The Appalachian Voice
Appalachian Christmas: Reccomended Books and DVDs
WHEN MINERS MARCH is the incredible story of the battles to bring the UMWA and the American Constitution to the West Virginia coal fields. Written back in ‘52 when Blair Mountain hero Bill Blizzard was still alive, this work by his writer/photographer son, William C. Blizzard sat unpublished for over half a century! Pictures and…
Read MoreTilly Wood: Beloved Hostess and Guardian of the Appalachian Trail
In summer, we would always travel the winding country roads past Pearisburg, Va., watching for the dog that chases us those last few feet of pavement, nudging past the cows on the washed out Forest Service road, navigating the ruts, and finally, turning left into Wood’s Hole. Tillie’s warm welcome would always greet us from…
Read MoreHiking the Highlands: Graveyard Fields
Graveyard Fields may not sound scenic, but don’t let the name fool you. This stop along the North Carolina portion of the Blue Ridge Parkway offers not only a chance to splash in a couple of waterfalls. It is also simply pretty, and it provides an environmental history lesson. Graveyard Fields lies between Asheville and…
Read MoreAcross Appalachia: News Briefs
Clean Water Network Gives Wilma Dykeman River Hero Award KNOXVILLE, TN — The Tennessee Clean Water Network gave its Bill Russell River Hero Award to writer Wilma Dykeman this fall. The award honors “those who strive to protect, restore and enhance the watersheds of Tennessee and the communities that depend on them.” Dykeman, one of…
Read MoreWest Virginia’s Vulnerable Isolated Wetlands
/images/AppalachianVoice/AVNov07/Michele-Sabatier_circ.gif West Virginia, for those that have never been there, is deserving of its famous description. Indeed, the Mountain State is wild and wonderful, with varied terrain, unique habitats and pristine streams. A particularly remarkable area is the high elevation plateau located in the northern part of the Monongahela National Forest, just under three hours…
Read MoreThe Roots of Appalachian Christmas Traditions
/images/AppalachianVoice/AVNov07/helga_kvam_circ.gif The first European settlers in Appalachia brought their Christmas traditions to the new world, right along with their hammer dulcimers and their scotch whiskey, from the highlands of Scotland, Ireland, England and Wales. Some of these traditions have gone mainstream, modified and absorbed into generic go-to-the-mall holiday festivities. Some have vanished over the centuries.…
Read MoreChristians for the Mountains: Spreading the Gospel of Stewardship
In the past, Christians and environmentalists often seemed to be in separate camps. Sometimes they were separated by stereotypes, even though most Christians believe in environmental stewardship and most environmentalists are devoutly spiritual. Allen Johnson, founder of Christians For The Mountains, has been working to overcome the problem. Part of it, he feels, is that…
Read MoreNews Briefs
Grammy Award Winning Artist Sees Mountaintop removal First Hand By Sandra Diaz Kathy Mattea’s journey started when she saw Al Gore give his presentation about global warming in January of 2006; the slideshow that is the basis of An Inconvenient Truth. His presentation struck her so profoundly that she decided take action. She signed up…
Read MoreRenewable Energy from Landfill Gas Fires Glassblowing
images/voice_uploads/energy-exchange-8_circle.gif Hand thrown pottery and blown glass have a high aesthetic value, but they also come with a fairly high price tag in terms of energy use and environmental impact. EnergyXchange, an arts incubator project in Yancey County, is working to change that by using landfill gas that would ordinarily be wasted. “It’s a phenomenal…
Read MoreGreat Ideas for Greening Your Campus
images/voice_uploads/tntechStudents_circle.gif Institutions of higher learning have an enormous responsibility to help lead the way towards a more sustainable society, and nothing empowers and interests a university administration more than students committed to a good cause. Your individual efforts can have an enormous impact on a key institution at this moment in history. But what can…
Read More