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CURRENT Features

The Astronomer and the Owl

How an excited naturalist and a well-intentioned town came to collide in the night.

Diving In

Tennessee Aquarium’s Natali Rodgers inspires the next wave of conservationists to be part of needed change.

September/October Skywatch: East of the Milky Way Leaps The Dolphin

Following the Summer Triangle in its nightly westward turn, just off the eastern shore of the Milky Way lies a curious group of stars, the constellation Delphinus the dolphin.

Trailblazer Extraordinaire

Josh Shapiro’s dedication to preserving forest footpaths in the Great Smokies is matched by his hopes that others will join the effort.

Pickens, South Carolina: A Town That Knows its Place

Named after Revolutionary War hero General Andrew Pickens and chartered in 1868, the small Upstate city of Pickens is blooming.

Current Issue

Screech owls prefer established cavities for nesting, particularly those in dark places.

The Astronomer and the Owl

How an excited naturalist and a well-intentioned town came to collide in the night.
Natali Rodgers: “I always had a love of water. I would pretend as a kid that I was doing underwater explorations like Jacques Cousteau.”

Diving In

Tennessee Aquarium’s Natali Rodgers inspires the next wave of conservationists to be part of needed change.
skywatch

September/October Skywatch: East of the Milky Way Leaps The Dolphin

Following the Summer Triangle in its nightly westward turn, just off the eastern shore of the Milky Way lies a curious group of stars, the constellation Delphinus the dolphin.
Josh Shapiro: “If you work on a trail and can’t spend enough time on it, you’re just going to come back in a few years.”

Trailblazer Extraordinaire

Josh Shapiro’s dedication to preserving forest footpaths in the Great Smokies is matched by his hopes that others will join the effort.
Table Rock Mountain rises high above Table Rock Lake.

Pickens, South Carolina: A Town That Knows its Place

Named after Revolutionary War hero General Andrew Pickens and chartered in 1868, the small Upstate city of Pickens is blooming.
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Departments

At Coopers Rock State Forest, new Stargazer cabins invite guests to look up through skylights and telescopes.
Country Roads

Even Closer to Almost Heaven

New Stargazer cabins at Coopers Rock State Forest offer a skyward escape in the mountains of West Virginia.

June 29, 2026
©Duncan Seaman
Country Roads

A Mountain Tradition Turns 90 

Visitors flock to Galax, Virginia, each summer for the Old Fiddlers’ Convention, a days-long celebration of Appalachian music.

June 29, 2026
Synchronous Fireflies
Creature Feature

The Light Fantastic

Fireflies are struggling with the effects of artificial light.

June 29, 2026

CALENDAR OF EVENTS