Threats to Native Fauna: WIld American Ginsing

Black bear parts aren’t the only wild resources in the Blue Ridge being traded on the black market. Virginia’s Operation VIPER also zeroed in on the ginseng trade. As with bear parts, ginseng is also used in traditional Chinese medicine and is believed to provide stress relief, improved mental efficiency, and better stamina. It also purportedly boosts the immune system and regulates the metabolism.

American ginseng has been a commercial product since the early 1700s, and today it is estimated that nearly 65 tons of ginseng are exported each year. Wild ginseng roots can sell for as much as $300 or more per pound.

While it is not illegal to harvest ginseng in Virginia, it is illegal to harvest it on federally protected land. Both Shenandoah National Park and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park have had problems with illegal ginseng collection. In the last decade, 11,000 ginseng roots were harvested within park borders in the Smokies.

“Wild mountain ginseng from the U.S. is considered top of the line,” says Special Agent Kreiling. “Its collection in the park has been a historical problem, and the population has dwindled.” Many of the violators apprehended in Operation VIPER will also be indicted for trading in illegally collected ginseng.

After 20 years, Letcher County prison proposal is still alive, though obstacles remain

A $605 million proposal for a federal prison on a former strip mine site in Letcher County, Kentucky, championed by U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers, refuses to die, despite local opposition, a lack of support from the executive branch and numerous other obstacles.

Hurricane Helene devastated parts of Erwin, Tennessee. Photo by Abby Hassler

The Washout and Rebuild

For nearly two years, residents of Unicoi County, Tennessee, have had to make do without a hospital after Hurricane Helene destroyed the rural hospital. Ballad Health, which owns the hospital, broke ground on a new location — in another floodplain — in August 2026.