The Appalachian Voice
Mary Anne Hitt Named Executive Director
In May, Mary Anne Hitt was named as the new executive director of Appalachian Voices. Matt Wasson, who had served as executive director since December of 2001, stepped down in May to become the organization’s full time conservation director, a position that will better allow him to use his training as an ecologist. Hitt has…
Read MoreAsheville’s Bike Shop Owners
Recreational biking is all the rage in the Southern Appalachians, and for good reason, mountain biking here is among the best in the country. Bicycling for transportation in the cities can be an altogether different story. In Asheville, for instance, daily challenges to commuter cycling may include: a hilly terrain that limits finding alternate bike-friendly…
Read MoreVirginia Wilderness Bill Introduced on Earth Day
On Earth Day, 2004, U.S. Represenative Rick Boucher, a Democrat, and U.S. Senator John Warner, a Republican, introduced companion bills in Congress (H.R. 4202 and S. 2342) to create four new wilderness areas and two new national scenic areas on the Jefferson National Forest in Southwest Virginia. The proposed legislation will also expand five existing…
Read MoreChiggers, Redbugs, Red Mites
One of the perks of living in the southern Appalachians is the relative lack of man-eating creatures. Anyone who has endured the mosquitos of Minnesota or the deer flies of Cape Cod knows a personal hell that is unmatched here. However, in nature’s plan nobody gets off the hook, and we have our own little…
Read MoreThe Raven: Oracle of the High Peaks
Growing up on the Blue Ridge, I frequently heard the strange call of a bird near the crest of the escarpment. The call had a watery, gargling sound. My grandfather identified the bird as a “rain-crow,” and often planned our farm work in response to the call. He explained that the cry of a rain-crow…
Read MoreThe Real “Chicken Littles”
During the negotiations leading up to the Clean Air Act of 1970, Ford Motor Company issued a warning that the act “could prevent continued production of automobiles,” and “is a threat to the entire American economy and to every person in America.” Similarly, shortly before the Clean Air Act was strengthened in 1990, the National…
Read MoreLeading the Way For Clean Air in the Southeast
images/voice_uploads/ContentsMarshall.gif On a warm, mid-February day of this year, North Carolina Governor Mike Easley joined dignitaries from across the state in Catawba County to witness the groundbreaking of a new “scrubber” at Duke Energy’s Marshall Steam Station. This sophisticated air pollution filter is one of the first new devices put in place as a result…
Read MoreVirginia Introduces Clean Smokestacks Legislation
The 2002 passage of the North Carolina Clean Smokestacks Act has had ripple effects across the South, and one of the latest is the introduction of a Clean Smokestacks bill in the Virginia state legislature. The legislation was modeled after North Carolina’s landmark air pollution law. Richmond Republican Delegate John S. Reid introduced the Virginia…
Read MoreBlack Bear Parts in the Blue Ridge
images/voice_uploads/Black-Bear.gif The American black bear is one of the most beloved icons of the southern Appalachian wilderness, and seeing one in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park or in Shenandoah National Park is often listed as a top priority among surveyed visitors. Both national parks as well as the areas that surround them continue to…
Read MoreThreats to Native Fauna: WIld American Ginsing
Black bear parts aren’t the only wild resources in the Blue Ridge being traded on the black market. Virginia’s Operation VIPER also zeroed in on the ginseng trade. As with bear parts, ginseng is also used in traditional Chinese medicine and is believed to provide stress relief, improved mental efficiency, and better stamina. It also…
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