How green is Western Carolina University?

On paper, WCU is among the top universities in the nation in terms of participation in various green initiatives, but the students say we can do more. WCU recently placed in The Princeton Review’s Guide to 322 Green Colleges.  The review points out a specific initiative, “Reducing Our Carbon Paw Print,” which was designed to help […]

Mosquitoes in WNC can infect community

Mosquitoes are one of the most common pests in Western North Carolina, but they bring a greater risk than itchy bites. Western Carolina University environmental health professor and public health biologist Brian Byrd has a passion for insects, particularly mosquitoes.   Though he has also worked with tics and mites, Byrd specializes in mosquito-borne diseases […]

Local trees dying under insect-spread disease

Western North Carolina is home to multiple national forests, which see thousands of visitors every year.  The forests are popular destinations for students looking to hike, camp or just enjoy the views the mountains have to offer.  Over the years, some of our most beloved trees in these forests have begun to die under the […]

Tuck River Cleanup coming this weekend

Students, faculty and community members will have the chance to participate in the 29 annual Tuck River Cleanup Saturday. Registration begins at 11 a.m. on the UC Lawn and lasts until 1 p.m. Preregistration is not available.  The first 500 in line will receive a free tee-shirt. From there, participants will be given either life […]

Students get involved with national forest revisions

Students in David Henderson’s America’s Wilderness Ethics and Aesthetics class had the chance to experience a real world problem-solution environment. Ten students from Henderson’s class piled into two vans and traveled to Brevard for the Pisgah Ranger District meeting.  The meeting takes place in a series of Nantahala-Pisgah National Forest meetings set to revise the […]

Public meetings to discuss future of Nantahala-Pisgah National Forests

Almost 170 community members attended the March 18 meeting at the Transylvania County Public Library to discuss the Nantahala-Pisgah National Forests Land Management Plan revisions.  The meeting is the next-to-last in a series of six taking place in each of the Nantahala-Pisgah Ranger Districts.  Each meeting is open to the public and goes from 6 […]