The Appalachian Voice
Sustainability and Conscious Sound: Music on the Mountaintop
By Megan Naylor Moving into its third year, Music on the Mountaintop festival, an event that unites music and environmental consciousness, has swiftly evolved into one of the largest-scale music festivals ever to be held in Boone, N.C. The two-day event will take place August 27 to 28, and will feature headliners Sam Bush, Keller…
Read MoreWhat’s the Buzz About Honey Bees?
By Maureen Halsema Empty hives around the globe have alerted beekeepers and scientists to a crisis: honey bees are disappearing, and no one knows exactly why. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), honey bees are essential for production of over 90 food crops and $15 billion in added crop value. Honey bees…
Read MoreOperation Medicine Cabinet: A Huge Success
By Derek Speranza River conservationists and law enforcement officials collected approximately 188,563 pills and 20.2 gallons of liquid medication during High Country’s second prescription drug take back event on May 22. More than 38 volunteers and 16 law enforcement officials from Watauga and Avery counties participated in Operation Medicine Cabinet, and the amount of drugs…
Read MoreStrong Support at Wind Stakeholders Meeting
Appalachian Voices recently partnered with the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy and Catawba College Center for the Environment to host a successful North Carolina Wind Energy Development Stakeholders meeting. Participants came to the meeting to address concerns about developing wind energy in North Carolina. They represented groups from a variety of interests, including, landowners, county…
Read MoreIn Loving Memory: Sarah Percival
By Austin Hall When I first started as a volunteer at Appalachian Voices, I quickly learned that this was no ordinary organization. The members of the staff and the volunteers function as a family, working feverishly together to right some of the most egregious environmental wrongs in our country. It is this tight knit familial…
Read MoreWhen Tragedy Struck: Reflections on Upper Big Branch Mine
By Daniel A. Hawkins When the tragic explosion of the Massey owned Upper Big Branch mine rocked the small mining community of Montcoal, W.Va., on April 5, 2010, reverberations of sadness and fear echoed throughout the Appalachian Mountains, touching the hearts of nearly everyone laboring in the coal industry. Words could not possibly describe the…
Read MoreLawsuit Puts Bat Concerns on Wind Industry’s Radar
By Marsha W. Johnston Developers say the future for wind energy in Appalachia remains bright despite a federal court decision that has imposed requirements under the Endangered Species Act. In 2009, the Animal Welfare Institute sued to stop a project on Beech Ridge in Greenbrier County, W. Va., which it said posed a threat to…
Read MoreBeware of Muggles: The Quest For the Geocache
Story by Maureen Halsema Space Cadet reads out the clues of the cache. While Zergle decodes the hidden message, Map Man checks the GPS. “We should be right on top of it,” Map Man says. Space Cadet scans the area as Zergle pauses to think. Where could the cacher have hidden the treasure? The hunt…
Read MoreConserving Appalachia: Land Trusts Strive To Protect Natural Areas
By Julie Johnson Thanks to organizations like the Blue Ridge Conservancy, land trusts have protected hundreds of thousands of acres in Appalachia from development—and counting. In North Carolina, the Blue Ridge Conservancy—recently formed from the merger of two existing organizations—has collectively protected over 15,000 acres of rural and scenic land in the northwestern corner of…
Read MoreLearning to “Live Lightly” on The Farm in Summertown
Story by Julie Johnson Home building can be one of the most challenging aspects of a carbon-neutral lifestyle. At the The Farm Ecovillage Training Center in Summertown, Tenn., participants learn how to build and maintain their dwellings in an environmentally friendly way. Traditional stick-frame construction is a cheap and fast way to build, but it…
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