The Appalachian Voice
Hemp and Medical Cannabis Make Joint Gains
Industrial hemp could soon be legalized nationally under the 2018 Farm Bill, and Virginia could soon have up to five medical cannabis oil dispensaries in the state.
Read MoreGroups Aim to Reshape Nantahala-Pisgah Plan
Conservationists, recreation enthusiasts, the timber industry and more have played a major part in the U.S. Forest Service’s ongoing effort to make major changes to the Nantahala-Pisgah National Forest Management Plan for the first time since 1994.
Read MoreEnvironmental Votetracker — Aug/Sept 2018 issue
Chart showing how Appalachian legislators voted on recent environmental legislation.
Read MoreNantahala-Pisgah Plan Q&A: Tommy Cabe
Tommy Cabe is the Tribal forest resource specialist for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, and a Tribal member from the Bird Town Community. He is also a member of the Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Partnership, a collaborative group of conservationists, cultural interests, recreational users, timber industry representatives and more who are seeking to shape the revision…
Read MoreNantahala-Pisgah Plan Q&A: John Wilson
John Wilson is a wilderness advocate and documentary filmmaker from Avery County, N.C. His family has been in the tourism business in the North Carolina mountains for over a century. Answers have been edited where needed for clarity and length. Tell me about your relationship with the Pisgah and Nantahala national forests. How do you…
Read MoreNantahala-Pisgah Plan Q&A: Michelle Aldridge
Michelle Aldridge is the U.S. Forest Service’s planning staff officer for the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forest plan revision. Tell me about your relationship with the Pisgah and Nantahala national forests. How do you use these lands? “I’m a forest user just as much as I am an employee. I take my family there, I…
Read MoreNantahala-Pisgah Plan Q&A: Paul Stahlschmidt
Paul Stahlschmidt is a board member of the Northwest North Carolina Mountain Bike Alliance, a nonprofit mountain biking association. Tell me about your relationship with the Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests. How do you use these lands? “I’m a mountain biker, hiker, camper, trail runner, waterfall gawker, swimming hole splasher, and total nature geek.” What…
Read MoreNantahala-Pisgah Plan Q&A: Jim Sitts
Jim Sitts is the Appalachian timber manager with Columbia Forest Products. He is also a member of the Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Partnership, a collaborative group of conservationists, cultural interests, recreational users, timber industry representatives and more who are seeking to shape the revision of the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests’ management plan. Answers have been edited…
Read MoreNantahala-Pisgah Plan Q&A: Megan Sutton
Megan Sutton is the Southern Blue Ridge Program Director for The Nature Conservancy, a nonprofit environmental conservation organization. Sutton is also a member of the Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Partnership, a collaborative group of conservationists, cultural interests, recreational users, timber industry representatives and more who are seeking to shape the revision of the Nantahala and Pisgah national…
Read MoreQ&A with Nantahala-Pisgah Plan Stakeholders
Appalachian Voices asked conservationists, recreational users, a Cherokee tribal member and more what they most want to see from the new Nantahala and Pisgah National Forest Plan.
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