Experiencing Appalachia's Past, One Frontier at a Time
History provides a sense of place. Increasingly, communities are building their own place in history, and finding that preserving the past and marketing it to visitors can also provide a boost in the present.
Other Top Stories From Feb/March 2015
Coal Ash Management
The first federal regulations governing the disposal of toxic coal ash passed in December 2014. The rule provides some safeguards, but environmental advocates aren’t reassured. And in North Carolina, more than a year after the Dan River coal ash spill, communities living near the waste are still concerned about the pollution’s effects.
Appalachian Voices Book Club
Appalachia’s triumphs and tragedies, its beauty and mystery, and its people’s tenacity, love and good humor have long been enshrined in fiction. This year, the stories of the region’s struggles with coal are reaching a national audience thanks to two powerful new novels.
Museum Celebrates Birthplace of Country Music
In the 1920s, regional musicians often jammed together in Bristol while waiting for the next train. Those sounds were recorded during the now-famous Bristol Sessions, and now a new museum pays homage to the living legacy of country music.
Families Win Energy Savings
A plastic tube winds through the Dunlaps’ front room to a door covered in red plastic sheeting. It’s the first step in a process to make this drafty home warmer and more efficient through smart investments in air-sealing and insulation.
Feb/March 2015 - Columns
Hiking the Highlands
The “Pinnacles” of Berea
Tucked against the edge of the Cumberland Plateau sits Berea, home to Kentucky’s largest privately managed forest. What’s more, the forest contains a variety of natural landmarks, many of which are accessible to the public through nearly 12 miles of trail networks, including 9 miles that traverse Indian Fort Mountain.
Naturalist’s Notebook
The Lake Sturgeon: Ancient Fish, Modern Recovery
The lake sturgeon is the largest and longest-living freshwater fish native to the southeastern United States. In evolutionary terms, this primitive fish has changed little since it swam among dinosaurs, but its continued survival was in doubt until recently.
Member Spotlight
The Lake Sturgeon: Ancient Fish, Modern Recovery
The lake sturgeon is the largest and longest-living freshwater fish native to the southeastern United States. In evolutionary terms, this primitive fish has changed little since it swam among dinosaurs, but its continued survival was in doubt until recently.
Politics
Energy and Environment Star in First Act of New Congress
The 114th Congress had barely opened its doors when the subject of climate change rolled up to Capitol Hill, unpacked its suitcase, and settled in for what appears to be a long stay in federal politics this year.
Appalachia’s Environmental Votetracker: Feb-March 2015 Issue
See how Appalachian congressional representatives voted on several environmental issues during the first month of the new Congress.
President’s Budget Proposal Includes Boons for Appalachia
Central Appalachian communities weathering coal’s long decline would see a boost in funding under the White House budget released in February.
Across Appalachia
Energy Report