Mountain Ingenuity

Advocates for Kentucky’s Red River are advancing a plan to protect the creeks that feed this iconic waterway.

To protect the golden-winged warbler and cerulean warbler, two conservation programs are working with private landowners.

Scientists engaged in the years-long battle against the devastating white-nose syndrome have found bright spots in the fight to protect the bats.

Scientific analysis of locally grown herbs is helping farmers, entrepreneurs and consumers take advantage of the region’s botanical bounty.

Students on an Alternative Spring Break tackle the problem of illegal trash fires and their associated health risks.

Trailside brochures guide children through educational, nature-based activities.

Groups across Appalachia are training rural healthcare providers and using telemedicine to link specialists to remote areas.

Rural pulmonary rehabilitation helps patients struggling with black lung disease improve their well-being.

Entrepreneurs — and their supporters — believe that jumpstarting the mountain economy begins with investment in local business.

A project to help re-energize small towns is encouraging community-led projects, like the brand-new West Virginia Mine Wars Museum!

From innovative job-training models and worker-owned business to the prospect of federal funding to reinvigorate Appalachia, people across the region are working for a stronger economy.

Financing programs are helping homeowners invest in upgrades that make residences more comfortable while lowering electric bills and reducing a home’s carbon footprint.

Regional schools are finding that solar power and energy efficiency can help reduce electric bills, cut greenhouse gas emissions, and provide a valuable learning opportunity.

Wood thrushes — and their appetite for bright-red ginseng berries — are helping the plant spread its range further north.

An ecologist aims to help identify and preserve tracts of land that are most likely to help species survive in a changing climate.

Researchers are seeking to protect the Appalachian Trail from growing hiker use and increasingly erratic weather patterns.