2004 – Issue 2 (April)
Statement of the Spiritual Value of North Carolina’s Wilderness
1. Spiritual Revival is Inherent in Wilderness Wilderness itself worships the Creator. By its very nature it offers a quiet but exuberant praise of God which people should acknowledge. This natural worship gives wilderness inherent worth, presence and value that stretches beyond its potential monetary values from supplying commodities or raw materials When visitors to…
Read MoreA Parting Gift to the Appalachians
Appalachian Voices’ Sustainable Forestry Coordinator, Katie Goslee, recently completed her work with Appalachian Voices and has now moved on to take a job in Washington, DC, with the State and Private Forests branch of the US Forest Service. In her new position, she will continue doing the kind of work she did with Appalachian Voices,…
Read More“Just say NO!” to Toxic Mercury
The following comments by high school student and Appalachian Voices volunteer Sarah Heath Olesiuk were so poignant that we decided to share them with our readers. The comments were delivered at a recent EPA hearing in North Carolina on the Bush Administration’s proposed roll-backs of mercury regulations. “As a teenager, I am constantly bombarded by…
Read MoreWhat’s Good for Health Is Good for Business
John Cooper, owner of the Mast General Stores, and Tom Vallone, President of the Great Outdoor Provision Company, have a lot in common. They are both successful businessmen, each owning seven outdoor-oriented retail stores in the Carolinas, both are supporters of the Appalachian Voices Business League, and both were willing to step up and use…
Read MoreMusic For the Mountains
During the month of April, Falling Mountain Music’s website will feature a song by Appalachian Voices own Associate Executive Director, Mary Anne Hitt, as their MP3 of the month. The song, “The Most Beautiful Place in the World,” is one of thirteen by various artists on the benefit album Moving Mountains: Voices of Appalachia Rise…
Read MoreMoving Mountains
Willie Nelson’s stage manager once called the country music legend “the king of the common man,” so it’s no surprise that Nelson has thrown his support behind a new album entitled Moving Mountains: Voices of Appalachia Rise Up Against Mountaintop Removal. The album features musicians from across Appalachia who have come together to help their…
Read MoreThe Raven: Oracle of the High Peaks
Growing up on the Blue Ridge, I frequently heard the strange call of a bird near the crest of the escarpment. The call had a watery, gargling sound. My grandfather identified the bird as a “rain-crow,” and often planned our farm work in response to the call. He explained that the cry of a rain-crow…
Read MoreThe Real “Chicken Littles”
During the negotiations leading up to the Clean Air Act of 1970, Ford Motor Company issued a warning that the act “could prevent continued production of automobiles,” and “is a threat to the entire American economy and to every person in America.” Similarly, shortly before the Clean Air Act was strengthened in 1990, the National…
Read MoreLeading the Way For Clean Air in the Southeast
images/voice_uploads/ContentsMarshall.gif On a warm, mid-February day of this year, North Carolina Governor Mike Easley joined dignitaries from across the state in Catawba County to witness the groundbreaking of a new “scrubber” at Duke Energy’s Marshall Steam Station. This sophisticated air pollution filter is one of the first new devices put in place as a result…
Read MoreVirginia Introduces Clean Smokestacks Legislation
The 2002 passage of the North Carolina Clean Smokestacks Act has had ripple effects across the South, and one of the latest is the introduction of a Clean Smokestacks bill in the Virginia state legislature. The legislation was modeled after North Carolina’s landmark air pollution law. Richmond Republican Delegate John S. Reid introduced the Virginia…
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