The Appalachian Voice
Draftwood Horse Logging
By Jillian Randel Somewhere on the line between clear-cutting a forest and leaving it untouched lies a practice referred to as modern horse logging. This sustainable form of forestry is simultaneously a kick back to the past and the standard of the future. Horse logging is an evolving industry driven by a close-knit community of…
Read MoreNo Longer A Rural Thing
By Jamie Goodman During the two days that my friend’s first batch of chickens were hatching, she barely left the incubator’s side, even to attend her own housewarming party. Katie Boyette, a fiber artist and kitchen manager at a local company that produces food bars, recently moved with her family to an old farmhouse in…
Read MoreCommunity Kitchens: Taking Food From Farm to Table
By Julie Johnson Jack Fischer had a great idea for a product, but no space in which to make it. “At home, I’d make nut butters out of raw, sprouted almonds and walnuts for my family,” he said. Fischer knew his nut butters were a marketable product, but because of health department regulations and the…
Read MoreThreats to the Land
By Jillian Randel Since large-scale farms of today have replaced the small farms of old, the bucolic nature of farming has given way to more industrialized techniques that may not always be better. Large-scale farming operations pose a huge threat to the health of America’s waterways. A major source of contamination in drinking water is…
Read MoreYour Reading Guide to Living Off the Land
By Meg Holden Do you daydream about living in the forest, hunting and gathering to eat? Would you find peace on a farm, raising chickens and corn? Does your imagination thrive in a back yard garden? Live vicariously through these books, or use them as stepping stones to a new life of sustainability. Some of…
Read MoreThe Art of Mushrooming
By Meg Holden From portabellas and button mushrooms to the more exotic truffles and shiitakes, there’s no “fun guy” like the edible mushroom. These tasty fungi bring flavor to stir fries, burgers, salads and more. But you do not have to go to a restaurant or the grocery store to take advantage of mushrooms—many edible…
Read MoreA Rush of Clean Energy at Pine Root Creek
By Jesse Wood Just as kayakers and farmers love rain during a drought, so does Richard Cobb. “I just constantly hope for rain,” Cobb said. Cobb installed a 5-kilowatt microhydro system on his Mitchell County property in Buladean, N.C. in the late 1990s. Though he is environmentally conscious—green construction is his day job—Cobb’s primary motivation…
Read MoreInside Appalachian Voices
Taking A Stand in the War on Water By Erin Savage Though placid lakes and playful streams seem to say otherwise, a war on water is currently raging in the Appalachian Mountains. Here are just a few of the ways that Appalachian Voices is taking the plunge and combating water pollution. Read more at appvoices.org/waterwatch.…
Read MoreThe Coal Report
Controversy over Coal Jobs, Mercury Poisoning and Liquid Coal By JW Randolph The often slow pace of progress in Washington D.C. hasn’t stopped the Obama Administration—or a divided Congress—from continuing an uproarious debate about coal, carbon and climate in the first half of 2011. In May, a House of Representatives subcommittee held a two part…
Read MoreSeeing the Forests Because We Left The Trees
The region of central and southern Appalachia has more national land of any other region east of the Rockies. The parks and forests of Appalachia bring tourism, and tourism brings tourist dollars which help to boost the economies of our small mountain communities. With 2,193 hiking and biking trails—including 330 miles of the Appalachian Trail—in just the Jefferson and George Washington national forests alone, even the most rabid eco-tourist should have plenty do to for a while.
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