2016 — (Feb/March)
Farming and Fracking
How uncertain property rights affect agriculture in West Virginia By Dave Walker This year will be Steve Vortigern and his wife Sunshine’s tenth year of farming in Preston County, W.Va. On 41 acres, they grow more than 40 different varieties of organic vegetables and raise grass-fed beef for local customers at Round Right Farm. In…
Read MoreOwning the Mountains: Appalachia’s history of corporate control
By Elizabeth E. Payne Throughout the history of the United States, Appalachia has attracted the attention of outside investors hoping to profit from the region’s valuable commodities. First timber, then coal and now natural gas are all highly valued. To ensure access to these resources, early investors bought large parcels of land in Appalachia. “By…
Read MoreFracked-gas Pipelines Would Threaten Homes and Dreams
A Tale of Two Families By Cat McCue At the top of Sinking Creek Mountain in western Virginia, where Craig, Giles and Montgomery counties meet, sits a 50-acre parcel of land with views in all directions. To Judy and Steve Hodges, who built their dream home here in 2003, it’s heaven. “We’re from the ‘70s.…
Read MoreThe Hidden Gem of Rocky Fork
This moderately strenuous hike through the mountains of eastern Tennessee follows an old logging trail to the 100-foot Big Falls on Lower Higgens Creek. Several creek crossings and caves mark the remainder of the path to Birchfield Camp Lake.
Read MoreCelebrating Two Decades and Counting…
This year marks the 20th anniversary of The Appalachian Voice. Learn how the newspaper got its start and how the organization, Appalachian Voices, came into being a year later.
Read MoreBlasted: Homeowners near mine seek recourse for property damage
Karen and Jerry Kirk live in a home that they believe was damaged during blasting for a nearby surface mine. Despite years of frustration, they have been unable to get compensation for the damage to their property.
Read MoreSpotlight – Gabrielle Zeiger, Mushroom Expert and Mountain Lover
An amateur mushroom and fungi expert and a stalwart mountain lover, Gabrielle Zeiger has delivered The Appalachian Voice for us for over 16 years.
Read MoreFrom the Archives: With Cougar Sightings Galore, Has the Cat Come Back?
The following story by Nathaniel H. Axtell appeared in the second issue of The Appalachian Voice, Summer 1996. In the years since, we featured articles on the Eastern cougar in 2001 (“Cores, Cougars & Corridors“) and again in 2008 (“Cougars still fascinate Appalachian naturalists“) as well as in smaller newsbites. Our latest article, “Cougars: Ghosts…
Read MoreEnvironmental Votetracker – Feb/March 2016
See how Appalachian congressional representatives voted on several environmental issues in December 2015 and January 2016.
Read MoreMajor Coal Companies File for Bankruptcy
Both Arch Coal and Alpha Natural Resources are undergoing bankruptcy. Alpha was allowed to issue nearly $12 million in executive bonuses, even while it tries to avoid paying some retirees’ life insurance and health benefits.
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