By Amber Ellis
Editorial intern, Summer 2014

Read the latest issue of The Appalachian Voice here.

I joined The Appalachian Voice crew at the beginning of June for a summer internship, and the staff immediately had me out getting my feet wet — literally and figuratively. I hopped on the issue just in time to start work on a piece exploring mountain bogs for our Naturalist Notebook page, so dipping my toes into journalism meant getting my boots muddy in some of Appalachia’s most unique ecosystems.

I wasn’t the only young-gun working on this issue, though. In it you’ll also hear from my fellow intern Carvan Craft about ways in which colleges and students across Appalachia are pushing toward environmental sustainability through campus projects and initiatives such as fossil fuel divestment, renewable energy and friendly competitions.

Writer Rachel Ellen Simon also focuses on educational institutions in her profiles of five colleges in Appalachia and the smart ways they save energy.

Interns at the New Beginnings camp meet in the afternoons to plan for upcoming days and discuss how to resolve conflicts between campers. Photo by Kimber Ray

The New Opportunity School for Women and the High Rocks Academy for Girls, however, demonstrate that education is never restricted to the walls of the university. Writer Kimber Ray showcases the numerous ways in which these organizations are revealing educational and economic opportunity for females in rural Appalachia through innovative academic courses, summer camps and training programs.

Also in this issue, Matt Wasson, director of programs for Appalachian Voices, breaks down the recently-published U.S. Geological Survey study on lower fish populations in streams near mountaintop removal mines. Additionally, Eric Chance, water quality specialist for Appalachian Voices, explains selenium pollution and why it is so harmful for our streams, and writer Molly Moore tackles fracking and points to ways in which it is and is not being regulated.

Don’t forget our regular features! Hiking the Highlands presents Camp Creek in West Virginia, a wonderful park to explore in late summer. This issue’s politics page covers states’ reactions to the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed carbon emissions rule and provides a summary of how our representatives voted on environmental issues in the 113th Congress. The Energy Report page covers some hopeful news of the court ruling that favored the EPA on mountaintop removal and the local opposition to a West Virginia surface mine near a state forest. It also covers the unfortunate updates to Kentucky’s coal general permit processes, and the N.C. coal ash bill that is still pending due to the inability of the Senate and House to find a compromise.

Regular readers of our online edition might notice a new format, designed to make years’ worth of quality content more accessible than ever. Read the online version here! Or, if you prefer to read it in print, round off the summer by picking up a copy of The Appalachian Voice from a newsstand near you, or join Appalachian Voices to receive a one-year subscription in your mailbox.