Mountain-top berry bushes are pushing out the rare species. UNCA and SAHC are trying to push back.
Green Roundup: ASAP’s Farm Tour spotlights local growers
The Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project is gearing up for its annual Farm Tour in September. Also in local green news, a new solar lending program from Sugar Hollow Solar, the West Asheville Garden Stroll spotlights the Horney Heights neighborhood, N.C. Arboretum hosts Monarch Butterfly Day and more.
WNC grapples with Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever
Since January of this year, Buncombe County has received 104 reports of Lyme, says Buncombe County spokesperson Stacey Wood. Of those, 19 have been confirmed cases, five met the definition for suspect or probable cases and 23 are currently under investigation.
Confusion abounds in Buncombe about what trash can be recycled. Here’s why.
Most Buncombe County residents, and most Americans, assume that anything with a little triangular recycling symbol on it is recyclable. But that’s not the case.
Buncombe residents use millions of recyclable plastic bags a year; nearly all end up in landfills, Watchdog finds
“Based on national numbers, we think there are about 132 million plastic shopping bags [used] per year within Buncombe County,” said Anna Alsobrook, the French Broad watershed science and policy manager at MountainTrue.
A look at the candidates running for the Buncombe Soil & Water Conservation District board and why it matters
If you don’t know what a Soil & Water Conservation District supervisor does, you are not alone. Here’s a quick primer on the position, which Buncombe County voters will decide on this fall.
PFAS – forever chemicals linked to serious health issues – found above safe levels at Buncombe, Henderson mobile home parks
Residents of five mobile home parks in Buncombe and Henderson counties rely on water systems that exceed the limit of PFAS compounds, known as forever chemicals, putting them at greater risk of cancer and other illnesses, Asheville Watchdog reports.
Green Roundup: Landowners along Ecusta Trail win $5M claim against federal government
After several years of litigation, a recent court ruling has required the federal government to pay over $5 million to 164 landowners along the proposed 19.4-mile Ecusta Trail. Compensation to individual property owners ranges from $223 to $191,061. The multiuse greenway, scheduled to be completed in 2028, will run along an unused railway corridor connecting […]
From CPP: Forest Service changes Nantahala timber harvest plans in face of lawsuit
The legal complaint, which focused on the 15-acre timber harvest, argued that the Southside Project is inconsistent with the U.S. Forest Service’s new plan to manage North Carolina’s Pisgah National Forest and Nantahala National Forest, which the agency released in February 2023.
Longer growing seasons mean more allergy issues for WNC
Asheville-area health professionals are seeing itchy, sniffling allergy sufferers up to nine months of the year.
Brood 19 cicadas emerge in WNC
‘We haven’t really seen any widespread emergence of the periodical cicada so far, but we think it’s really going to be isolated to very small areas in southern Buncombe and around the Arden area and in Fairview,” says Owen.
Big changes on the way at DuPont State Recreational Forest
DuPont State Recreational Forest attracted more than a million visitors in 2023, something nobody expected when the site opened nearly 30 years ago. To keep up with the growth, forest officials are about to enact some major changes.
A-B Tech works to shore up its stormwater infrastructure
When it rains on the campus of Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, stormwater pours off its plethora of parking lots into the neighborhoods, forest and French Broad River below, taking pollutants with it. Now, the community college, which sits at the headwaters of one of three primary tributaries in the Central Asheville Watershed, is working to reduce the volume of rainwater that flows from its campus.
From CPP: Can collaboration on NC national forests coexist with litigation?
The Forest Service finalized its forest plan for Western North Carolina’s two national forests in Feb. 2023 after a decade-long process that included thousands of public comments and the commitment of dozens of groups of stakeholders.
The N.C. Arboretum announces new executive director
After 37 years, George Briggs will step down from his leadership role at The N.C. Arboretum. Drake Fowler will replace him in August. Plus: “Blue Ghost” fireflies return; Kid’s Merchandise Design Contest is now underway; and more!
Nonprofit seeks community thoughts on environmental justice
Kate Epsen, who serves as the chair for the Wilma Dykeman Legacy’s news committee on environmental integrity, is currently seeking community input on environmental justice. Photo courtesy of Epsen
Why I volunteer: Giving back to the Appalachian Trail
Sarah Jones Decker, a volunteer at Carolina Mountain Club, discusses the joys of being outside with like-minded hikers.
WNC is ground zero for wilderness skills education
In February, Mountain BizWorks’ MADE X MTNS partnership, which seeks to expand WNC’s outdoor industry, released a study that noted outdoor activities such as backpacking, day hiking and vehicle camping generated an economic output of $4.9 billion per year for the region and resulted in 48,000 full-time jobs.
Environmental groups keep pressure on U.S. Forest Service
Asheville-based nonprofit MountainTrue and others await responses from the U.S. Forest Service after filing a flurry of legal actions since the federal agency finalized its Pisgah-Nantahala Forest Plan last year.
Conserving Carolina seeks photo contest entries
Conserving Carolina’s fifth annual Habitat at Home spring photo contest is underway. Plus: Hendo Earth Fare returns to Hendersonville; G5 Trail Collective adds 10 new miles; and more!
Community members outraged by school-supply dumpster incident
The biggest sting seemed to be the timing: The dumpster in front the former Asheville Primary School arrived one day after the Asheville City Board of Education board voted to close Montford North Star Academy.