Operation Medicine Cabinet: Saving the River and Kids from Drugs

Donna Lisenby, our Upper Watauga Riverkeeper, has teamed up with organizations in Watauga County, NC to offer the first ever prescription drug take-back day on Saturday, October 3 from 9 a.m. to noon. Dubbed Operation Medicine Cabinet, the event is designed to safely dispose of drugs and keep them out of the hands of children…

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Virginia Office Helps The Town of Dendron

To speed the approval process of a proposed 1500-megawatt coal-fired power plant in the small town of Dendron, Va., the Old Dominion Electric Cooperative (ODEC) and the pro-coal Surry County Board of Supervisors presented an ordinance to the Dendron Town Council to have the Surry County Board of Supervisors serve as a planning commission to…

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Appalachian Coalfield Delegation Travels to Colombian Coal Region

(Part 1 of a 3 part series) Story by Sandra Diaz This June, I was fortunate enough to visit the Colombian coalfields with a delegation of people from across the U.S., including citizens from the Kentucky coalfields. The trip was organized by Witness for Peace, a group which sends delegations to bear witness and support…

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On Pilot Mountain

Story by Joe Tennis Ask any fan of “The Andy Griffith Show” what mountain they remember hearing about most, and they’ll say Mount Pilot. Why, Andy Taylor and Barney Fife talked about going to Mount Pilot practically all the time. But where is it? Well, if we assume that Andy Griffith’s hometown of Mount Airy,…

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The Firefly Phenomena

Story by Alison Singer For me, the mystique of fireflies began in childhood. We went outside with our mason jars, captured the beckoning lights with open palms. We held them under our blankets, or sleeping bags, and watched their flickering lights as we faded into sleep. I used to name all the fireflies I caught…

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Letters to the Editor

More News, Less Fluff Dear Editor, A number of years ago while visiting the Southern Appalachians for birding and botanizing, I picked up a copy of your newsletter and I have been an avid reader of it ever since. It has encouraged me to take many trips to the area since, which, of course, helps…

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Unequal Justice in the Coalfields

In the long and troubled history of Appalachia’s coal fields, violence between the industry and its critics in the labor and the environmental movements is not unusual. What needs to be understood now, however, is that the cycle of violence is escalating with the strong encouragement of the coal industry. Just this summer, events caught…

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August/September 2009 issue in PDF format

View the complete issue now! (9.2MB pdf file) TO DOWNLOAD A COPY: PC Users: right-mouse click on the link above and choose SAVE AS or DOWNLOAD LINKED FILE AS… Mac Users: control+click on the link above and choose SAVE AS or DOWNLOAD LINKED FILE AS…

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