Written by Contributing Writers

AVMountainBorder-frontporch1

Contributing Writers

A green salamander peeks its head outside its rocky winter retreat.

Surviving Winter as a Salamander in Appalachia

What do salamanders do when the air turns frigid? UVA-Wise professor Walter Smith has been observing a particular green salamander for 8 years, and shares some of the species’ survival strategies.

Read More
a man in a red jacket climbs a blue-tinged column of ice under a cloudy sky

Dreamers: Ice climbing in the Southeast

Good ice climbing conditions are rare in the Southeast — but when the conditions are ripe, adventurers like Dylan Walton are ready.

Read More

Building community awareness to solve acid mine drainage: A conversation with DJ Coker

DJ Coker of Duff, Tennessee found acid mine drainage at a nearby pond that used to be part of a coal mining operation. Now, he’s made it his mission to get the site cleaned up and demand accountability from those responsible. Watch DJ’s story.

Read More

Black Appalachian Coalition Aims to Shift Narrative on Energy, Other Issues

The Black Appalachian Coalition is seeking to amplify the voices of Appalachia’s people of color, whose stories are often left out of policy discussions about energy and other issues in the region.
Bishop Marcia Dinkins, the group’s founder and executive director, recently talked with the Energy News Network about the coalition’s work.

Read More

In a Nutshell: A Native Forage With Potential

Members of the Nutty Buddy Collective are tending orchards and processing locally foraged acorns and black walnuts into food to make the case that native nuts can once again help keep our communities healthy — and foster healthier forests at the same time.

Read More

Align RNG Settlement Spotlights Biogas Plant Regulation

After the first settlement of its kind in North Carolina capping limits on emissions from a biogas plant in Sampson County, environmental advocates hope the agreement sets the stage for stricter statewide regulation of the processing of animal waste from concentrated feeding operations into fuel or biogas.

Read More
view of a mountain is partially obscured by white haze

North Carolina Seeks Public Comment on Regional Haze Plan

As North Carolina develops its 10-year plan to reduce haze in national parks and wilderness areas, conservation and health groups allege that North Carolina and other Southeast states are missing key sources of emissions in their analysis.

Read More
rolling hills with winter trees

Looming Uncertainty Over Future of Abandoned Mine Land Cleanup

Congress has allowed the Abandoned Mine Lands program to expire, and advocates said nationwide on both state and tribal lands, residents face uncertainty over the future of environmental cleanup and economic recovery on lands once used to mine coal.

Read More

NC Energy Bill Gets Criticism for Cost, Climate-Change Effectiveness

Industrial consumers, environmental advocates and residential ratepayers in North Carolina have voiced concerns over a new energy bill critics say was created with outsized input from Duke Energy.

Read More

Creating a Future for Coal-Industry Workers in Clean-Energy Economy

Experts say that coal workers will need wage replacement and retraining to successfully transition to a clean energy economy.

Read More