The Appalachian Voice
Regional Report Details Victories, Challenges Over Poverty
A report released in February by the Appalachian Regional Commission, Appalachia Then and Now: Examining Changes to the Appalachian Region Since 1965, examines the impact of improved infrastructure, education and job opportunities across the region. According to the report, Appalachia’s poverty rate dropped from 31 percent to 16.6 percent over the last five decades.
Read MoreNC Forest Plan Delayed Amid Public Confusion
After the U.S. Forest Service encountered heated public outcry in response to the release of a draft management plan for the Pisgah-Nantahala National Forests this past October, the agency revised its goal of creating a final plan from 2016 to early 2017.
Read MoreBustling Streets, Thriving Business: A Shared Vision in Southwest Virginia
Residents and community leaders came together in Dungannon, Va., to launch a new regional project, Hometowns of the Clinch. Participating communities, which currently include Dungannon, Tazewell, Richlands, Honaker, Cleveland, Cedar Bluff and St. Paul, will encourage economic development along the Clinch River — one of the most biodiverse river ecosystems in the United States
Read MoreNew Studies Look at Southeast, Climate Change
Scientists gained new insight into how effectively forests capture carbon dioxide and mitigate climate change, and changing weather patterns may bring more tornadoes to the Southeast.
Read MoreNationwide Cleanup Program Comes to Tennessee River
In its first Tennessee River Tour this spring, Living Lands & Water will travel the length of the river in a colossal vessel made of four garbage barges and a floating classroom.
Read MoreNature: There’s an App for That
Many smartphone applications tend to isolate users, since staring at a screen automatically distracts them from their natural surroundings. However, there are some apps that may actually help to bring users closer to nature — here’s a few to try.
Read MoreKentucky Seeks to Keep Asian Carp In Check
In its first annual report to Congress on invasive Asian carp, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said in February that the aggressive fish are spawning in the Ohio River at Louisville, and have been detected as far upriver as Huntington, W.Va.
Read MoreBy the Numbers
An at-a-glance look at Appalachian environmental and cultural news.
Read MoreObama Orders More Climate Change Mitigation
President Obama signed an executive order in March to address human-caused climate change by cutting federal agencies’ greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent and increasing their renewable energy generation by 30 percent.
Read MoreDOE Pulls Support for “Clean Coal” Plant
Citing a desire to “protect taxpayer interests,” the U.S. Department of Energy announced in February plans to withdraw its $1.1 billion funding commitment to FutureGen 2.0, one of the most high-profile and costly coal-related projects in history.
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