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.
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.
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!
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
Sarah Jones Decker, a volunteer at Carolina Mountain Club, discusses the joys of being outside with like-minded hikers.
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.
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’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!
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.
The site is only 15 acres. But the lawsuit could have dramatic implications for future timber cutting in the region.
The Hickory Nut Gorge green salamander, found exclusively in a 14-mile-long gorge southeast of Asheville, is being considered for listing under the Endangered Species Act by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Scientists estimate there are only a few hundred of them left on Earth and populations have declined steeply in the past 20 years.
Conservation biologist JJ Apodaca and his locally based organization, Tangled Bank Conservation, recently received a $100,000 prize to further develop genetic sequencing techniques that will help save three of the most poached turtle species in the United States.
Small municipalities throughout Western North Carolina see electric vehicles as the future of transportation in their communities, but the specific approach varies from town to town.
Asheville’s wellness culture is touted nationwide for its outdoor lifestyle and fresh mountain air. But less well known are the mycological wellness opportunities — that is, medicinal mushrooms — in our refrigerators and cupboards.
“RiverLink is the only conservation organization focused exclusively on the French Broad River and its tributaries,” says Lisa Raleigh, the nonprofit’s executive director. “We operate three programs that include water resource management, land conservation and youth education.”
Amid an ongoing severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, Western North Carolina is experiencing a surge in wildfires and elevated wildfire risk that endanger both communities and public lands.
After several reports of visitors feeding and attempting to hold a young bear in recent weeks at the Lane Pinnacle Overlook, officials closed the Blue Ridge Parkway from milepost 367.6 near the Craggy Gardens Picnic Area to milepost 375.6 at Ox Creek Road until further notice.
More than 200 river rats, advocates, conservationists and economic stakeholders from a seven-county region filled Ferguson Auditorium to celebrate their successes and discuss ways to continue cleaning up one of the world’s oldest water ways to maximize its environmental and economic sway.
Hood Huggers International founder and CEO DeWayne Barton, released his new book, “The CAP Playbook: Phase One,” on Aug. 14. The book’s Community Accountability Plan lays out a vision of creating a sustainable, inclusive and economically empowered culture in historically marginalized communities. Barton notes that the book is set up similarly to a football playbook, but instead of scoring touchdowns, the “plays” help achieve community goals.
The Southern Environmental Law Center and five other conservation groups issued the USFS a notice of intent to sue in July on the grounds that it ignored its own scientific findings suggesting that logging in certain areas could drastically harm the habitat and feeding grounds of four already endangered species, therefore violating the Endangered Species Act. If filed, the case will be heard in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina.
After 17 long years of removing toxic soil and replanting native grasses and flora, the greenway phase of Karen Cragnolin Park officially opened with a dedication ceremony Aug. 25. The park was dedicated to and named after Karen Cragnolin, the founder and former executive director of RiverLink who died in 2022.
