The Appalachian Voice: Two Decades and Counting…
In 1997, two men and a mountain of supporters had a vision of a new publication, one that would celebrate the natural and cultural treasures of Appalachia while pulling back the curtain on the secret travesties that ravaged the gloried hillsides and resources. Twenty years later, that publication is still going strong, thanks to our ever-stalwart, and continually growing, mountain of supporters.
To celebrate our 20th anniversary, throughout the year we will be sharing with you glimpses into past issues of The Appalachian Voice.
Celebrating Two Decades and Counting
Current Voice editor Jamie Goodman's brief history of the publication
Cougars: Myth or reality?
Although all but gone from the region since the mid-1900s and officially declared extinct in 2011, sightings of the Eastern mountain lion are reported every year. Are the sightings real? And if so, does the graceful cat still exist in Appalachia, or are they actually Western cousins migrating east? We first reported on the topic in our second ever issue, again in 2001 and 2008, and most recently visited the question in our Feb/March issue of 2016.
Naturalist’s Notebook has been a fixture of The Appalachian Voice since 2001, focusing on the region’s beautiful flora and fauna. In the fall of 2002, we took a look at the scraggly and mysterious witch hazel, long believed to have healing if not magical properties.
[ 2002: “The Spooky, Erie Nature of Witch Hazel” ]
Bouldering
Rock climbing and bouldering have been growing in popularity for years. In our September/October 2010 issue, we looked at how the climbing community is working to reduce their ecological footprint. “We shouldn’t leave things the way we found them, we should leave them better then when we arrive,” said one climber.
[ 2010: “Stewards of the Rock” ]
Hidden Treasures of Appalachia
For the past 20 years, in addition to highlighting environmental problems in our region, The Appalachian Voice has also sought to showcase our magnificent, ancient mountains that people from all over the world come to visit, including three Hidden Treasures special issues. In the June/July 2016 issue, we offered up just a taste of the natural adventures and cultural highlights from our story archives.
[ Various years: Hidden Treasures of Appalachia from the archives ]