2004 – Issue 2 (April)
Virginia 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…
Read MoreBlack Bear Parts in the Blue Ridge
images/voice_uploads/Black-Bear.gif The American black bear is one of the most beloved icons of the southern Appalachian wilderness, and seeing one in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park or in Shenandoah National Park is often listed as a top priority among surveyed visitors. Both national parks as well as the areas that surround them continue to…
Read MoreThreats to Native Fauna: WIld American Ginsing
Black bear parts aren’t the only wild resources in the Blue Ridge being traded on the black market. Virginia’s Operation VIPER also zeroed in on the ginseng trade. As with bear parts, ginseng is also used in traditional Chinese medicine and is believed to provide stress relief, improved mental efficiency, and better stamina. It also…
Read MoreModern-Day Moonshiners
images/voice_uploads/ContentsMooshiner.gif Locals know that there is a place, a little bar set up inside a double-wide trailer perched on a hillside far from the main roads in the mountains of east Tennessee, where you can still get moonshine by the shot (in a small plastic Dixie cup) or by the quart jar. The proprietors of…
Read MoreBirds on the Wing
Spring is perhaps the best time of year for watching birds, and, ironically, is one of only a couple times each year one might actually see a Tennessee warbler in Tennessee or a Nashville warbler stop to rest its wings on a WSM transmitter. There is no better time to watch birds than when they…
Read MoreSpirit in the Forest…
images/voice_uploads/ContentsOBN.gif What is the value of wilderness? The answer to this question will, of course, depend on whom you ask. A scientist might discuss the importance of wilderness for maintaining the natural diversity of species, while a business owner might discuss the role of outdoor tourism for the local economy and a real estate broker…
Read MoreStatement 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…
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