Matt Wasson

As Appalachian Voices' Director of Programs, Matt has worked on all aspects of the "coal cycle" — from mining, transportation and combustion to the disposal of power plant waste — and is a nationally recognized authority on mountaintop removal coal mining and coal economics. Matt has testified before Congress and appears frequently on expert panels.

Blog Archives

The Appalachian Voice

Flying Friendly Skies Over a Fragile Land

Highland Trials Put Sheep Dogs Through Paces

SHARP-EYED AND WAGGY-TAILED – Border Collies are renowned for their skill and agility – not to mention their enthusiasm – when it comes to herding. A LOVE TRIANGLE FOR THE AGES – The historic relationship between people, dogs and livestock

Having Your Trees and Cutting them Too

Participants in the recent sustainable forestry workshop on the Cumberland Plateau hike through a healthy, native working forest. Photo by Foster Hunt. Forester Clint Trammel advocates an ecologically sensitive brand of forestry that is more concerned with what’s left behind

The Bobcat: Apparition of the Appalachians

Photo courtesy of Terry Spivey, USDA Forest Service, www.forestryimages.org https://appvoices.org/images/AppalachianVoice/AVOct05/Photos/circles/Circle_Bobcat.gif Wild animals appeal to us for various reasons- the freedom of birds, the gracefulness of deer, the majesty of elk, and the strength and danger associated with bears. The fact

Conservationists, Industry Reach Historic Agreement to Protect Forests on the Cumberland Plateau

The practice of converting hardwood forests to pine plantations has long been criticized by scientists and conservationists in the Southeast who maintain that pine monocultures fail to provide adequate habitat for wildlife, fail to protect water quality as a natural

Deer Hunting

Photo of a white-tailed deer courtesy of Scott Bauer, USDA Agricultural Research Service, www.forestryimages.org https://appvoices.org/images/AppalachianVoice/AVOct05/Photos/circles/Circle_Deer.gif As deer hunting seasons throughout the Appalachians get underway, hundreds of thousands will take to the woods and enjoy some of the world’s most beautiful

As the Forests Have Changed, So Have Residents’ Lives

With virtually no laws governing forest practices in Tennessee, timber companies have been free to clearcut hundreds of thousands of acres of native forest on the Cumberland Plateau, replacing them with loblolly pine plantations. Photos courtesy of the Dogwood Alliance.

Sudden Oak Death

images/voice_uploads/Circle_Nursery.gif It’s late afternoon on a beautiful California day near the San Francisco Bay, but the forest floor is dark – almost too dark to take pictures. Giant redwoods tower hundreds of feet overhead, their canopies partially blocked from view

Praying for a Good Predator

images/voice_uploads/Circle_Hemlock.gif It is late spring, a bright afternoon full of the sunshine of approaching summer and I am driving slowly up a graveled fire road approach to the summit of Reddish Knob. This lonesome mountaintop in the George Washington National

For Our Members

Brenda Huggins, Awarded Outstanding Volunteer in Watauga County Appalachian Voices would like to congratulate and thank Brenda Huggins for her dedication and service. She has been honored by the State of North Carolina as an Outstanding Volunteer in Watauga County.

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