Environment

State and local officials were on hand this week to celebrate the completion of a building that will soon house Sevier County’s new recycling hub. The facility was made possible through a $300,000 Recycling Hub and Spoke Grant from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, which are awarded for the development and expansion of regional facilities to collect, transport ...

Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont are hosting an event on Friday, July 17, 2015 in Cades Cove to mark the return of a 14 year-old Smokies monarch butterfly tag recovered on a forest floor in Mexico. Park and Tremont staff will be joined by Outdoor Educator, Wanda DeWaard, to receive the tag from ...

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is among several organizations launching a campaign to help save monarch butterflies and offering free seed packets to individuals, school groups and organizations that would like to participate in the Save the Monarchs Campaign. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, along with the National Wildlife Federation, Tennessee Wildlife Federation, Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation, Mississippi River ...

Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials announced the completion of an enhancement and restoration project of a 4,613-foot section of Chilogatee Branch and four of its tributaries totaling 744 feet within the park. The streams had been degraded by clearing of riparian forest, channel relocations, and unrestricted livestock access prior to the property’s inclusion in the park. The project was ...

Local beekeepers say a swarm of bees is no sign for alarm. When left alone, the swarm usually poses no threat. However, experts say the bees themselves may be in need of some help. “If you see a swarm of bees clustered on a branch or shrub, please let someone know who can help in their capture,” says Charles Foutch, ...

The City of Sevierville Trees/Trails and Beautification Board will celebrate its 31st year as a TREE CITY USA at 1 p.m. on Friday, May 1, 2015 with an Arbor Day Celebration at the Forks of the River Cemetery Park, corner of East Main Street and Emert Avenue in downtown Sevierville. Parking will be available across the street at Family Dollar ...

It’s that time of year to begin spring cleaning! Keep Sevier Beautiful (KSB) is coordinating an event to encourage residents to clean out their homes and garages and to dispose of their waste properly at the Extreme Household Cleanup Event. On Saturday, April 25, 2015 from 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. at the Sevierville Municipal Complex, KSB will be collecting ...

Great Smoky Mountains National Park fire management officials are planning a 550-acre prescribed burn in the Wash Ridge unit adjacent to Cataloochee Valley in North Carolina. Weather permitting, burn operations could begin as early as Wednesday, March 18th, and may continue intermittently through mid-April. The burn is part of the larger multi-year prescribed fire project where fire managers have been ...

Governor Bill Haslam has designated March 2015 as Keep Tennessee Beautiful (KTnB) Month. In recognition of this honor, as well as the 2015 Great American Cleanup, KTnB along with the Pigeon Forge Hospitality Association and Keep Sevier Beautiful will host the Keep Tennessee Beautiful Month/Paint the State Green Kick-off Event on Thursday. Several representatives from the state are speaking at ...

Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials announced the reopening of Lynn Camp Prong to fishing effective March 6, 2015 following a seven-year native, brook trout restoration project. The reopening of the 8.5 mile-stream sections marks the first time, since the park’s establishment in 1934, that all streams in the park are open to fishing. By preserving a healthy, reproducing population ...