ENVIRONMENT

The trend of keeping chickens in urban and suburban settings is growing throughout the U.S. Here are some examples of backyard chickens in the Charlotte Region. The City of Charlotte and Davidson are two examples of local jurisdictions that allow chickens within specific guidelines. To see Raleigh’s unique designs of backyard chicken coops click here. […]

Despite early February blizzards across the northern U.S. that cancelled flights and upended travel plans, over 1,300 people came to Charlotte last week for the 10th annual New Partners for Smart Growth Conference. About 1,000 of them came from outside the Carolinas, including a dozen or so from outside the U.S. They flocked to the […]

The weeks following deer season are typically busy for taxidermists in the Uwharries. Some hunters might be reluctant to part with several hundred dollars right now, even for a prized buck, but a European or skull mount can often be done for less than half the price of a traditional mount. Billy Adams, head of […]

While walking along the Rocky River one day in Stanly County, I came upon a neat little turtle on the stream banks who had suffered some kind of physical malady, from which he must have recovered a while ago. He had a slight disfigurement of his face, but he had healed nicely, so I placed […]

As I write this article, we’re in the wake of our second major snowstorm this season – several inches of pretty snow capped with an ugly layer of ice. I’m stuck in a condo in Atlanta, negotiating slippery sidewalks with an elderly terrier. My plans to drive up to the Uwharries for the week are […]

The snow at Christmas in 2010 was a rare event in the Uwharries as it was in much of North Carolina. These photos were taken by Ruth Ann Grissom and Watson Ross as they enjoyed the event. Read story related to these photos.

We’ve had some heavy machinery on our land in southern Randolph County the past few months. Rest assured – this earth-moving equipment has NOT been there to prepare the land for a subdivision, fast-food chain or strip mall. It’s part of a wetlands restoration project through the state Ecosystem Enhancement Program (EEP). When streams or […]

Photos chronicling the restoration of a stream through the North Carolina Ecosystem Enhancement Program (EEP). This project, flowing into the Uwharrie River in southern Randolph County, allows water to flow in a slow, meandering path from a breeched pond to the river. The project replaces compromised streams and ditches that had caused silting and water […]

Ask an outdoor enthusiast to name a special natural area in the state and he might mention mountain bogs, Carolina bays or longleaf pine savannas. If pressed to identify one in the piedmont, he might squint and scratch his head and stammer. The piedmont is often described as fragmented, cultivated and compromised. The gentle hills […]

It’s no secret that the Charlotte region has been rapidly growing more urban over the past few decades. Yet despite the record expansion of the urbanized area experienced during economic boom times, private landowners cling to over two million acres of undeveloped land in the Charlotte metropolitan region. Why do these remnants of green persist? […]