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The Appalachian Voice

Cultivating Communities Through Seed Saving

The University of North Georgia Appalachian Studies Center’s signature project, the Saving Appalachian Gardens and Stories, is a demonstration garden for heirloom seeds and an oral history collection. Photo courtesy Rosann Kent.

Seed saving allows gardeners and farmers to explore new varieties of the plants they grow while forming communities around the practice.

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Researchers Discuss How Climate Change Impacts Health in Rural Mountain Communities

Researchers discussed how climate change will impact health in rural mountain communities during a recent workshop. Spoiler alert: hotter nights, more mosquito- and tick-borne disease, and effects on mental and maternal health.

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The Beast of Bristol: The Landfill Haunting Residents of the Twin Cities

two people in front of a large guitar statue hold signs about the landfill problems

Terrible, persistent smells from the Bristol landfill have put a damper on quality of life for residents of the Twin Cities. Officials acknowledge the problem, but there’s no clear path forward.

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Surviving Winter as a Salamander in Appalachia

A green salamander peeks its head outside its rocky winter retreat.

What do salamanders do when the air turns frigid? UVA-Wise professor Walter Smith has been observing a particular green salamander for 8 years, and shares some of the species’ survival strategies.

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Dreamers: Ice climbing in the Southeast

a man in a red jacket climbs a blue-tinged column of ice under a cloudy sky

Good ice climbing conditions are rare in the Southeast — but when the conditions are ripe, adventurers like Dylan Walton are ready.

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Black Appalachian Coalition Aims to Shift Narrative on Energy, Other Issues

The Black Appalachian Coalition is seeking to amplify the voices of Appalachia’s people of color, whose stories are often left out of policy discussions about energy and other issues in the region.
Bishop Marcia Dinkins, the group’s founder and executive director, recently talked with the Energy News Network about the coalition’s work.

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In a Nutshell: A Native Forage With Potential

Members of the Nutty Buddy Collective are tending orchards and processing locally foraged acorns and black walnuts into food to make the case that native nuts can once again help keep our communities healthy — and foster healthier forests at the same time.

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Align RNG Settlement Spotlights Biogas Plant Regulation

After the first settlement of its kind in North Carolina capping limits on emissions from a biogas plant in Sampson County, environmental advocates hope the agreement sets the stage for stricter statewide regulation of the processing of animal waste from concentrated feeding operations into fuel or biogas.

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North Carolina Seeks Public Comment on Regional Haze Plan

view of a mountain is partially obscured by white haze

As North Carolina develops its 10-year plan to reduce haze in national parks and wilderness areas, conservation and health groups allege that North Carolina and other Southeast states are missing key sources of emissions in their analysis.

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Looming Uncertainty Over Future of Abandoned Mine Land Cleanup

rolling hills with winter trees

Congress has allowed the Abandoned Mine Lands program to expire, and advocates said nationwide on both state and tribal lands, residents face uncertainty over the future of environmental cleanup and economic recovery on lands once used to mine coal.

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