Robert F. Kennedy Joins Appalachian Voices to Celebrate 10th Anniversary and Launch Watauga Riverkee

At a gala event in Blowing Rock, NC, on October 7, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., joined Appalachian Voices to celebrate the organization’s 10th anniversary and announce a new RIVERKEEPER® program to protect the upper Watauga River. Kennedy is a leading environmental advocate who serves as Chief Prosecuting Attorney for the Hudson RIVERKEEPER® and Chairman of…

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Coalition Organizing to Fight Dominion Power Plant

CAMPAIGN AGAINST PROPOSED POWER PLANT AND HOW YOU CAN HELP Dominion Power, Virginia’s largest utility, wants to build a new 585 megawatt, $1.6 billion coal-fired power plant in Southwest Virginia’s Wise County. The new plant would be a major step backwards for Virginia, increasing the state’s dependence on dirty coal and devastating mining practices at…

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Appalachian Christmas: Reccomended Books and DVDs

WHEN MINERS MARCH is the incredible story of the battles to bring the UMWA and the American Constitution to the West Virginia coal fields. Written back in ‘52 when Blair Mountain hero Bill Blizzard was still alive, this work by his writer/photographer son, William C. Blizzard sat unpublished for over half a century! Pictures and…

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Hiking the Highlands: Graveyard Fields

Graveyard Fields may not sound scenic, but don’t let the name fool you. This stop along the North Carolina portion of the Blue Ridge Parkway offers not only a chance to splash in a couple of waterfalls. It is also simply pretty, and it provides an environmental history lesson. Graveyard Fields lies between Asheville and…

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Across Appalachia: News Briefs

Clean Water Network Gives Wilma Dykeman River Hero Award KNOXVILLE, TN — The Tennessee Clean Water Network gave its Bill Russell River Hero Award to writer Wilma Dykeman this fall. The award honors “those who strive to protect, restore and enhance the watersheds of Tennessee and the communities that depend on them.” Dykeman, one of…

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West Virginia’s Vulnerable Isolated Wetlands

/images/AppalachianVoice/AVNov07/Michele-Sabatier_circ.gif West Virginia, for those that have never been there, is deserving of its famous description. Indeed, the Mountain State is wild and wonderful, with varied terrain, unique habitats and pristine streams. A particularly remarkable area is the high elevation plateau located in the northern part of the Monongahela National Forest, just under three hours…

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The Roots of Appalachian Christmas Traditions

/images/AppalachianVoice/AVNov07/helga_kvam_circ.gif The first European settlers in Appalachia brought their Christmas traditions to the new world, right along with their hammer dulcimers and their scotch whiskey, from the highlands of Scotland, Ireland, England and Wales. Some of these traditions have gone mainstream, modified and absorbed into generic go-to-the-mall holiday festivities. Some have vanished over the centuries.…

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Christians for the Mountains: Spreading the Gospel of Stewardship

In the past, Christians and environmentalists often seemed to be in separate camps. Sometimes they were separated by stereotypes, even though most Christians believe in environmental stewardship and most environmentalists are devoutly spiritual. Allen Johnson, founder of Christians For The Mountains, has been working to overcome the problem. Part of it, he feels, is that…

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