Happy Trails: Wilderness schools thrive in WNC
- Volume 30
- / Issue 39
Cover Design Credit:
Scott Southwick
Cover Photography Credit:
Kaitlin de Varona
Countless individuals in Western North Carolina are taking advantage of opportunities at local wilderness schools. They’re learning how to forage for food, protect our natural resources and respond to emergencies in the wild.
arts
Local artist’s new website breaks down barriers to dance
Melvin AC Howell's HASdance.com seeks to make the art form more accessible to beginners.Guy Mead wins 2024 Xpress Poetry Contest
This year's competition asked writers to draft an original, previously unpublished piece on the theme of our shared humanity.Best Medicine: Powering Asheville with ‘pisskey’ and solar panel hats
Comedian Eric Brown is joined by his latest round of fellow local stand-ups to discuss tourism, sustainability and the apocalypse.Around town: RAD gets a new gallery
New gallery in River Arts District, Wilma Dykeman Fellowship announced, UNCA professor stages new play and more!
food
What’s new in food: Live-fire event showcases Utopian Seed Project’s work
Four Asheville chefs will get creative with winter squash at Utopian Seed Projects upcoming Trial to Table Live Fire event. Also in this week's food news, the third annual Taste…
living
Everyone loves a garden. Sometimes, that’s a problem
We aren't the only creatures who love berries. Learn how to keep birds and bears at bay.
news
Sustaining community: A conversation with Asheville City Council member Kim Roney
"There are lots of things we can’t do, but are we doing what we can?" asks Council member Kim Roney, who is up for reelection this year.Sustaining community: A conversation with Asheville City Council candidate Kevan Frazier
"We often study an issue as if we are the first city to consider it. More often we are the last," says Kevan Frazier, who is one of six candidates…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…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.Sustaining community: A conversation with Asheville City Council member Sage Turner
"There are layers of government in Asheville that can make our management and maintenance understandably confusing and frustrating," says Council member Sage Turner, who is up for reelection this year.Forty years later, UNCA women’s basketball players recall their national championship run
Today, the popularity of the women’s game is booming. But the sport is far from new. And 40 years ago, UNC Asheville boasted a championship team and a record-setting player…Early voting for second primary begins April 25
Republicans and unaffiliated voters who cast a Republican ballot in the March 5 primary election have some unfinished business in choosing which candidate will run against Democratic opponents for two…Social opportunities for neurodivergent adults flourish locally
It’s not enough to provide activities centered around autism, because having autism in common doesn't mean people's interests are similar.Woodfin Town Council shoots down de-annexation request
Council members voted 6-0 on April 16 to oppose the request, which bubbled up after the town implemented a stormwater fee last summer to comply with the state-issued permit it…ACS puts mental health support at top of budget priority
As state funding falls with enrollment and $1 million in COVID-era federal funding ends, the district is facing a $5.7 million gap before new funding requests and projected savings are…County trash rates could increase with new provider
If the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners approves a contract next month with global waste management company FCC Environmental Services, whose U.S. headquarters is in Texas, residents will see an…
opinion
Letter: Check the source for ‘extremist’ label
"The Moms for Liberty group, by today’s definitions, is certainly conservative in trying to protect young children from sex-related matters (many quite extreme) until they are more mature in their…Letter: Pick leaders who choose safety over ideology
"Let’s prioritize candidates who propose practical policies to ensure our city remains a safe, thriving place."Letter: Where is our land ethic?
"Let’s contact our elected officials and let them know that you value our natural resources, wish they would think more about habitat and consider these plans."Last resort
Letter: More input needed on school library book bans
"Are educators the best people to decide what books to ban for student libraries? Absolutely not."
