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Tennessee: New Law Allows Citizens to Comment on Water Permits On June 7, the Tennessee state legislature unanimously passed a bill that will allow citizens to comment on pollution and water quality permits for the first time in 30 years. Prior to the bill’s passage, when a polluter applied for a permit, there was no…

Dear Appalachian Voice I am a woman who’s life yearning is to help, heal, and save the world and its living beings. I pray many hours a day and night for healing of us and the other living beings including plants and animal kingdoms. I yearn to be praying with others-all people to want us…

Alabama: Snails Back from Supposed Extinction The Nature Conservancy of Alabama has reported that three species of snail thought to have been extinct for decades have been spotted in the Coosa and Cahaba rivers in Alabama. Jeff Garner, a biologist and mollusk researcher for the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources stumbled across the…

Dear Appalachian Voices, I recently left the Appalachian region and felt the need to commend you all on your environmental endeavors that protect the vitality of the Appalachians. I am thoroughly impressed with your effort to take action opposing the “Clear Skies Initiative.” Appalachian Voices successfully rallied environmental enthusiasts in a jovial and fun manner.…

West VIrginia: Forest Management Plan Released for Monongahela National Forest The US Forest Service has released a draft of the forest management plan that will guide all activities on West Virginia’s Monongahela National Forest for the next fifteen to twenty years. The proposed plan will triple the amount of logging allowed on the Monongahela, and…

Virginia Tech volunteers plant trees along a stream bank (above). Justin Laughlin, stream restoration biologist, prepares to perform a survey at a potential LIP site. (left) Photos by Kathy Knotts.