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NC Legislators Introduce Bill to Strip State Funds from Massey
Reps Cite Mining Company’s Lax Safety and Environmental Standards Monday, June 7, 2010 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Contacts: Rep. Pricey Harrison … North Carolina Legislature (D-57) 919-733-5771 … Pricey.Harrison@ncleg.net Austin Hall … Appalachian…
Read MoreSustainability and Conscious Sound: Music on the Mountaintop
By Megan Naylor Moving into its third year, Music on the Mountaintop festival, an event that unites music and environmental consciousness, has swiftly evolved into one of the largest-scale music festivals ever to be held in Boone, N.C. The two-day event will take place August 27 to 28, and will feature headliners Sam Bush, Keller…
Read MoreWhat’s the Buzz About Honey Bees?
By Maureen Halsema Empty hives around the globe have alerted beekeepers and scientists to a crisis: honey bees are disappearing, and no one knows exactly why. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), honey bees are essential for production of over 90 food crops and $15 billion in added crop value. Honey bees…
Read MoreOperation Medicine Cabinet: A Huge Success
By Derek Speranza River conservationists and law enforcement officials collected approximately 188,563 pills and 20.2 gallons of liquid medication during High Country’s second prescription drug take back event on May 22. More than 38 volunteers and 16 law enforcement officials from Watauga and Avery counties participated in Operation Medicine Cabinet, and the amount of drugs…
Read MoreStrong Support at Wind Stakeholders Meeting
Appalachian Voices recently partnered with the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy and Catawba College Center for the Environment to host a successful North Carolina Wind Energy Development Stakeholders meeting. Participants came to the meeting to address concerns about developing wind energy in North Carolina. They represented groups from a variety of interests, including, landowners, county…
Read MoreIn Loving Memory: Sarah Percival
By Austin Hall When I first started as a volunteer at Appalachian Voices, I quickly learned that this was no ordinary organization. The members of the staff and the volunteers function as a family, working feverishly together to right some of the most egregious environmental wrongs in our country. It is this tight knit familial…
Read MoreWhen Tragedy Struck: Reflections on Upper Big Branch Mine
By Daniel A. Hawkins When the tragic explosion of the Massey owned Upper Big Branch mine rocked the small mining community of Montcoal, W.Va., on April 5, 2010, reverberations of sadness and fear echoed throughout the Appalachian Mountains, touching the hearts of nearly everyone laboring in the coal industry. Words could not possibly describe the…
Read MoreLawsuit Puts Bat Concerns on Wind Industry’s Radar
By Marsha W. Johnston Developers say the future for wind energy in Appalachia remains bright despite a federal court decision that has imposed requirements under the Endangered Species Act. In 2009, the Animal Welfare Institute sued to stop a project on Beech Ridge in Greenbrier County, W. Va., which it said posed a threat to…
Read MoreMountaintop Removal Blowing up the Blogosphere
By Megan Naylor Megan is a frequent contributor to The Appalachian Voice publication, and served as Appalachian Voices’ Communications intern during Spring and Fall 2010. Typically blowing things up goes against everything Appalachian Voices stands for, except that is when it comes to the topic of mountaintop removal blowing up across the web pages of…
Read MoreOperation Medicine Cabinet a Huge Success
Law enforcement officials and river conservationists happily collected approximately 188,563 pills and 20.2 gallons of liquid medication during High Country’s second prescription drug take back event on May 22nd. More than 38 volunteers and 16 law enforcement officials from Watauga and Avery counties participated in Operation Medicine Cabinet, and the amount of drugs obtained was…
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