With 360-degree vision, bright-colored bodies that sparkle jewel-like in the sun, and acrobatic flight patterns reaching speeds of nearly 35 miles per hour, dragonflies are some of the more glamorous members of the insect world.
But they’re also reservoirs of mystery. In just the past five years, Great Smoky Mountains National Park has added five new species to its list of 101 resident members of the Odonata order, which includes 70 dragonflies as well as 31 species of their cousins, the damselflies. Recent research has revealed that some species of these enigmatic creatures migrate more than 400 miles in their search for suitable breeding grounds.
They’re also an important link in the food chain,” said Becky Nichols, the park’s entomologist. “Other things prey on them, but they prey on smaller things."
This characteristic makes dragonflies invaluable indicators of mercury pollution. In an expansive study underway since 2011, the Dragonfly Mercury Project, a collaboration between the National Park Service and U.S. Geological Survey, has sampled dragonfly larvae at nearly 1,000 sites scattered from the South Pacific to the United States–Canada border, seeking to better understand how mercury contamination affects this varied landscape. But the project started with the cooperation of just four parks in the eastern U.S. — and Great Smoky Mountains National Park was one of them. <More>
The Blue Ridge Parkway is more than just a road: It’s part of the lifeblood of Appalachia. The parkway’s 469 scenic miles encompass 100,000 acres and cross 29 counties between Virginia and North Carolina, representing the region’s cultural and economic backbone.
After Tropical Storm Helene tore through Western North Carolina, washing away the parkway’s trails and beloved stretches of roadway, it felt like a blow to the region, said Superintendent of the Blue Ridge Parkway Tracy Swartout.
“While some people think of [the parkway] as just a road or a right of way, [it’s] definitely more than that. We’re a really important recreational asset and an economic driver for all of our surrounding communities,” Swartout said, speaking to a handful of reporters during a March 28 virtual meeting. “We’re a national historic landmark, and the landscapes, views, trails and treasured areas are significant assets for all of our surrounding communities.”
But as summer approaches, efforts are underway not just to rebuild what is lost but to restore the parkway with resilience that honors its historical, environmental and economic significance. <More>
he EBCI (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians) Public Health Department has announced it has achieved National Public Health Accreditation from the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB). This prestigious recognition signifies the department’s unwavering commitment to providing the highest quality public health services to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians community members. It is the gold standard in public health practice.
“We pursued PHAB accreditation to ensure we are meeting the highest national standards for public health practice while honoring the unique needs of our tribal community, “states Sheena Kanott Lambert, EBCI Public Health Director. “This multi-year journey has strengthened our department’s infrastructure, improved how we deliver services, and deepened our partnerships across the local public health system. I’m incredibly proud of our team for this achievement—but ultimately, this milestone is about our community. As the public health authority for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, our responsibility is to help our people live longer, healthier lives. Accreditation is a powerful step toward that vision.”
PHAB accreditation is a rigorous process that requires health departments to demonstrate that they meet nationally recognized standards of public health practice across 12 domains. These domains encompass essential areas of public health practice. <More>
Each month, the One Feather will provide legislative updates on various pieces of federal legislation of interest to members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
H.R. 226 (Eastern Band of Cherokee Historic Lands Reacquisition Act. This House bill would place 76 acres of land in eastern Tennessee into trust for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Included in that land are the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum, the Chota Memorial, and the Tanasi Memorial sites.
Introduced: Jan. 7 by Rep. Charles J. “Chuck” Fleischmann (R-Tenn.)
Action: This bill was passed in the House by a voice vote on Feb. 4. It was received in the Senate the next day and has been referred to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. There are no scheduled hearings in that Committee for this bill as of press time.
S.761 (Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act). This Senate bill would establish the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies. According to Congress.gov, “Among other duties, the Commission must investigate the impacts and ongoing effects of the Indian Boarding School Policies – federal policies under which American Indian, Alaskan Native, and Native Hawaiian children were forcibly removed from their family homes and placed in boarding schools.”
Introduced: Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska)
Action: This bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. It was “ordered to be reported without amendment favorably” by the Committee on March 5. No further action has been taken on this bill. <More (5)>
- Headquartered in Asheville, the National Centers for Environmental Information faces further staffing cuts after losing 30% of its federal employees since January.
- The cuts sustained thus far are part of wider voluntary resignations, retirements and terminations across the federal government under Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.
- A further reduction in force at NCEI is planned for later this year, according to internal briefing material obtained by the Citizen Times.
ASHEVILLE – After initial rounds of staffing cuts reduced the number of federal employees at the National Centers for Environmental Information earlier this year, more cuts loom for the office that manages climate data critical to disaster preparation and response, according to internal briefing material obtained by the Citizen Times.
NCEI, which is overseen by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has offices in North Carolina, Colorado, Mississippi and Maryland. Headquartered in Asheville, the office manages a massive archive of climate data collected by NOAA scientists, researchers and others.
Since January, according to the briefing material, more than 30% of the NCEI's federal employees have either left or are scheduled to leave their roles as of May 2, reducing staff size from more than 175 employees to approximately 120. <More>
You may have encountered a wombat in various natural or artificial habitats. But have you ever seen a WomBAT?
Short for Women Build Advocacy Team, this group whips up support for the nonprofit Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity’s Women Build program, recruiting fellow volunteers and raising $55,000 to construct the annual Women Build House. It’s one of numerous local Habitat for Humanity efforts that help provide affordable homeownership and home repair programs to qualified low-income residents.
“ The mission of Women Build is for affiliates to recruit, educate and nurture women to build and get into construction, which is typically a pretty male-dominated industry,” says Maddy Alewine, communications specialist for Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity. “It’s to create a comfortable and welcoming space for women, but also people of all genders. You don’t just have to be a woman to build a Woman Build house. Everybody’s welcome.”
Though not exclusive to the Asheville Area Habitat affiliate, the program has proved especially popular on the local level, where it attracts some of the highest volunteer numbers for Habitat house builds each year. The first Women Build house was completed in 1994 and the second in 2007, after which it soon became an annual event. The program’s 21st house will get underway on Thursday, May 22, with a wall-raising event at Habitat’s Glenn Bridge neighborhood in Arden.
<More>
Liisa Andreassen has no experience as a woodworker or visual artist. And she knows nothing about trees.
She isn’t even sure what type of tree she and her husband, John Godts, stumbled upon as they walked through a wooded area near UNC Asheville after Tropical Storm Helene. She just knows that it was massive and that it sparked an idea.
“It looked amazing,” she recalls. “It had been slashed in half and twisted and turned by Helene. My husband said to me, ‘Oh, that looks like this,’ and I said, ‘Oh, it looks like that.’ And that got me thinking: Wouldn’t it be cool if we could create some sort of a trail made from salvaged wood to memorialize the trees and start the healing process?”
From that simple walk emerged Echoes of the Forest, a nonprofit that aims to transform storm-damaged trees into public art and encourage tourism and economic recovery in Western North Carolina, particularly Asheville.
“Like many people after the storm, we were sitting around scratching our heads going, ‘What are we gonna do with all these trees?’” she says. <More>
Enjoy a most unique summer festival in Salisbury, tour Camp Watia, and get grandparents and grandkids together for some fun – it’s all on the calendar this week. Find even more to do on our full monthly calendar of events, plus get tips for teaching your children about money, ways to calm tantrums (and yourself) and much more at wncparent.com.
Following are this week’s listed opportunities for fun and adventure. Click this story’s title for details.
The Cheerwine Festival
Parents and kids are invited to a free Family Bootcamp
Nature Play Day
Musical May Kids’ Night Out
For parents: The Asheville Art Museum
Open house at YMCA Camp Watia
Celebrate Healthy Aging Day
Chimney Rock State Park presents Rockin’ Reptiles and Epic Amphibians
Blue Ghost Firefly Tours
May is Hike On Month
Dollywood’s Flower & Food Festival
Jurassic Adventure
<More>
Thanks for stopping by, I hope you found this collection useful and interesting. If you are living in WNC, I also hope you made it safely through last night’s storm.
“Be safe out there” Lamont Cranston
