Letters to the Editor

More News, Less Fluff Dear Editor, A number of years ago while visiting the Southern Appalachians for birding and botanizing, I picked up a copy of your newsletter and I have been an avid reader of it ever since. It has encouraged me to take many trips to the area since, which, of course, helps…

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Unequal Justice in the Coalfields

In the long and troubled history of Appalachia’s coal fields, violence between the industry and its critics in the labor and the environmental movements is not unusual. What needs to be understood now, however, is that the cycle of violence is escalating with the strong encouragement of the coal industry. Just this summer, events caught…

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August/September 2009 issue in PDF format

View the complete issue now! (9.2MB pdf file) TO DOWNLOAD A COPY: PC Users: right-mouse click on the link above and choose SAVE AS or DOWNLOAD LINKED FILE AS… Mac Users: control+click on the link above and choose SAVE AS or DOWNLOAD LINKED FILE AS…

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A Backyard Vegetable Garden

Story by Kathleen McFadden Talk about a shovel-ready project! Federal legislators may not have had home gardens in mind when they crafted the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to provide funding for ready-to-go infrastructure projects, but First Lady Michelle Obama certainly did. Less than a month after the President signed the legislation, the First Lady…

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Volunteers Put New Trail On The Map

Story and photo by Sarah Vig The Mountains to Sea Trail is halfway home. With over 500 of its 1000 miles completed, the ambitious project is well on its way to spanning the entire length of the state of North Carolina. The Mountains to the Sea Trail (called the MST) owes its start, and continued…

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The Modest Mayapple

Large leaves of the mayapple shelter a single white blossom, which later yields the plant’s fruit. Photo by Rick Mark

Story by Alison Singer What first caught my eye was the tightly wound green bundle atop the stem. They looked like closed umbrellas. “What are those?” I asked, pointing. “It’s Jack-in-the-Pulpit,” my friend told me, and I let the name slide over my tongue. I pictured a preacher clasping his hands in front of his…

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Former Appalachian Voices Director Mary-Anne Hitt Recognized by Alma Mater

Mary Anne Hitt, who served as Appalachian Voices’ Executive Director from spring 2004 until November, 2008, recently received the University of Tennessee’s Notable Woman award. The award, given every year since 1995 by the University of Tennessee Commission for Women, honors “a woman whose accomplishments bring distinction to the university.” Margaret Crawford, who serves as…

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Appalachian Voices’ Attorney Puts Duke CEO Jim Rogers in The Hot Seat

While several dozen people were outside Duke Energy headquarters protesting CEO Jim Rogers’ decision to construct new coal-fired power plants in North Carolina and Indiana, Scott Gollwitzer, Appalachian Voices’ In-house Counsel, was inside asking questions at the annual shareholders’ meeting. When it was his turn, Gollwitzer briefly described the devastating social and environmental impacts of…

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