N.C. to continue to protect elk

"After receiving overwhelming public support for keeping elk on the state's list of Special Concern species, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission this week voted down a proposal to delist the animals," says the Citizen-Times.

... The proposal to delist the elk was one of more than 60 proposed hunting and fishing rule changes the commission brought before nine public hearings across the state in January.

The hearing in Sylva for Western North Carolina public comment drew more than 100 people who overwhelmingly spoke out in favor of keeping the elk a protected species in the state.

Elk, a species native to North Carolina, were reintroduced to the Cataloochee area of Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 2001 with an experimental herd of 52 animals.

The herd now numbers 110 animals, which have been popular with tourists. In 2008 visitation to Cataloochee was 148,000 people, more than double from when the elk first arrived.

The idea behind the delisting proposal was to better manage the elk when they roam outside the protected boundaries of the national park and onto private property, said District 9 Commissioner Martin Lewis.

“We need a way to manage the elk who come off the park looking for food,” said Lewis, who lives in Asheville. “We need to ensure the safety of elk. We all agree we need to do something. We need to have a management plan.”

Quick hits: Map of waterfalls & Charleston market to get face lift

New map is out on Western N.C. waterfalls
"Larry Odoski had become adept at answering outdoors questions.

"As the proprietor of Outdoor Paths, a map and guidebook shop in Black Mountain for several years before closing last year, Odoski answered constant questions, such as 'What's the name of that mountain?' 'How do I get to the Blue Ridge Parkway?' and 'Where can I go hiking?'

" But by far the most popular question was: 'Where are the waterfalls?'" says the Asheville Citizen-Times.

“ 'People were always asking where they could find waterfalls and which was the closest waterfall,' Odoski said. 'That's why a lot of people come to Western North Carolina — to see the waterfalls. I just listened to what people wanted and decided to make a map for them.'

" The result — about a year in the making — is the 'Waterfalls of North Carolina' map, produced by Odoski's Outdoors Paths Publishing company. The 26-by-28-inch topographic map shows the location of 301 waterfalls on one side of the map, which is printed on waterproof, tear-proof paper. ..."



Historic Charleston market to get upgrades, repairs
"Charleston's open air City Market, one of the most popular visitor attractions in South Carolina, is getting a $5 million face-lift, city officials said Tuesday," according to the AP.

"Millions of visitors come to the market each year to buy everything from sweetgrass baskets and local art to jewelry and regional foods.

" 'Few visitors to Charleston would consider a visit to Charleston complete if they don't come to the City Market,' said Mayor Joseph Riley. 'We want to make sure our local citizens see this as a personal treasure for them as well.'

"Work begins in January on repairing roofs, painting, repointing brick, adding signs and other upgrades to the existing market buildings which date to the early 1800s and were last improved more than 35 years ago. ..."

Quick hits: Highland Games, what's up with Perquimans, and WNC gets a medical school

Games bring Scotland to Western N.C.
"For more than half a century, Grandfather Mountain has hosted the Highland Games, a celebration of Scottish heritage through athleticism, music and dance," says the Citizen-Times.

"But the event, beginning Thursday at MacRae Meadows, may draw particular interest this year, according to Catherine Morton, marketing director with Grandfather Mountain.

" 'In the world of travel and tourism in 2009, everybody is looking for a way to have recreation and unique experiences, and they also don't want to spend a lot of money doing it,' Morton said.

" 'This is a far-away place that isn't far away,' she said. 'You can sleep in your bed but feel like you've spent the day in Europe.' ..."


What's in a name?
"The mayor of Hertford, N.C., has been known to quiz newcomers about his home county of Perquimans," says the Virginian-Pilot.

"His most often asked question is about the meaning of the name. Always a good tour guide, Sid Eley has his answer ready and a theory about its genesis.

" 'It's an Indian word that means land of beautiful women,' he said.

" 'I've heard one story - but I don't have any proof of this - that the men would go to the Outer Banks on fishing expeditions and this is where they left their women. And none of them had ugly wives.' ..."

WNC takes first steps toward medical school

"Like their classmates around the state, four UNC School of Medicine students spent the first day of their third year of medical school taking a tour of the hospital they'll be working in and getting their identification badges.

"But unlike their classmates, the four women who sat practicing suturing on pig's feet Monday afternoon are the first to receive their training at the medical school's newest branch in Western North Carolina and among the first in the country to participate in a new way of educating medical students," says the Citizen-Times.

"The pilot program that started this week establishes a branch of UNC School of Medicine in WNC for the first time, bringing the four third-year medical school students to the mountains for two years to learn clinical skills.

"The program is a collaboration among the UNC School of Medicine, UNC Health Care System, Mission Hospital, the Mountain Area Health Education Center, the Western North Carolina Health Network and local physicians. ..."

Some wonderful WNC photos

The good thing about having just a few "Followers" (the list of our readers a little ways down on the right "rail") is that I can tell when there's a new one. Our newest "Follower" is apparently Jason Shortes (hello, Jason!), who also follows some Western North Carolina-related blogs worth checking out.

In short time I have become a HUGE fan of Blue Ridge blog, which is full of some captivating photos. Here are just a few samples of the wonderful snapshots of WNC. Enjoy.

Quick hits: WNC farms are disappearing, but 'poultry power' is not

Western N.C. farms are disappearing

"Western North Carolina lost more than 1,700 tobacco farms between 2002 and 2007, and the region as a whole lost farms at a higher rate than the state," says the Citizen-Times.

"That's according to the 2007 Agriculture Census recently released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and an analysis done by Charlie Jackson, executive director of the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project in Asheville. While the news is striking, it's not all grim.

" 'The fact that over 1,700 farmers stopped growing tobacco but the region only lost less than 700 farms means that most former tobacco farmers are growing other things,' Jackson said. 'There are opportunities for farmers to make the transition from tobacco.' ..."

Poultry power coming to N.C.

"A company that generates electricity by burning poultry litter plans to build a $150 million plant that will employ 100 workers in Montgomery County," according to the News & Record.

"Fibrowatt, a Pennsylvania company, said Tuesday it will build the plant on 140 acres near Biscoe, off Interstate 73/74, about 50 miles south of Greensboro.

"Fibrowatt will be the largest industrial project in Montgomery County history, said Judy Stevens, executive director of the Montgomery County Economic Development Corp. ...

"The company built its first U.S. plant in Minnesota. The plants burn poultry litter, which is manure from chickens or turkeys along with the bedding, usually wood shavings.

"Fibrowatt found out about Montgomery County more than three years ago when a local poultry grower met Fibrowatt officials at a meeting in Delaware, Stevens said, where they told him they were interested in building three plants in North Carolina.

"After talks began, researchers at N.C. State mapped the parts of North Carolina with the heaviest concentration of poultry farms.

"Montgomery, Stanley and Moore counties had the highest concentration in central North Carolina, Stevens said. ..."

(Chickens photo from trainingreference.com)

Quick hits: Good news and bad news about the economy

N.C. keeps 'Top Business Climate' award for fourth year
"North Carolina’s 'business climate' is best in the U.S. for the fourth consecutive year, says Site Selection Magazine.

"The magazine praised Tar Heel policy leaders for the state’s use of incentives, taxes, economic development and work force development in securing new or expanded business opportunities and jobs," says WRAL.com.

"North Carolina has finished first in seven of the past eight years. ..."


Cherokee casino suffers in sour economy
"Brenda Wentz recently made the 2 1/2-hour drive from her home in Lincolnton to try her luck at the machines inside Harrah's Cherokee Casino.

"She brought her 84-year-old mother — who cares nothing about gambling — to see the fall colors and dine at a restaurant in the casino's hotel," writes the Citizen-Times.

"The economy and gas prices didn't keep them away. Instead, it pushed them toward a gambling trip.

" 'It gets our minds off things,' Wentz said.

"Harrah's Cherokee Casino, one of the largest private employers in Western North Carolina, is betting on people like Wentz as it braces for potential losses this year for the first time in its 10-year history. ..."

Things sure are wild in the Smokies

It only takes a few minutes of walking around Asheville on a Saturday night to see that Western North Carolina as some, uh, interesting "species" that are rarely found in other parts of North Carolina. Now a 10-year study confirms that (sorta).

"A 10-year study has found more than 6,000 species of plant and animal life previously unidentified in Great Smoky Mountains National Park," says the Associated Press.

The All Taxa Biodiversity Project also discovered nearly 900 species "that are new to science."

The results of the study were discussed Monday during a Senate subcommittee field hearing in Asheville.

The project began in 1997 to inventory all species in the park that covers more than 800 square miles in the mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee. More than 1,000 scientists have studied species in the park, identifying a total of more than 16,000.

The Port ... of Elkin?

The Associated Press is reporting that officials are studying the possibility of building an inland port ... in the North Carolina mountains.

"Legislators have appropriated $100,000 for a study in which researchers from Western Carolina University will determine the feasibility of a shipping hub for distributing freight to be transported by truck, rail or even air," says the AP.

“It has nothing to do with water,” said Alan Thornburg, a senior policy fellow at Western Carolina. “It’s an inland intermodal facility for the transfer of goods.”

The idea of moving freight inland by truck or rail is being considered in part, to take pressure off traditional seaports as the principal place where freight is transferred because those ports can’t handle the volume.

“Seaports are - this sounds really bad - swamped,” said Michael Smith, a WCU business professor involved with the study. “We’re overwhelming the seaports in a lot of ways.”

In 1970, about 1 million containers a year moved to and from U.S. seaports, said Scott Hercik of the Appalachian Regional Commission. By 2000, that number had grown to about 20 million. By 2020, it is expected to be 50 million.

The commission, which is looking at possibilities for an Appalachian network of inland ports, sees in them a potential economic boon.

An area in northern Virginia surrounding an inland port in Front Royal, the first of its kind, has added more than 7,000 jobs since its creation in the 1980s, said Hercik, a commission adviser. ...

Read the rest of the article here. (Oh, and I just randomly picked Elkin.)

Film festival hopes to shine focus on Western N.C., Asheville

Wilmington may get most of the hype when it comes to North Carolina's viability as a film-making destination, but Western North Carolina more than holds its own. Just think about the films that have been filmed (or partly filmed) in our state's mountains: "Dirty Dancing," "Last of the Mohicans," "Forrest Gump" and also "Nell," among many.

A film festival in Asheville hopes to take advantage of this history.

"Asheville is rich in filmmakers who, because of inexpensive, powerful equipment and a fast Internet connection, can live here as easily as the media metros of Los Angeles and New York," says the Citizen-Times. "Asheville visionaries are trying to make the city a center of digital arts — an effort that gets no small boost this week with the opening of the Asheville Film Festival.

"The festival features a variety of independent films, including features, documentaries, shorts and animation, as well as a student film competition. There are industry panel discussions, studio tours, parties and galas, and free professional development courses. The Asheville Film Festival, now in its fifth year, adds hundreds of people to downtown’s already busy sidewalks, amping up the excitement of pre-holiday season shoppers, art gallery aficionados, and lovers of fine food and drink. Last year’s festival attracted some 8,500 visitors, with a quarter of the people coming from outside the area. Each year, three-quarters of the films sell out. ...

"Festival promoters hope the film festival helps the city make a smooth transition into the lucrative digital arts.

"They already are pretty valuable. The nonprofit arts and culture industry in Buncombe County generates $65 million and 2,192 jobs annually, according to a study by Americans for the Arts, the leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America. The Asheville Hub Project, an ambitious plan to create economies on existing strengths, contends the arts are already one of major engines driving moneymaking in the area.

"The film and video production industry spent about $5 million last year in Western North Carolina — up from $3.5 million the year before, according to Mary Trimarco, director of the WNC Film Commission. Locally last year, crews shot the feature films 'Don’t Fade Away,' 'A Dance for Bethany' and 'Ghost Town: The Movie.' Several film and video production companies have moved or opened in the area in recent years, including 2 Bruce Studio and See No Evil Films, both of Asheville. ..."

Quick hits: Food accolades and fall goings-on

N.C. eateries honored
"... For the second year, the N.C. Department of Agriculture sponsored the 'Best Dish in NC' contest for restaurants that serve products from North Carolina farms, markets and companies," writes the News & Observer. "Last week, before the Paula Deen show at the N.C. State Fair, Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler and Deen handed out the awards to the winners. ..."

Welcome to fall in North Carolina
"Fall is the perfect time to visit North Carolina," says VisitNC.com. "Come for our brilliant fall foliage. Enjoy the refreshing outdoor climate and linger at a scenic overlook with breathtaking views along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Experience the abundant fall fishing at the coast or camp at one of our magnificent state parks.

"Enjoy our unique fall events, from woolly worm races to NASCAR . To help you plan your visit, catch the weekly reports from our leaf watchers across the state bringing you the latest updates on when our leaves are at their most spectacular. Discover unique ways to see the fall color, from a balloon adventure to a rafting trip on the Nantahala.

"The governor has proclaimed October as 'North Carolina Wine and Grape Appreciation Month' so relax and enjoy autumn with a plate of signature NC food and a glass of our delicious NC wine. ..."

Cattle farmers struggling in Western N.C.

The drought -- which is reaching historic proportions in Western North Carolina -- is having a major impact on cattle farmers in the west.

"Cattle farmers in the western region are short 800,000 rolls of hay. One cow can eat 3,000 pounds of hay over the winter, so farmers are scrambling to find an ample supply," says the Associated Press.

"Perry Morrow, a Haywood County cattle farmer, said he's about 170 hay rolls short of the 400 hay rolls he heeds to get through the winter. He has already marked some of his 200 head for sale.

"Still, Morrow said would like to keep as many as is financially feasible. He supports the idea of getting feed alternatives from across the state, but he worries about the cost. ..."

Eldrick planning N.C. golf course

Tiger Woods may be planning to design his first North American golf course in Western North Carolina.

"Woods, the top-ranked player in the world, has signed a contract to develop a course at The Cliffs at High Carolina, off Interstate 40 in Fairview, according to [golf.com]," writes the Asheville Citizen-Times.

"Cliffs Communities sent out invitations last week saying they and Woods would 'present' a press event Aug. 14 but did not give details.

"The news conference will be held at Cliffs Valley in Travelers Rest, S.C. Woods confirmed on Tuesday from the PGA Tournament that he would be at the event. ...

"The course would be Woods’ first design in the United States. His design company is building one in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, that will be ready for play in 2009.

"Woods would be another prominent name involved with golf courses in the Cliffs Communities. Jack Nicklaus designed the Walnut Cove course in Arden and the Keowee Falls course in South Carolina. ..."