Box Creek Wilderness gets new lease on life after developmen­t plan fizzles

Large areas of untrammeled nature are increasingly hard to come by in North Carolina — especially where the mountains meet the Piedmont, the state’s most urbanized and densely populated region. But every so often, wilderness gets a reprieve. So it is with the Box Creek Wilderness, a 3,300-acre link between the Blue Ridge and the South Mountains just east of Asheville.

Aerial photograph­ers will map every foot of North Carolina this winter

The project, which will produce photo-maps of unmatched detail, is part of the state’s 911 emergency-readiness program. “You will be able to make out individual branches on the trees,” said N.C. forester Andrew D. Bailey. In addition to helping emergency response, the imagery will also be used by other state and local agencies, including conservation agencies such as the state Forest Service and local parks and recreation offices.

Buncombe Commission­ers

Commissioners approve $1.8 million for conservation easements Affordable-housing development wins initial approval At the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners Oct. 7 meeting, the news wasn’t just what happened but what didn’t. The commissioners chose to delay action on three major items: the long-overdue appointment of new members to the powerful county Planning Board, a controversial […]