Articles written by David Whitmire
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 32
Despite Dams, Toxaway River Remains Wild
On still nights from my house, I can hear Toxaway Falls at over 1.25 miles away when the river runs full. The Toxaway River is a loud river. In its 9-mile course from its beginning... — Updated 2/15/2021
How Transylvania County Lead The State In Bear Conservation – Transylvania County, NC
I can remember well as my grandfather rushed into the house excitedly saying, "I saw a bear track." He worked for the N.C. Department of Transportation and saw the track off a... — Updated 1/18/2021
Local Fruits Of Winter In Transylvania County
When most of us think of fruit trees or berries in western North Carolina, we usually think apple, pear, plum and other common warm season fruits. Rightly so because that is what... — Updated 12/22/2020
Bow Hunting DuPont State Recreational Forest – Transylvania County, NC
Hunting in general has seen a decline in participation numbers over the last two decades as more people in America live in more urbanized areas. Many people have moved away from... — Updated 11/23/2020
Fighting The Trash Pandemic Locally Makes An Impact
We, as citizens of Transylvania County, should be immensely proud of how we have worked together to keep our county's COVID-19 numbers down this summer. A quick look shows an infect... — Updated 10/26/2020
Fall 2020 Hunting Season Begins In Transylvania County
Every year, early September marks the beginning of the hunting season in North Carolina. Transylvania County has a mixture of both private and public land, where hunters can hunt... — Updated 9/21/2020
Local Partnerships Lead To Habitat Improvement On Local Public Lands
On July 27 at the N.C. Arboretum, Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue met with a few state officials and local conservationists to discuss issues surrounding Pisgah and Nantahala... — Updated 8/17/2020
The French Broad In 2020
No one can deny that 2020 has not been a year of challenges so far. Rivers, like time, are always moving forward, always changing. We as recreation users must adapt to changes and... — Updated 6/1/2020
Lessons Learned From The Dogwoods
Maybe it's just the need for light at the end of the tunnel? Maybe it's just the abundant rain and early start to spring that seemed to hold on with a cooler middle? But I don't... — Updated 4/27/2020
An Overview of Pisgah, Nantahala Forest Plan Draft
By David Whitmire In the Nantahala/Pisgah Forest Proposed Plan Revision, Transylvania County lies within two geographic areas (GAs) – the Pisgah Ledge and the Highland Domes. The proposed plan and draft environmental impact... — Updated 3/30/2020
North Fork Festival Celebrates Whitewater Paddling
Transylvania County is blessed with many iconic locations for a lot of different and diverse outdoor experiences. Within the paddling community itself, several creeks and rivers... — Updated 2/17/2020
Conservation At Risk With Fewer Hunters, Fishermen
Since the 1980s, sportsmen and women, especially in the hunting sports, have been on a participation decline, and the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Council (NCWRC) is working... — Updated 1/13/2020
Wildlife Destination: Cold Mountain Game Lands
Just over the mountain on Highway 215 in Haywood County lies 3,631 acres of NC Wildlife Resource Commission (NCWRC) Land. A relatively new game lands addition, just over 10 years... — Updated 12/17/2019
Whitmire Praises Agreement Between USDA And State
On this past September 25th, the National Forests in North Carolina, including our own Pisgah District received a signed Memorandum of Understanding. This MOU was signed by the Nort... — Updated 11/5/2019
Fall 2019 Monarch Predictions For Transylvania County
Some events in our past stand out as one of those "when and where" moments in life. One for myself was the fall of 1977 on the football field in Rosman. On a clear crisp September a... — Updated 9/23/2019
Canoe Relay Is Still Having Ripple Effects
Creative fundraising is nothing new in Transylvania County. Many local bingo games, bake sales and yard sales address many community and individual needs. Larger-scale events, such... — Updated 8/12/2019
TNRC Tours Prescription Burns In DuPont, Donut Hole
As one of many folks who live in Transylvania and Henderson counties who has watched this relative new state-owned forest take shape and grow, many of us have had concerns. As a... — Updated 5/16/2019
The Transylvania French Broad Stewards Merges With Conserving Carolina And Other Outdoors News
After almost a year of conversation, the final draft of a MOU that puts The Transylvania French Broad Stewards under the hat of Conserving Carolina, is all but complete. In today’s world it seems that mergers, buyouts or all-out... — Updated 4/8/2019
Paddle Through History And The Mountain Lily Jetties
In 1876, after heavy debate, a bill in Congress was passed that appropriated $25,000 dollars to the improvement of the upper French Broad "channel." After being declared navigable,... — Updated 7/16/2018
It's Turkey Hunting Season In N.C.
The second Saturday of April marks the opening of the general turkey-hunting season across the state each year. As one of three of North Carolina's big game species, this majestic... — Updated 4/30/2018
Explore The French Broad Paddle Trail
When you can combine camping and paddling together especially over multi days, life is good. For years one had to travel to other rivers and lakes to enjoy this experience. Today,... — Updated 3/5/2018
Shop Wild And Local
There's nothing like a few weeks of real North Carolina mountain winter weather to bring one's awareness back to necessity mode. As everyone buckles down for a while, just the... — Updated 1/15/2018
The Ruff Study – Still Used In Deer Management
On July 15, 1937 Fredrick J. Ruff submitted his original copy of "The Whitetail Deer of the Pisgah National Game Preserve," thus completing one of the first studies on whitetail... — Updated 9/4/2017
PNF Pre-Draft Plan Released, Public Comments Open Until Sept. 1
The title "pre-draft" may sound a little odd, but that's exactly what was released a couple of weeks back when the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) rolled out the latest in the... — Updated 6/12/2017
Sweepers and Strainers - Oh My! - Brevard, NC
Last weekend's rain was no record breaker, no drought breaker and actually pretty average. Well, average compared to average years. Last year was not an average weather year. Last... — Updated 5/1/2017