2009 – Issue 5 (Oct/Nov)

By Joe Tennis “In my Tennesse mountain home, life’s as peaceful as a baby’s sight…crickets sing in fields nearby,” sings Dolly Parton. Parton has come back to her Tennessee mountain home to help celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Parton, 63, who grew up in the foothills…

Story by Julie Johnson From the famous mile-high bridge, Grandfather Mountain’s 3,300 acres spread across the landscape, their leafy canopy blanketing a wealth of biodiversity nestled in ridges and valleys. In addition to preserving this exceptional landscape, Grandfather Mountain, Inc., is committed to greening all of its man made attractions. From the solar-powered fudge shop…

Coal-fired Power Threatens to Further Deplete Air Quality Story by Sarah Vig In almost all respects, Great Smoky Mountains (GSM) National Park’s list of attributes reads like a conservationist’s wish list: largest old-growth forest east of the Mississippi, largest spruce fir pine forest, among the most biodiverse ecosystems in North America, most visited national park…

By Maureen Halsema Today there are over 6,600 state parks covering 14 million acres across the nation. Each year, these parks draw millions of visitors across Appalachia. Tennessee State Parks alone average 25 million annual visitors. North Carolina has about 13.4 million visitors; West Virginia attracts about 7.5 million visitors each year; and Virginia brings…

Story by Sarah Vig The Blue Ridge Parkway may be America’s longest national park, measuring out at an impressive 469 miles in length, but it is also its narrowest—the average width of the park’s right-of-way is only 400 feet on either side. In contrast, the viewshed extends more than one mile on either side, more…

By Maureen Halsema A distinctive blue mist settles over the Great Smoky Mountains, winding roads criss-cross the rolling hills of southern Appalachia offering unmatched views from the Blue Ridge Parkway, and visions of autumn colors from Shenandoah’s Skyline Drive take visitors’ breath away. Each of these Appalachian parks will be celebrating its 75th anniversary this…

By Maureen Halsema Southern Appalachia is under attack. Half of the imperiled species in the region are at risk from invasive species. Some particularly damaging species include, the hemlock woolly adelgid, the emerald ash borer, the gypsy moth, the tree-of-heaven, and Japanese stilt grass. The hemlock woolly adelgid threatens the majestic hemlock trees in the…

The Struggle For Conservation Continues Parks and forests seem as American as apple pie and the flag today, so it might be surprising that there was ever any controversy.Yet the early advocates of parks and protected forests were often outraged at the condition of the land that they hoped to protect with a park system.…