One of the perks of living in the southern Appalachians is the relative lack of man-eating creatures. Anyone who has endured the mosquitos of Minnesota or the deer flies of Cape Cod knows a personal hell that is unmatched here.…
Monthly Archives: June 2004
Virginia Wilderness Bill Introduced on Earth Day
On Earth Day, 2004, U.S. Represenative Rick Boucher, a Democrat, and U.S. Senator John Warner, a Republican, introduced companion bills in Congress (H.R. 4202 and S. 2342) to create four new wilderness areas and two new national scenic areas on…
Asheville’s Bike Shop Owners
Recreational biking is all the rage in the Southern Appalachians, and for good reason, mountain biking here is among the best in the country. Bicycling for transportation in the cities can be an altogether different story. In Asheville, for instance,…
Mary Anne Hitt Named Executive Director
In May, Mary Anne Hitt was named as the new executive director of Appalachian Voices. Matt Wasson, who had served as executive director since December of 2001, stepped down in May to become the organization’s full time conservation director, a…
Excerpts From Code Red
Hazy Skies Plague Parks, Threaten Human Health Excerpted from Code Red The most noticeable effect of air pollution plaguing many national parks is an unnatural, unsightly haze. Park visitors often experience this gray or brown haze shrouding what should be…
And the Winner Is….
images/voice_uploads/AirQualitySign.gif When Alan Spears recently climbed up the rocky trails of Old Rag Mountain in Virginia’s Shenandoahs, he was hoping for that “forever view” that he remembered from his younger days. He recalled a trip up the mountain in the…
Watershed Events
images/voice_uploads/WatershedCircle.gif The southern Appalachians are blessed with abundant rainfall, an enviable situation to much of the nation. This rain falling on forest ecosystems of the mountains provides our communities with clean drinking water; whether from streams or aquifers, we depend…
The Synchronous Fireflies of Elkmont
images/voice_uploads/FireflyCircle.gif “It’s starting.” “Look.” “It’s beautiful.” A chorus of soft murmurs came from the hundreds of now barely discernable gray figures scattered throughout the clearing. As the blue twilight faded toward darkness and dozens of blinking lights became hundreds –…
West Virginia Accomodates Anglers
images/voice_uploads/FishermanCirc.gif With honor-system-style catch-and-release trophy-fish recognition programs, states in the Southern Appalachian region are allowing anglers to receive a memento of a memorable catch, without killing a fish in the process. Anglers in North Carolina, for instance, can obtain a…
Mountain Camp Thrills and Fulfills
I sat under the hand-notched timbers of a traditional southern Appalachian mid-eighteenth century style barn, dark rain clouds overhead. I listened as a dozen kids described their adventures that week and I admired the handmade medallion necklaces they had just…
