Hellbender Press

“This stuff is going everywhere," Nolt said on a damp morning in early March as he stripped several feet of vines from one trunk. He identified it as English ivy and wintercreeper, which seemed to be growing in tandem on dozens of trees only a stone’s throw from the Baker Creek parking lot. “I first noticed it two years ago,” he explained.

This interpretive sign describing both the Smokies natural haze and the impact of air pollution on the park are among the numerous signs and exhibits targeted for removal from Great Smoky Mountains National Park by a Trump executive order. Save Our Signs This story was originally published by Compass. GATLINBURG — The Trump Administration’s war against “woke” appears poised to extend to Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The Whip-Off is always a high-flying hit with Knoxville Adventure Festival crowds. The weekend of fun is set for May 1-2 at Ijams Nature Center in Knoxville. Smoke Signal Photo KNOXVILLE — The Outlandish Adventure Festival is back at Ijams Nature Center this weekend for a free two-day celebration of the outdoors. The live music, large-scale spectacles, and immersive experiences spread across the trails, quarry, and open spaces make this venue unlike anywhere else.

Dr. Genia Naro-Maciel, Dr. Leonardo Maciel and DLiA intern, Chloe Pryor collect eDNA samples in vernal pools in Cades Cove to study amphibian diversity. Jaimie Matzko GATLINBURG — Discover Life in America (DLiA), nonprofit science partner of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, invites scientists, educators, students, and nature enthusiasts to the 2026 Park Science Colloquium on March 5.

CCA’s toolkit has three major phases: planting seeds, nurturing growth, and deepening roots. The program’s resources cover a wide range of environmental areas like solar power, sustainable transportation and local food. For each subject, there’s information at each of the three phases, depending on where a congregation is in their creation care journey. Lehman received a master’s degree in theology, with a focus on environmental theology, from Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia.

“We need to desperately preserve our natural areas,” said Planning Commissioner and Oak Ridge Mayor Pro Tem James Dodson, who made both motions. Earlier, however, Oak Ridge planner Travis Estep explained that the original plan showed residential development as a possibility for both locations due to the city’s current housing shortage. He said that far more people work in Oak Ridge than live in it, and they use its services without giving the city as much revenue as permanent residents.

Volunteers will be on hand with spotting scopes that allow for an up-close view of not only sandhill cranes but also many waterfowl, bald eagles, songbirds, and possibly a glimpse of the endangered whooping cranes at the refuge at the confluence of the Hiwassee and Tennessee rivers.

Jessica Waller, whose father worked on cleanup of a massive Tennessee Valley Authority coal ash spill, reflects on the effects of his work nearly 20 years after the spill. Benjamin Pounds for Tennessee Lookout This story was originally published by Tennessee Lookout. HARRIMAN — Seventeen years have passed since a massive rupture at a Tennessee Valley Authority plant spilled more than 1.1 billion gallons of coal ash into Harriman, Tenn., but the event is still raw in Jessica Waller’s mind.

The Environmental Journal of Southern Appalachia ONEIDA —An endangered freshwater mussel species in the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area is showing signs of natural population increases for the first time. The tan riffleshell (Epioblasma walkeri) is an endangered mussel found in only a few locations within the Big South Fork of the Cumberland and the upper Clinch rivers.

The second edition of the guidebook was released in 2014. “[This book] is pretty much updating what new has happened in Knox County over that period of time,” said Post, who currently serves as the fundraising chair for the Tennessee Chapter of the Sierra Club.