Written by AV's Intern Team
AV's Intern Team
Every year, Appalachian Voices is fortunate to assemble a phenomenal team of rockstar interns from numerous Appalachian and East Coast universities. Enjoy these posts from our interns.
Designing Endurance on the Appalachian Trail
Researchers are seeking to protect the Appalachian Trail from growing hiker use and increasingly erratic weather patterns.
Permit Renewal Raises Questions for Radford Arsenal
Air pollution concerns at the Radford Army Ammunition Plant spark a controversy in the New River Valley.
Turn This Town Around
A project to help re-energize small towns is encouraging community-led projects, like the brand-new West Virginia Mine Wars Museum!
Clean Power Plan Comes with Options and Opportunities
The federal Clean Power Plan is moving forward — and many states are moving forward with implementation plans — despite an unfriendly reception from many Appalachian politicians.
A Burning Problem
Students on an Alternative Spring Break tackle the problem of illegal trash fires and their associated health risks.
Solidarity in the Tar Heel State
The communities near Duke Energy’s Belews Creek power plant and coal-ash dump in North Carolina have suffered a long time from water pollution. Now the state is poised to allow the natural gas industry to drill fracking wells nearby. Citizens are saying “enough.” The NAACP announced a civil rights investigation at a recent press conference and took its protest to the state capitol at a “Moral Monday” rally. Appalachian Voices is standing in solidarity with these champions for environmental justice.
Appalachian Crayfish: Canaries in a Coal Mine
Two species of crayfish native to Appalachia are in danger of becoming extinct after years of suffering habitat loss and water quality impacts attributable to mountaintop removal coal mining and other industrial activity. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agency is proposing the species be listed as endangered under federal law. Whether or not they are pushed past the point of no return depends largely on the outcome of a recent proposal by the agency to add them to the federal list of endangered species.
Under Pressure: A Fractured Relationship with Natural Gas
Across the East, fracking for natural gas is advancing in starts and stops — as some states embrace the practice, another bans it, and still more consider the risks and potential rewards of entering the fracking fray.
Digging Under the Surface: West Virginia’s Fracking Boom
Many West Virginia landowners agreed to sever the right to use their land from their rights to the minerals buried beneath the surface long before the onset of fracking technology. Today, fracking operators are using those old leases to bring industrial development to formerly secluded country homes, like the ridge above David Wentz’ house.
