care system. Unfortunately, there is something even more fundamental that has been cut along the way.

Here’s the main problem with the slope development ordinance passed last week by Haywood County commissioners: it wasn’t the ordinance the public had a chance to discuss and debate at the public hearing held just over a month ago.

Tom Earnhardt, host of the television program “Exploring North Carolina,” will give a presentation highlighting the uniqueness of the state’s ecological heritage at 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 27, at Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Center.

A U.S. District Court judge has sentenced 10 defendants for illegal hunting activities involving black bears and other wildlife and related offenses. The sentences, handed  down Monday, June 10,  are the result of “Operation Something Bruin,” a multi-agency initiative focused on the illegal poaching of bears and other wildlife in North Carolina and Georgia.

Most of the defendants are Robbinsville residents but a few are from out of state. They vary in age from 20 to 55 and their sentences range from prison time to fines and hunting license revocations. They are among the first offenders to be sentenced as a result of the operation that culminated in February. Another defendant entered a plea but is awaiting sentencing.

Operation “Something Bruin” was a four-year undercover investigation focused on illegal activities involving bears and other wildlife in North Carolina and Georgia. The multi-agency initiative was the largest of its kind in recent years and resulted in more than 80 wildlife violators and over 980 violations. The violations were primarily a result of illegal bear hunting and poaching in North Carolina and Georgia, but also included an array of state and federal charges.

Both state and federal law enforcement infiltrated poaching circles to document violations including bear baiting, illegal taking of bears, deer and other wildlife, illegal use of dogs, operation of illegal bear enclosures in North Carolina, and guiding hunts on national forest lands without the required permits. 

www.operationsomethingbruin.org.

As of late May, the U.S. Forest Service has reopened the Massey Branch Boat Ramp on the Cheoah Ranger District, just in time for the summer season. The popular site, located near Robbinsville on Massey Branch Road, serves Santeetlah Lake and has been closed since October for repairs.