Earth Day 2009

Americans celebrated the first nationwide Earth Day 39 years ago, in 1970. Usually we remember such events when they fall on a decade or a century mark, and of course, next year’s 40th anniversary will be on everyone’s calendar. It’s important to remember, however, that by this time 40 years ago, a nationwide Earth Day…

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Test Results from TVA Ash Spill Warn of Serious Environmental Impacts

Story by Sarah Vig A respected team of scientists and water quality experts from North Carolina and Tennessee recently released a report analyzing water, sediment, and fish tissue samples taken near the site of the 1 billion gallon coal ash spill that occurred in Harriman, Tenn. last December. The report’s authors include Upper Watauga Riverkeeper…

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6th Annual Dine Out for the Mountains

April 22 Earth Day event to benefit Appalachian Voices If troubled economic times have meant cutting back on your charitable giving or if you’ve been looking for a good reason to go out to eat, Dine Out for the Mountains has come to the rescue. On Wednesday, April 22, a number of restaurants in the…

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Film Explores Appalachia’s Environment

Story by Linda Coutant A new film about the Appalachia region underscores a universal truth Western Civilization seems to struggle remembering: humanity is part of the environment, not separate from it. Appalachia: A History of Mountains and People airs on PBS four consecutive Thursdays beginning April 9. Produced by award-winning filmmakers Jamie Ross and Ross…

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Scientists Describe Champion Trees of Virginia

Story by Maureen Halsema As I scrambled down the hill along the Appalachian Trail in Craig County, I could see gargantuan branches protruding in every direction. I realized that I had found the Keffer Oak. The massive branches spiraled around this centuries-old tree trunk covered with moss and snow. I stepped over a section of…

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Historic Blair Mountain Battlefield Wins Recognition

Organizers Hope Register Status Will Help Protect The Mountain Story by Peter Slavin The nearly 30-year struggle for federal recognition of the Blair Mountain battlefield in West Virginia, scene of an epic military clash in 1921 between thousands of armed union miners and the coal establishment, climaxed on March 30 with its placement on the…

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