2014 — Issue 4 (Aug/Sept)
The Case of the Shrinking Salamanders
By Amber Ellis This year marked the hottest May and June in global record-keeping history, and it seems like salamanders across Appalachia are withering in the heat. A June study in Global Change Biology found that climate change may be having a negative effect on six Appalachian salamander species. According to the study, spells of…
Read MoreKeeping West Virginia Wild
Lovers of outdoor recreation and stunning scenery can now permanently enjoy expanded public access to the popular Gauley River. The 665 acres in Gauley River National Recreation Area acquired by West Virginia Land Trust this spring includes a gorge once intended for development. According to Brent Bailey, executive director of the land trust, “The importance…
Read MoreSouthwest Virginia is for (Outdoor) Lovers
By Amber Ellis On Sept. 13-14 in Abingdon, Va., the Appalachian Spring Initiative will host a regional expo to highlight southwest Virginia’s outdoor recreational opportunities. The initiative, which focuses on community development, has identified eight attractions as pillars of ecotourism in southwestern Virginia, including the New River, High Knob Recreation Area and the Daniel Boone…
Read MoreCamp Creek: Gateway to West Virginia Wonders
Just two miles away from busy Interstate 77, visitors to West Virginia’s Camp Creek State Park trade the hum of passing traffic for birdsong and the rushing chatter of waterfalls.
Read MoreNational Attention on Pesticides
By Amber Ellis A recent study from the University of California claims that pregnant women living within a mile of farms using popular agricultural pesticides were 60 percent more likely to have a child with developmental delays or autism. And new research indicates that pesticides are also a growing threat to pollinators and, by extension,…
Read MoreHead in Clouds, Feet on Trail: Kentucky’s Cloudsplitter 100
By Amber Ellis Come Oct. 4-5, folks from all over the United States and the world will be arriving in Pine Mountain, Ky. for the state’s first 100-mile race. The Cloudsplitter 100 is endorsed by USA Track & Field as an official mountain, ultra and trail-running championship. There will be accompanying races of 25, 50…
Read MoreRural Broadband Access Expansion
By Amber Ellis Rural America can look forward to a more connected future because a federal court in May upheld the Federal Communications Commission’s decision to subsidize high-speed Internet service in remote areas. The $4.5 billion initiative previously provided telephone service subsidies to only high-cost areas, but the FCC identified broadband access as “a necessity…
Read MoreNew Law Helps Cyclists in Virginia
Bicyclists in Virginia can breathe easier now that the minimum distance for passing motorists has increased from two to three feet. At the time of the law’s passage, Virginia was number 18 on the annual ranking of bicycle friendly states by the League of American Bicyclists.
Read MoreStudy Shows Steep Decline in Fish Populations Near Mountaintop Removal
A study from researchers at the U.S. Geological Survey published in July provides strong new evidence that mountaintop removal coal mining in Appalachia is devastating downstream fish populations.
Read MoreNew Moth Named to Honor Cherokee
The Cherokeea attakullakulla now boasts a name of high distinction. A researcher first described the moth in the 1950s, but it was not until this summer that a team of scientists published a report recognizing it as an unidentified species native to North Carolina and Tennessee. Once a nameless moth drifting through Appalachia, its name…
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