By Amber Ellis On Sept. 13-14 in Abingdon, Va., the Appalachian Spring Initiative will host a regional expo to highlight southwest Virginia’s outdoor recreational opportunities. The initiative, which focuses on community development, has identified eight attractions as pillars of ecotourism…
Monthly Archives: August 2014
Camp Creek: Gateway to West Virginia Wonders
Just two miles away from busy Interstate 77, visitors to West Virginia’s Camp Creek State Park trade the hum of passing traffic for birdsong and the rushing chatter of waterfalls.
National Attention on Pesticides
By Amber Ellis A recent study from the University of California claims that pregnant women living within a mile of farms using popular agricultural pesticides were 60 percent more likely to have a child with developmental delays or autism. And…
Head in Clouds, Feet on Trail: Kentucky’s Cloudsplitter 100
By Amber Ellis Come Oct. 4-5, folks from all over the United States and the world will be arriving in Pine Mountain, Ky. for the state’s first 100-mile race. The Cloudsplitter 100 is endorsed by USA Track & Field as…
Rural Broadband Access Expansion
By Amber Ellis Rural America can look forward to a more connected future because a federal court in May upheld the Federal Communications Commission’s decision to subsidize high-speed Internet service in remote areas. The $4.5 billion initiative previously provided telephone…
New Law Helps Cyclists in Virginia
Bicyclists in Virginia can breathe easier now that the minimum distance for passing motorists has increased from two to three feet. At the time of the law’s passage, Virginia was number 18 on the annual ranking of bicycle friendly states…
Study Shows Steep Decline in Fish Populations Near Mountaintop Removal
A study from researchers at the U.S. Geological Survey published in July provides strong new evidence that mountaintop removal coal mining in Appalachia is devastating downstream fish populations.
TAGS: mountaintop removal coal mining Mountaintop removal health impacts Selenium selenium pollution streams usgs
New Moth Named to Honor Cherokee
The Cherokeea attakullakulla now boasts a name of high distinction. A researcher first described the moth in the 1950s, but it was not until this summer that a team of scientists published a report recognizing it as an unidentified species…
Quarry Opposition in Ky.
By Amber Ellis Citizens in Powell County, Ky., are not taking kindly to the threat of a new rock quarry atop Furnace Mountain courtesy of Red River Materials. More than 150 people discussed their questions and concerns at a public…
The Energy Report Round-Up
By Brian Sewell Dan River Coal Ash Cleanup “Complete” After removing approximately six percent of the coal ash it spilled into the Dan River in February, Duke Energy announced it has “completed cleanup efforts” to remove coal ash from the…
