Local animal rescue organizations leave few stones unturned in their efforts to match homeless pets with loving families. How do adoption events fit into the mix?
Asheville’s rodent activity concerns residents, officials
Michael Waldvogel, an extension associate professor at North Carolina State University who specializes in urban and industrial pests, says Asheville’s booming restaurant scene and ongoing construction create the right conditions for a spike in rodent activity.
Locals work to protect monarch butterflies
Every fall, between late September and early October, monarch butterflies migrate from the Northeastern U.S. to Mexico, with many passing over the Blue Ridge Mountains. Although fewer monarchs are making the trip these days due to habitat loss and other factors, local monarch enthusiasts are working to study and protect their populations.
Conscious Party: The Mane Event
The fundraiser for Heart of Horse Sense takes place June 9 at Horse Sense of the Carolinas’ Marshall farm.
Local agencies wrestle with livestock impacts on water quality
Advocates for clean water in North Carolina often focus on the eastern part of the state, which hosts one of the world’s highest concentration of hogs. But French Broad Riverkeeper Hartwell Carson emphasizes that Western North Carolina and its smaller farms are not immune from the water quality issues related to animal agriculture.
Brother Wolf prepares for transition to sanctuary
Brother Wolf Animal Rescue is readying its new sanctuary in Leicester to house companion and farmed animals. Halfway through the organization’s transition year, grand plans and fundraising continue at BWAR, while some question what they see as a realignment of the nonprofit’s mission.
Conscious Party: A Winter’s Tail
The Friends of the WNC Nature Center’s long-running holiday celebration returns Dec. 2 with a full day of family-friendly activities.
WNC hunters keep traditions alive
Devotees of bow and black powder rifle hunting say they enjoy the expanded season permitted for hunting with those less-than-modern technologies. The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is considering changes to hunting times next year to give buck deer more opportunity to mate before hunting season begins.
Coming up in the Nov. 1 issue, and highlights from the past week
It’s time to get to the polls, Buncombe voters! We’ve got your general election voter guide, with Q&A with candidates for Asheville mayor and City Council, as well as a roundup of other contested Buncombe municipal races.
Going batty: Get to know these misunderstood mammals
According to Katherine Caldwell, a biologist with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission in Asheville, it’s “almost incomprehensible,” the number of flying insects bats snap up on their nocturnal hunting expeditions. While their spooky reputation is slowly giving way to a more nuanced understanding of bats’ critical role in the ecosystem, we still have a lot to learn about these unusual mammals.
Fantastical fidos and felines: Howl-O-Ween pet costumes
Does your furry friend have their annual Halloween disguise? If not, don’t despair! Thanks to Asheville Pet Photography, Bone-A-Fide Pet Boutique, the Asheville Humane Society and Brother Wolf Animal Rescue, we have some last minute inspiration from some of the fanciest pets around. With just a little creativity (or perhaps a trip to your local pet store) your […]
Museum celebrates the house cat
The items on display inside the American Museum of the House Cat Museum in Jackson County combine the quirky and the kitsch with the morbid and the mysterious.
Livestock judging, showing teaches 4-H kids value of responsibility
Young participants in Buncombe County 4-H programs learn a wide range of skills. Some involve caring for farm animals, while others — like responsibility, teamwork and persistence — apply to a wide variety of subjects and situations. Xpress talks with kids and their families about their 4-H experiences.
Rare genetic disorder tests pet owner’s commitment
With over $10,000 invested in care for Pipsqueak, a cat with a rare genetic condition, owner Kerbie Berggren says she’s earned a title she never thought she’d bear: crazy cat lady.
Training keeps parrots healthy, happy
Heather Snipes, known to her clients as the “Parrot Whisperer,” owns A Parrot’s Tale, a bird therapy and bird training practice that she operates from her home. Snipes says her mission is to help bird owners understand there’s more to taking care of a bird than putting it in a cage and feeding it birdseed.
Sneak peak at the Oct. 25 issue — and a recap of last week
A look back at the week in Asheville — and a sneak peek of Xpress’ upcoming issue, coming to a newsstand near you by Wednesday, Oct. 25.
ICYMI for the week of Oct. 11 — and a sneak peek
Catch up on highlights you may have missed from last week’s Xpress — and see what we’ve got in store for you this week. Newspapers should be hitting the stands later this afternoon. Available at all Xpress distribution locations by Wednesday!
Wildlife officials and advocates talk trash — and bears
Municipal officials, wildlife experts and WNC residents talk bear-resistant trash cans, bird feeders and educational initiatives designed to protect citizens and wildlife living in close proximity to each other.
Local wild life
Asheville, N.C.
Grandfather Mountain Hawk Watch observes mass raptor migrations
Grandfather Mountain lies along a major corridor for migrating raptors, which means that visitors to Linville Peak during September are likely to see tens, hundreds or even thousands of the birds of prey on their way to warmer climes.
In photos: 23rd Annual Mountain State Fair
The next best thing to going to the Mountain State Fair, which runs through Sunday, Sept. 17, is checking out our gallery of photos from the fair’s opening weekend.