Rare American Chestnut Trees Found in Southeast
A grove of very rare American chestnut trees has been discovered in Georgia. The find is exciting to the scientific community and tree lovers alike, as the American chestnut had virtutally disappeared in a blight in the earlier part of the 20th century. More details

See the Beauty of Lake Lure Firsthand with Lake Lure Tours
Few spots in the North Carolina mountains rival the pristine beauty of Lake Lure. Located just south of Chimney Rock, NC, Lake Lure has seen many generations of families spend old-fashioned summers playing in the sun, swimming on the beach or at the Bottomless Pools, and boating on the waters of one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. More details

Folk Art Center Programs Share Simplicity of Traditional Crafts
The Southern Highland Craft Guild, located in the Folk Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway just east of Asheville, is a membership guild of some of the finest craftspeople in the country. Some of these guild members generously share their knowledge of crafts and Appalachian culture with the public through a series of free educational events that take place year-round at the Folk Art Center. More details

Chimney Rock Park's Unique Birding Sites and "Big Boy" Trees Officially Recognized
Everyone in WNC knows that Chimney Rock Park's beautiful 1,000 acres of forests and hundreds of gorgeous and rare birds are special, but recently, the Park has been honored for both. With the help of NC State University, the NC Division of Forest Resources recently updated the state's Register of Big Trees. More details

Red Wolf, An Endangered Spcies, Is Making a Slow Come Back
Originally, the red wolf roamed as far north as Pennsylvania and as far west as central Texas. Like its relative the grey wolf, the red wolf was wiped out from its former range by large scale predator control programs. More details

Grandfather Mountain, a Globally Recognized Nature Preserve
Most visitors to Western North Carolina probably recognize Grandfather Mountain’s famous swinging bridge, and more than likely enjoy visiting its restaurant and souvenir shop. Many thousands of travelers stop by Grandfather Mountain during the annual Grandfather Mountain Highland Games, one of the largest gatherings of Scottish clans anywhere in the country. More details

Meeting the Challenges of Forest Conservation; Our Forests, Our Way of Life
Forests are intrinsic to our way of life. We hunt and hike and bird watch in them, and depend upon them for wildlife habitat, water purification, timber and jobs. More details

Chimney Rock Park Offers Four Seasons of Outdoor Fun
For those looking for a invigorating, outdoors spot to spend the better part of a day away from their own particular brand of hustle and bustle, Chimney Rock Park might just be the place. With fall’s generally crisp and sunny days, the park is an ideal location for an afternoon outside with family or friends.More details

Chimney Rock Park Sees Return of Peregrine Falcons
After coming a hair’s width away from extinction, the peregrine falcon is in the process of staging a remarkable comeback in the wild, untouched regions of certain areas in the US. Fortunately for environmentalists and bird watchers in North Carolina, Chimney Rock Park in Chimney Rock, NC, is one of those lucky places that is now playing host to this special bird. More details

Endangered Species Spotlight- Gopher Tortoise
The gopher tortoise is one of the oldest living species, originating in North America over 60 million years ago. Today their range includes many parts of Florida, southern areas of Georgia, South Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama, and the tip of Eastern Louisiana. More details

Ivory-bill Habitat Protected Through Land Deal Between The Nature Conservancy and U.S. Wildlife Service
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced it will acquire 1,440 acres of land from The Nature Conservancy to add to the Cache River National Wildlife Refuge in Arkansas – home to the recently rediscovered Ivory-bill Woodpecker and a host of other wildlife species. The Service and the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission approved $1,944,000 from this year’s Migratory Bird Conservation Fund (commonly known as the Federal Duck Stamp program) to acquire 1,440 acres of the former Ray Coleman Howell Farm at Cache River NWR presently owned by The Nature Conservancy. More details

Monarch Butterfly Migration Is Fueled With Milkweed; Plant Milkweed Seeds to Aid Migration
180 Million Monarchs are now on the move! Milkweed plants are the only food source for Monarch caterpillars. There is a severe shortage of Milkweed, and their young may perish in large numbers if a larger milkweed food supply is not made available. More details

Endangered Species Spotlight: American Bald Eagle
Eagles are a member of the Accipitridae family that also includes hawks, kites, and vultures. The Bald eagle is one of the largest birds of prey, with the female bald eagle measuring 35 to 37 inches and a wingspan that measures from 79 to 90 inches. More details

Saving Natural Habitats Begins At Home; Learn About Sustainable Gardening Practices
Disappearing habitat is a problem worldwide. Most endangered species have that status because of habitat loss. Two thirds of the world’s forests are already gone. More details

The Ivory-Billed Woodpecker; Natural History And Facts
The ivory-billed woodpecker ( Campephilus principalis) -- is among the world's largest woodpeckers. Only the imperial woodpecker of Mexico, now thought by many to be extinct, was larger than the ivory-bill. More details

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Announces Recovery Team for Ivory-billed Woodpecker
Less than a month after the Big Woods Conservation Partnership partners announced the ivory-billed woodpecker had been rediscovered in the Cache River National Wildlife Refuge, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service named the first members of a range-wide recovery team that will craft a roadmap for the conservation of this extraordinary bird. The team, which held its first meeting in June, includes representatives from state fish and wildlife agencies, The Nature Conservancy, and other conservation organizations and universities. More details

Pack it in for the Environment: Why We Should Compost
With cold winter weather on its way , it’s hard to think about the summer season. But with our waste problems, as well as the increasing amount of urban pollution, we can do our part to help the environment this winter while providing our gardens with excellent soil for the spring. More details

Sliding Rock is Mother Nature’s Chilly Answer to Water Parks
Water parks are everywhere, and as we get closer to the end of the school year, young kids (and their parents) start thinking about whether they would rather go to Charlotte’s Carowinds or Atlanta’s Six Flags or even one of the parks over in Pigeon Forge. When making plans for the summer, the “true” water park aficionado might also want to make plans to visit Mother Nature’s very own – and original – water park, Sliding Rock. More details

Audubon North Carolina Announces State’s 92 Important Bird Areas
Audubon North Carolina, the state office of the National Audubon Society, has announced the release of Important Bird Areas of North Carolina, a scientific assessment of the most important habitats for birds in the state. The culmination of six years of study, the publication identifies 92 places from the mountains to the coast that are vital for breeding, migrating, and over-wintering birds. More details

N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission Leads Nation in Conservation Planning
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is the first agency in the nation to complete and submit to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service its Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy — a congressionally mandated plan that outlines fish, wildlife and natural resources conservation in North Carolina. Wildlife Commission biologists Ryan Heise and Rob Nichols examine a robust redhorse collected from the Pee Dee River in April. More details

Botanical Gardens of Asheville a Natural Reflection of Southern Appalachian Mountains
The Botanical Gardens of Asheville, located on a lovely ten-acre site next to the UNC-Asheville campus on Weaver Boulevard, is a haven of sorts for more than 700 plant species that are native to this diverse ecosystem we call home – the southern Appalachian Mountains. For the many people who visit or volunteer their time in these delightful gardens, it is a haven indeed, offering solitude, serenity, and a chance to reconnect with the natural world that surrounds us all. More details

Now is the Time to Attract Bluebirds to Your Backyard
Eastern Bluebirds are small, charming, non-aggressive birds that are a conservation success story. With their bright blue wings and heads, rust-colored breasts, and delightful array of songs and calls, they are about as appealing to the Southern summer garden as hummingbirds and butterflies. More details

Local Sierra Club Chapter Leads the Way to Enjoyment and Protection of Outdoors
On the national level, the Sierra Club is a fairly high profile advocate for environmental causes – protection of the country’s woodlands, water sources, and air often have strong backing from the activist group. Founded in 1892 and with a current membership totaling over 700,000 people, the organization has fought through the decades for preservation of the wildlands of many national parks, including Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Sequoia, and the Florida Everglades. More details

Riverside Cemetery Final Resting Place for One of America’s Best
Although William Sidney Porter lived his life far from the Western North Carolina mountains, the man who penned short stories under the name O. Henry and became the favorite of a generation at the turn of the Twentieth Century owes the location of his final resting place to his second wife, Sara Coleman Porter, a Weaverville native. More details

Treasured Waterfalls, Mountain Scenery the Reward of Scenic Drive through Gorge
As the days get longer and the temperatures rise, many visitors to Western North Carolina find themselves drawn to any number of the region’s pristine waterfalls for the visual entertainment and cooling respite that they offer from the day’s heat. But some of these popular spots require a bit more hiking, climbing, and crawling over rocks, boulders, and trails than some folks are willing or able to do. More details

Attracting Hummingbirds to Your Backyard Wildlife Habitat Site
Tiny, iridescent hummingbirds are an exciting addition to your habitat. Hummingbirds visit SC from March through November and you can attract them by planting red, tubular flowers. Over 160 native, North American plants depend exclusively on hummingbirds for pollination. More details

Discover More about Appalachian Cultural History at WCU, ASU
Today’s technological advances have brought with them an ease of travel and communication that are almost not possible to take for granted – sweeping four-lane Interstate highways, cell phones, well-planned utility systems, health and hospital systems, and numerous other modern necessities and conveniences are an expected part of everyday life, and make living in the mountains of Western North Carolina as easy as anywhere else in the state or country. But when the first pioneers to the Appalachian Mountain region of Western North Carolina arrived, what they saw was intimidating, even frightening – an ocean of mountains that lay ahead of them, filled with fog, deep valleys, and mountaintops that, in some cases, reached beyond the clouds. More details

NC Arboretum Operates State-of-the-Art Greenhouse Complex
For both the regular visitor and the uninitiated, the splendor of the North Carolina Arboretum begins with the entry road into this massive and picturesque facility. Owned and operated by the University of North Carolina system on 426 acres in the Bent Creek Experimental Forest, the road winds gently past woodlands, trails, high stone retaining walls, and some glorious landscaping. More details

Mount Mitchell Promises Cold Weather, Great Views (If It’s Not Snowing)
Mount Mitchell, part of North Carolina’s Black Mountain Range and the highest peak in the US east of the Rockies, is one of the more popular stops on the Blue Ridge Parkway. At the height of 6,684 feet, Mount Mitchell looms high above the valleys below, a dramatic testament to the birth of the mountains in the eastern US a billion years ago, and to the millions of years of wind, water, and other forces that have worn down the pinnacles to their rounded, more subdued profiles that we greet with familiarity today.More details

Biltmore Industries Holds Distinguished Position in Western North Carolina's History
Biltmore Industries, for many years an exceptional outlet for traditional mountain arts and crafts and the one-time beneficiary of George and Edith Vanderbilt's generosity, is a long-running example of WNC's propensity toward fostering local mountain industry. The following article, posted with the permission of local author, historian, and antiques authority Bruce E. Johnson, provides an in-depth look at Biltmore Industries and the impact it had on local artisans and crafts people throughout the 20th century.
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Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site is a Great Stop While Enjoying the Mountains
The Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site, located in Flat Rock, North Carolina, is a great place to visit while you are enjoying the mountains. Carl Sandburg, the nationally renowned poet, biographer and folksinger, retired in Flat Rock, North Carolina, in 1945. More details

Legends and Geologic Facts Equally Intriguing at The Blowing Rock
Legend has it that after a Chickasaw maiden’s warrior love had leapt from the Blowing Rock, she prayed daily to the Great Spirit to return her warrior beloved to her and was granted her wish when the brave was blown back up by the winds surrounding the rock. Geologists with the US Geologic Survey estimate the metamorphic igneous rock to be about 1,055 million years old and have determined the wind comes from a flume formed by the rocky walls which sweeps the wind up, along with any objects in its current . More details

Gorges State Park Newest Addition to North Carolina's State Park System
Transylvania County, home of Brevard, Sapphire, and some of the prettiest natural wonders in the western end of the state, can also boast that it is the home of North Carolina's newest state park, Gorges State Park. The rugged 7,000-acre park was owned for years by Duke Energy Corporation, but, after determining it no longer had a use for its steep topography and high rainfall, offered the land for sale to natural resource agencies in North and South Carolina in the late 1990s. The North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation rose to the occasion and, in 1999, with the help of local citizens and the State Assembly, created the state's newest park and, incidentally, the state's only park west of Asheville. More details

Linville Caverns a Great Addition to a Weekend Ski Trip
It all started from a inquiring nature and a willingness to explore … how could there be fish swimming out of the mountain? So began the curious journey of eastern Carolinian, H. E. Colton, and his local guide, Dave Franklin, over 100 years ago. More details

A Hike to the Top of Mount Pisgah and Dinner at the Pisgah Inn.... a Great Combo
Should you wake up some Saturday or Sunday morning, hear the weather forecast for beautiful skies, realize you have nothing on your schedule for the day, and want an invigorating outdoor activity to fill those wonderful "no-work" hours, try spending a day on the Blue Ridge Parkway hiking to the top of Mount Pisgah and follow it up with dinner at the Pisgah Inn. More details

Mountain Waterfalls a Beautiful Draw for the Mountains
One of a number of natural beauties for outdoor adventurers and families alike, is to head to one of many area waterfalls. Hiking to the sites is a terrific way to get a little exercise, breathe some fresh mountain air, and spend some time with family and friends. In fact, this is just the type of outing of which memories are made. More details

WNC's Microbrewery/Taproom/Pub Scene is Booming
Microbreweries and cool little pubs and taprooms have become enormously popular, and Western North Carolina is right in the thick of things with some of the freshest local spots that cater to all different styles, not to mention food and brew tastes, and one is more than likely going to suit your mood. If you're looking for something new that is sure to become one of your favorite haunts, check out some of these places that WNC has to offer. More details

Historic Johnson Farm a Welcome Trip to the Past During Any Time of Year
Vernon and Leander Johnson wanted nothing more than to preserve a connection with Henderson County's past when they generously donated their long-standing and successful farm with all of its personal possessions to the Henderson County Board of Education in 1987. With that donation, the world of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Henderson County opened before the eyes of all who visit there each year. The farm and all of its outbuildings have become a popular hands-on cultural heritage museum that is now open year-round to area visitors and school children. More details

Mining- A Western North Carolina Past Time; The Mineral & Lapidary Museum a Great Resource
In 1998, the mining world wondered if the 88-carat emerald mined by Alexander County resident Jamie Hill was a fluke. They are wondering no more. Hill announced recently that he has discovered two more huge stones - one in excess of 100-carats - of incredible quality. Gems in top photo are in an exhibit at the Mineral & Lapidary Museum of Henderson County in Hendersonville, NC. More details

Hendersonville Offers Many Historic Sites to Visit on Weekends in the Mountains
The mountains of Western North Carolina are a favorite destination for visitors from all over the country, and Hendersonville offers the unique experience that only a small town can give. While many visitors might flock to larger cities, those who are interested in the side roads and smaller, but equally appealing, by-ways available, will find everything they are looking for in Hendersonville. More details

North Carolina Arboretum Another Gem in the WNC Mountains
The North Carolina Arboretum, a member of the University of North Carolina System, quietly goes about its business every day of the year. Fortunately for visitors to the Arboretum, its business just happens to be one of the most delightful businesses to be found in the state.
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Mt. LeConte
If hiking is your passion, or, if you have been wanting to try this trip but haven't been sure how to go about getting reservations, you will be pleased to learn of a great opportunity; Asheville's Parks and Recreation Department is sponsoring a weekend hike to one of the area's loveliest and most remote hiking destinations, Mt. LeConte. Located near the border with Tennessee, Mt. LeConte is a tough ticket to come by - the lodge that is perched atop Mt. LeConte has a very limited capacity, making reservations, particularly during warmer weather, very difficult to obtain. More details

Cobblestones Spoke to Thomas Wolfe's Soul
The use of cobblestones and brick pavers fell out of favor in the U.S. in the early 1900's due to the inexpensive availability of petroleum products. Cobblestones and brick pavers are both expensive materials to purchase and labor intensive to instal More details

Smith-McDowell House Museum, Asheville's First Mansion
If you are planning a visit to the Asheville area for the color season, you might want to plan a visit to the Smith-McDowell House Museum. Built circa 1840 by James McConnell Smith, the Smith McDowell House is Asheville's oldest surviving house and the oldest brick house in Buncombe County, North Carolina. More details

Large Stands of Old Growth Forests Found in Nantahala-Pisgah National Forest
A survey, coordinated by the WNC Alliance, and with the assistance of the Southern Appalachian Forest Coalition and the North Carolina chapter of the Sierra Club, has documented 77, 418 acres of delineated old growth forests. This increases the previously recorded acres of old growth forests by over 400%. The two national forests total more that 1.1 million acres of public forests. More details

A Tour of the Winery is a Great Addition to Biltmore Estate Visit
The most visited winery in the United States isn’t located in the Napa Valley. Perhaps a surprise to some, it is at the Biltmore Estate, quietly nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Asheville, North Carolina, where fine food and wine, paired with elegant entertaining, have been traditions since the end of the 19th century.More details

Wild Turkeys Flourishing in Southeast
Restoring the native wild turkey throughout the Eastern United States stands as one of the most successful restoration efforts in the history of wildlife management. The wild turkey population had fallen from 7 million, at the time of the arrival of the first European settlers, to 30 thousand in the 1930s. More details

Henderson County Curb Market Open Year-Round
A genuine link with Hendersonville’s historic past has quietly kept its place in the hearts of Henderson County residents – and visitors – since 1924. Since those days of the early 20th Century, when vendors and patrons alike arrived at the Henderson County Curb Market in Model T’s, and children, playing with simple toys like yo-yo’s, marbles, and jacks, waited patiently for their mothers to shop for the freshest fruits and vegetables, the Curb Market has remained in continuous operation.
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