Exploring Mountain Bogs

Although mountain bogs represent less than one percent of the southern Appalachian landscape, they are pockets of immense ecological and practical importance and provide a haven for many rare plants and animals.

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Bored to Death

By Amber Ellis Originally from eastern Russia and northeastern Asia, the emerald ash borer found its way to southeastern Michigan through infested cargo ships in 2002 and quickly became North America’s most destructive forest pest. Since then, the invasive beetle has plagued forests in 22 states, including most of Appalachia and, as of June, five…

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New Moth Named to Honor Cherokee

The Cherokeea attakullakulla now boasts a name of high distinction. A researcher first described the moth in the 1950s, but it was not until this summer that a team of scientists published a report recognizing it as an unidentified species native to North Carolina and Tennessee. Once a nameless moth drifting through Appalachia, its name…

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More Than a Market

By Megan Northcote Shopping for fresh, locally grown foods at farmers markets is always a refreshing way to find healthy foods while supporting the community. But in recent years, some farmers markets have transformed from grocery store alternatives to tourist destinations, featuring cooking and artisan demonstrations, hands-on healthy living activities for children, and food and…

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Mobile Market Transforms Tennessee Town With Fresh Food

By Megan Northcote Ten years ago, abandoned grocery carts left near entrances to public housing complexes dotted the rural landscape in Greeneville, Tenn. Lacking public transportation and deterred by hilly terrain, residents were too often discouraged to return their carts to the nearest grocery store after their weekly shopping trip. In 2005, that all changed…

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Progress for Tennessee Wilderness

By Molly Moore Efforts to preserve wild lands in East Tennessee took a step forward this spring when a bill to designate nearly 20,000 acres in the Cherokee National Forest as wilderness passed the Senate Agriculture Committee. First introduced by Tennessee Republican Senators Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker in 2010, the Tennessee Wilderness Act would…

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New Trillium Species Discovered in Eastern Tennessee

By Meredith Warfield When Mark Dunaway and his wife purchased land in eastern Tennessee, they had no idea they would be moving in with an unheard-of species living in their backyard. The couple came across an unfamiliar, yellow-petaled wildflower while on a plant walk along their property one day, and after searching their field guides…

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