2012 — Issue 3 (June/July)
HIDDEN TREASURES #2 – Georgia
Welcome to part two in our exploration of the most amazing places in the Central and Southern Appalachian Mountains — this time exploring some of our most fabulous Public Lands. Fort Mountain Driving up from the flatlands toward the southern end of the Appalachian Mountain chain in the northwestern corner of Georgia, you can catch…
Read MoreHIDDEN TREASURES #2 – South Carolina
Welcome to part two in our exploration of the most amazing places in the Central and Southern Appalachian Mountains — this time exploring some of our most fabulous Public Lands. Cherokee Foothills National Scenic Highway One way to start your exploration of the little-known mountains in South Carolina is by driving along S.C. Highway 11,…
Read MoreHIDDEN TREASURES #2 – North Carolina
Welcome to part two in our exploration of the most amazing places in the Central and Southern Appalachian Mountains — this time exploring some of our most fabulous Public Lands. Cataloochee Valley Surrounded by 6,000-foot peaks in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Cataloochee Valley is one of the loveliest early settlements…
Read MoreHIDDEN TREASURES #2 – Tennessee
Welcome to part two in our exploration of the most amazing places in the Central and Southern Appalachian Mountains — this time exploring some of our most fabulous Public Lands. Fiery Gizzard Mountain Located in the heart of the South Cumberland Plateau, Fiery Gizzard Mountain remains one of the most pristine landscapes in the Eastern…
Read MoreHIDDEN TREASURES #2 – Kentucky
Welcome to part two in our exploration of the most amazing places in the Central and Southern Appalachian Mountains — this time exploring some of our most fabulous Public Lands. Breaks Interstate Park Approximately 250 million years in the making, Breaks Interstate Park is one of the deepest gorges in the U.S. The centerpiece is…
Read MoreHIDDEN TREASURES #2 – West Virginia
Welcome to part two in our exploration of the most amazing places in the Central and Southern Appalachian Mountains — this time exploring some of our most fabulous Public Lands. Droop Mountain Battlefield State Park Droop Mountain Battlefield, in the Greenbrier River Valley, is home to West Virginia’s last civil war battle scene. A system…
Read MoreHIDDEN TREASURES #2 – Virginia
Welcome to part two in our exploration of the most amazing places in the Central and Southern Appalachian Mountains — this time exploring some of our most fabulous Public Lands. Fort Valley This quaint locale is best described as a “valley within a valley.” Tucked away in the heart of Shenandoah County, Va., Fort Valley…
Read MorePlundering Private Property Rights
By Paige Campbell Half a dozen generations ago, when a coal-mining boom first enticed southwest Virginians to sell the rights to minerals beneath their land, the deal they were making concerned the coal itself. At least, that’s how Virginia’s courts have defined mineral ownership through most of the state’s mining history. But on April 9,…
Read MoreGuardians of our Public Lands
The employees of our state parks, national agencies and conservation organizations are committed to preserving the land we all own and enjoy. The future of our forests, air and water is in their care, and their work to protect our public lands deserves recognition and respect. Taking Community to the Summit By Jesse Wood “He’s…
Read MoreLast Stand for the Southern Spruce-Fir?
Ancient Mountaintop Species Are Most Vulnerable As Appalachia Warms By Molly Moore At the nonprofit park atop northwestern North Carolina’s Grandfather Mountain, Director of Education Jesse Pope surveys the park’s cold-loving plants, keeping an eye out for the brassy Weller’s salamander and small Saw-whet owl, two of the many creatures that depend on the mountain’s…
Read More