AppalaThe chian FREE June/July 2015 Voice

Mountain Ingenuity Citizens Advance Solutions to the Pressing Issues of Our Time

ALSO INSIDE:  Communities at Risk from Mountaintop Removal  Hiking Ohio’s Zaleski State Forest  Don’t Drink the Water! NC Coal Ash Pond Woes Grow FINAL EDITED

TheAppalachianVOICE A publication of A Note from Our Executive Director Environmental News From Around the Region AppalachianVoices Earlier this year, President Obama showed that Appalachian citizens are finally being Public Comment Period on Key Ingredient of RoundUp NC: 171 Grand Blvd., Boone, NC 28607 • 828-262-1500 heard. The White House announced a proposal for more than $1 billion in federal funding La Crosse Virus on the Rise in Appalachia changing their 1996 stance that glyphosate VA: 812 East High Street, Charlottesville, VA 22902 • 434-293-6373 to help build economic resilience for parts of the region long-dominated by the declining and children younger than 16. Symptoms By Laura Marion By Laura Marion was “unlikely to present an acute hazard.” coal industry. While congressional approval would be needed to make this a reality, the usually include nausea and headaches, This May, the U.S. Environmental AppalachianVoices.org | [email protected] A third species of mosquito capable The EPA has classified glyphosate as non- announcement shines a spotlight on what should be a real national priority. although life-threatening conditions can Protection Agency told Reuters news of transmitting the La Crosse encephalitis carcinogenic since 1991. Editor...... Jamie Goodman also develop. agency that it has finished a review of For years, people throughout the region have been calling for renewed investment virus has been discovered in the Ap- The EPA is also scheduled to update the Managing Editor...... Molly Moore The number of reports of La Crosse the health and environmental impacts of in Appalachia, which powered America’s industrial ascendancy for more than a century palachian region, according to a report human health risk assessment for chlorpyri- Associate Editor...... Kimber Ray have steadily increased in Appalachia glyphosate — a chemical used in popular Contributing Editor...... Brian Sewell while suffering from widespread pollution and poverty. published by the U.S Centers for Disease fos, a common insecticide used for agricul- since 2003. The report notes that climate herbicides such as RoundUp — and will Contributing Editor...... Eliza Laubach But citizens are not simply waiting for help. Rather, they are taking bold steps to cre- Control and Prevention. tural and residential pest control. The public change could result in a future rise in the release a preliminary human health risk Distribution Manager...... Lauren Essick Up to 100 cases of the disease are comment period closed this March. Using a ate a positive future for their families. There are many endeavors underway across the amount of mosquitoes carrying the La assessment this July. After this release, Spring Editorial Assistant...... Dac Collins reported each year in the United States. model created by Dow Chemical Company, region, and Appalachian Voices is collaborating with citizens and other organizations to Crosse virus in Appalachia. the EPA will take public comments before Summer Editorial Assistant...... Cody Burchett The disease mainly affects the elderly the producer of chlorpyrifos, the EPA identi- Spring Editorial Assistant...... Lorelei Goff pursue opportunities to diversify the economy while honoring the region’s natural and finalizing the updated regulatory status of fied cause for health concern. Their upcoming Summer Editorial Assistant...... Julia Lindsay the herbicide for the next 15 years. cultural heritage. decision could change label requirements for Summer Editorial Assistant...... Laura Marion Newfound Native American Burial Ground Protected On March 20, the cancer research arm Beginning on page 8, read about how residents of Appalachia are conserving habitat the insecticide and require increased safety Spring Editorial Assistant...... Chris Robey By Julia Lindsay sociate director told The Lane Report “We do of the World Health Organization reclassi- Graphic Design Assistant...... Katie Johnson for imperiled species, providing new opportunities for entrepreneurs, expanding rural recognize this is a sacred, spiritual space.” precautions for agricultural field workers. A largely undisturbed burial mound fied glyphosate as “probably carcinogenic,” Web Design Assistant...... Allison Cook access to healthcare and much more. Deanna Turner, who works at Ohio’s recently discovered in Greenup County, Ky., President Obama identified a suite of ideas in his budget proposal, including fund- famed Serpent Mound, says roughly 10,000 DISTRIBUTION VOLUNTEERS: Alison Auciello, Karen Austin-Clayton, Debbie Bahr, could provide a window into early Native White House Unveils New Plans to Protect Honeybees ing for job training, improved infrastructure, and the restoration of forests, waters and similar mounds existed in the early 20th cen- Heather Baker, Becky Barlow, Aaron Barr, Shawn Becker, Bob Belton, Blue Smoke Coffee, American culture. The 20 feet high by 80 feet would apply to more than 1,000 pesticides. tury tucked away in river valleys, but many By Laura Marion Charlie Bowles, Lynn Brammer, Ben Bristoll, Steve Brooks, Teri Crawford Brown, Derek abandoned mines. These and other tools, if successfully implemented, long mass dates back to the Fort Ancient or Tammy Horn, the Kentucky Depart- Burke, Sarah Smith Caskey, Charlie Chakales, Kim and Shay Clanton, Patty Clemens, were built over, and the threat of develop- The White House unveiled its federal would support the region’s economy and communities. His proposal Woodland periods, which occurred approxi- ment of Agriculture’s state apiarist, notes Darlene Cunningham, Sister Beth Davies, Deborah Deatherage, Finley Dula, Bill Elliott, ment still looms over many sites. A federal honeybee protection plan less than a signals that the White House believes the country must stand behind mately 500 to 2,500 years ago. that Appalachia could be a particularly im- Jakob Elliott, Nels Erickson, Lara Foster, Frank Frey, Charles Garratt, Dave Gilliam, Scott law, enacted in 1990, requires the return of week after the U.S. Department of Agricul- The Archaeological Conservancy plans portant location for bee research due to the Goebel, Lisa Goodpaster, Bruce Gould, Gary Greer, Kelly Griffin, Jed Grubbs, Bill Harris, Appalachian communities as we move toward a 21st-century economy Native American cultural items and remains ture reported that honeybee populations to conduct research on the mound in an region’s biodiversity and historically lower Susan Hazlewood, Sharon Helt, Tim Huntley, Pamela Johnston, Mary K., Denny Keeney, that is no longer dominated by coal. to their respective tribes, but many of these further declined by 40 percent between Allison Keith, Rose Koontz, Frances Lamberts, Susan Lewis, Loy Lilley, Aaron Linas, Debra effort to expand understanding of Native use of agricultural pesticides compared to sites face destruction because the law does April 2014 and April 2015. Locher, Joy Lourie, Diane Lucas, Gail Marney, Mast General Store, Pamela Maynard, Kathy American culture. Promising to utilize non- other parts of the country. Let’s work together to hold him to it. not apply to private land. The agency’s National Strategy to McClory, Kim Greene McClure, Rich McDonough, Mike McKinney, Steve Moeller, Nick invasive research methods, the regional as- The environmental organization Promote the Health of Honey Bees and Mullins, Catherine Murray, Don O’Dell, Rob Osborne, Patti Phelps, Bronwyn Reece, Martin Friends of the Earth has criticized the White Other Pollinators plan will provide funding Richards, Carol Rollman, Kristin Rouse, Jenny Rytel, Debbie Samuels, Steve Scarborough, House plan for failing to restrict neonic- Gerry and Joe Scardo, Frank Schaller, Kathy Selvage, Brian Shults, Brenda Sigmon, Lucy Tennessee Rivers at Risk for research and improvements to seven more aggressive in taking swift, effective otinoid use. Research has linked these Spencer, Jennifer Stertzer, Zach Swick, Robert Thompson, Derrick Von Kundra, Mike Tom Cormons, Executive Director million acres of habitat. The EPA has pro- enforcement action.” widely used insecticides to the decline of Wade, Bill Wasserman, Dean Whitworth, Amy Wickham, Graham Williams, Paishence By Cody Burchett posed a rule that will establish temporary More than 30 percent of Tennessee’s certain pollinator populations such as hon- Williams, Barbara Williamson, Diana Withen, Gabrielle Zeiger, Ray Zimmerman According to a report released this May pesticide bans in some areas when bees surface waterways are impaired by pollu- eybees and monarchs. The plan requires Printed on 100% recycled newsprint, cover 40% recycled paper, all soy-based inks by the nonprofit Tennessee Clean Water are being used for commercial agriculture tion, according to a 2012 assessment by the EPA to expedite their re-evaluation of Network, surface water enforcement actions and certain crops are in bloom. The bans issued by Tennessee state regulators have the U.S Environmental Protection Agency. neonicotinoids. INVOLVED environmental & cultural events See more at appvoices.org/calendar dropped 75 percent since 2008. Among these are portions of the Holston GET and Harpeth Rivers located in northeast Appalachian Voices Webinar Series Marcellus Academy 2015 Dan River Paddle Eolia, Ky. Visit facebook.com/supermoonfest Of the 53 enforcement orders issued last year by the Tennessee Department of and middle Tennessee, both of which were Share your questions and learn more about is- June 27-28: Sessions about Marcellus shale gas July 11, 8:45 a.m. - 2 p.m.: Join Piedmont Land About the Cover Floyd Fest Environment and Conservation, more than listed in this year’s annual America’s Most sues featured in The Appalachian Voice during fracking, such as infrastructure, laws and regula- Conservancy on this scenic river. Bring lunch. Gray’s lily — only found in the Appalachian region of July 22-26: A diverse mix of music and art in a quarter were related to paperwork rather Endangered Rivers report by the nonprofit two July webinars. One will examine fracking tions, and using public databases. Free, dorm Boat rentals $40/kayak, $60/canoe. Shuttle to Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee — blooms the Blue Ridge Mountains. Musicians include than pollution events. The Clean Water American Rivers. The report highlights concerns, and the other, based on this issue of lodging and dinner included; sponsored by the put-in at 1110 Flinchum Rd, Danbury, N.C. RSVP in the early days of summer. This particular flower Emmylou Harris, Grace Potter, and the Drive-By Network concludes that this low number major waterways facing an upcoming the newspaper, will discuss community solu- West Virginia Sierra Club. West Virginia Wesleyan at [email protected] or (336) 691-0088 was discovered on Tennessee’s Roan Mountain by Truckers. Workshops, hiking, healing arts, food of enforcements is not due to a lack of decision this year that could significantly tions. Learn more and register at appvoices. College, Buckhannon, W. Va. Call (304) 698-9628 Johnson City-based photographer James “Russ” Evening Storytelling with Bil Lepp and artisan vendors. Stop by the Appalachian violations, and that TDEC “needs to be impact the river’s health. org/webinars or call Kimber at (828) 262-1500 or visit bit.ly/1OOn5Mz July 16, 7:30 p.m.: Award-winning storyteller. Voices table and say hi! Price varies, generally Hayman of Yazooman Photography. View his work Keepers of the Tradition Exhibit High Country Farm Tour $15. International Center for Storytelling, Jones- $200-300; work exchange available. Floyd, Va. at flickr.com/photos/yazooman June 20, 2 p.m.: Artists’ reception; exhibit June 27: Ashe County, N.C.|July 18: Watauga borough, Tenn. Visit storytellingcenter.net or call Call 888-VA-FESTS or visit floydfest.com By The Numbers By Julia Lindsay on display June 9-30. Portraits and stories County, N.C.: Guided and open house tours and (800) 952-8392 Virginia Highlands Festival Amount of revenue brought into nearby communities by featuring herbalists, farmers, coal miners, activities; local products to purchase. $15/car- Appalachian South Folklife Center July 31-Aug. 9: Arts-and-crafts show, music, $60,572,100 three state parks in southern West Virginia, according to moonshiners and others. Appalachian Arts load, $25/both days; work exchange available. Folk Festival workshops, guided hikes, historic re-enact- the National Park Service Center, Richlands, Va. Call (276) 596-9188 or Sponsored by Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture. July 17-19: 50th anniversary celebration featur- ments, art competitions. Admission varies. Fine that a Henderson County, N.C., dairy owner must pay for visit appalachianartscenter.org Visit farmtour.brwia.org or call (828) 386-1537 $15,000 ing several genres of roots music, dance, work- Abingdon, Va. Call (276) 623-5266 or visit dumping 11,000 gallons of cow waste into the French Broad River Rhododendron Festival Fourth of July Solar-Powered Mu- shops and crafts. $10/day, $25/weekend|$5-7 vahighlandsfestival.org WORKSHOP SERIES 2015 sic Festival camping. Pipestem, W. Va. Call (304) 887-3342 Predicted number of species that could die out due to global climate June 20-21, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.: Gardens in bloom, Clean the Green June 26 Emerging Financial Models and Policy Structures July 3-5: Join Keepers of the Mountains for local or visit folklifefest.com 1 in 6 change, including brook trout endemic to Appalachian streams crafts, music, food and folkway demonstra- Aug. 8: Canoe the Green River and pick up trash Supporting Renewables and Effi ciency tors. Free. Roan Mountain State Park, Tenn. music, artisans, vendors and food. Tent camp- Folkmoot USA with The Nature Conservancy and Kentucky Wa- ing. Free. Stanley Heirs Park, Dorothy, W. Va. ~Join Rory McIlmoil, Appalachian Voices’ Energy Policy Director, Call (423) 772-0190 or visit roanmountain.com July 17-26: International folk festival in Waynes- terways Alliance. Free, lunch provided. Canoes 2,250 Number of animals helped at the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center for this timely CLE that will explore the latest developments in Call (304) 205-0920 or visit ohvec.org/calendar last year, inspiring the organization to expand its facilities Firefly Gathering ville, N.C. and surrounding communities, limited, RSVP. Greensburg, Ky. Call (502) 589- renewables and effi ciency as it relates to federal and state policies, Whippoorwill Festival featuring 200 groups of artists and musicians 8008 or visit kwalliance.org/august-8-clean-green June 25-28: Workshops on homesteading, Species of lichen officially identified and named after a country regulations, incentives, and fi nancing~ July 9-12: Workshops on permaculture, com- from over 100 countries. Often $10-30/event. 1 permaculture and nature. Evening entertain- 35th Annual Heritage Day Festival music legend — Japewiella dollypartoniana Aug 14 Healthy Building Systems: ment and on-site camping. Prices vary, sliding munity organizing and more. Evening music. Call (828) 452-2997 or visit folkmootusa.org Aug. 8, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.: Mountain culture cel- $35-120, camping, breakfast and dinner includ- Energy, Moisture & Materials scale. Barnardsville, N.C. Call (828) 777-8777 Supermoon Music and Arts Festival ebration with music and crafters. Free. Frozen Number of places the new Virginia Treasures campaign hopes to ed; work exchange available. Berea, Ky. Visit For details, registration & more workshops: or visit fireflygathering.org July 18-20: Appalachian roots music and art Head State Park, Tenn. Call (423) 346-3318 or 1,000 conserve by the end of the governor’s term whippoorwillfest.com or call (859) 447-6534 on Pine Mountain. $30-60. Wiley’s Last Resort, visit tnstateparks.com/parks/events/frozen-head energy.appstate.edu [email protected], 828-262-8913 FINAL

Hiking the Highlands Solitude and Discovery at Zaleski State Forest

By Dana Kuhnline Zaleski State Forest

It may not have been my wisest Difficulty: Moderate-Difficult depending on decision to insist that the 10-mile loop at distances Zaleski State Forest was a perfect choice Directions: Set your preferred mapping for a first mountain hike with our new device to Hope Lake State Park. The Zaleski baby. It didn’t help that it was 90 degrees trailhead is about a mile north of Hope Lake on Highway 278. Two hours from Huntington, the first weekend in May. About five W.Va., 1.5 hours from Columbus, Ohio miles in, Baby Josie had me wondering Note: Picking flowers is prohibited, but gath- if we had brought enough diapers. But, ering other wild edibles such as berries, nuts as they say, God looks out for fools and and mushrooms is not During Baby Josie’s first mountain hike, her parents took her children, and luckily we had one of Contact: Call Zaleski State Forest at (877) on a 10-mile loop that wandered by a pond of lily pads, along each! The diapers held out, we made it 247-8733 or visit forestry.ohiodnr.gov/zaleski ridgelines and through pine groves. Photos by Dana Kuhnline back before dark, and the baby didn’t brakeman who once worked the blazes mark the route clearly in both cry until we put her in the carseat for rails in the long-abandoned former directions. Point A starts in a scented the trip home. This gem hosts the 23-mile Zaleski mining town. pine grove before meandering through When my husband and I moved State Forest Backpack Trail resplendent Unfortunately, we didn’t see the swampy bottomland to the first steep from West Virginia to Columbus, Ohio, with wildflowers and local history. Sever- ghostly lanterns mentioned in the hiking climb. Most of the trail wanders along the first thing we did was look up hikes al shorter options, including the 10-mile guide, though we did hear the laughing ridgelines through beautiful mixed in the nearby Appalachian foothills. day loop, are available thanks to side cry of woodpeckers, as well as a number oak forest, with occasional drops to About an hour and a half away in Vin- trails. An interpretive pamphlet shares of songbirds, turkeys and owls. The for- the sunny, flower-filled bottoms, some ton County, the least populated and information on natural features as well est has recovered beautifully from the of which are swampy due to an active most forested county in Ohio, we found as charming historical notes — including time just after the Civil War when the beaver population. Zaleski State Forest, and it immediately the story of the Moonville tunnel ghost, area was strip-logged to feed iron smelt- At my favorite such point, about became a favorite. an ill-fated (and purportedly intoxicated) ing furnaces in the area. Shortly after, the a mile before the second of three back- iron industry moved west and poor soil country campsites, the trail opens up fertility in the hilly area led to a 1930s to a pond full of lily pads which quietly federal buy-out of unproductive small reflects the surrounding hills. It’s a great farms and the beginning of the restora- place to spot the pointed stumps left by tion of the forest. enterprising beavers. Depression-era projects also devel- Our four month old is a bit young oped nearby Hocking Hills State Park, to fully appreciate the effort involved Come In and the most popular state park in Ohio in chewing down a tree, but if you have ® with attractions such as Old Man’s Cave slightly older critters along with you, Smell the Spices! and Ash Cave. Enormous caves and it’s a great learning point. Though it waterfalls are made magical with stone has some challenging ups and downs, bridges, cut passageways and stairwells Zaleski is a good option for beginning Hand-Mixed Spice Blends built by the Civilian Conservation backpackers or for kids. The few miles Gourmet Sea Salts Corps, which the years have blended between campsites and multiple trail op- into the sandstone landscape to create tions — including the short 1.5 mile hike Naturally-Flavored Sugars a view out of The Hobbit. to the first campsite — take the pressure Exotic Teas But if you want to get your boots off mileage goals, and the potable water dirty, walk quiet forested ridges, and stations available at each campsite mean Gifts & Accessories enjoy backpacking dinners of fresh that distance runners and lazy hikers picked chanterelle mushrooms under don’t have to carry as much water. the stars, drive the extra 30 minutes to The first and second campgrounds ® Zaleski State Forest. can fill up on peak summer weekends, The Spice & Tea Exchange Parking for the trail is across from though there is plenty of space for over- 1087 Main Street | Blowing Rock, NC the Hope Furnace, a massive stone rem- flow camping. But even then, the trail itself 828-372-7070 | [email protected] nant of the iron ore industry. To access shows little sign of human traffic, leaving the trailhead, you’ll need to walk south your mind free to identify songbirds, along Highway 278, past the information keep an eye out for pawpaw trees and Purchase our unique Blue Ridge Mountain spice blend, and kiosk and sign-in area. other wild edibles, or meditate on just how we’ll donate 10% of the proceeds to Appalachian Voices! Once on the trail, frequent orange many clean diapers are left in your pack.

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Front Lines Even as Appalachian coal produc- threat are in areas where tion declines, mountaintop removal high-quality metallurgi- coal mining is encroaching on many cal coal is mined using When mountaintop removal communities in the region, according mountaintop removal, par- to an analysis and interactive mapping ticularly far southern West threatened to surround the tiny town tool developed by Appalachian Voices, Virginia. Sixty percent of of Inman, Va., residents pushed back the publisher of The Appalachian Voice. all central Appalachian Appalachian Voices staff identi- surface mining occurred in fied 50 regional communities that they 11 West Virginia counties The map on CommunitiesAtRisk.org By Molly Moore minnows to sell as bait to the coal min- close to four other deemed most at-risk based on proximity in 2014, and the state con- allows users to see how mountaintop At the top of Black Mountain, the ers traveling to and from the mines. But communities. to mountaintop removal mining and the tained nearly half of the 50 removal coal mining has expanded highest point in Kentucky, Highway 160 there are no fish now, and the creek is on Southern Appa- rate at which mining activity has been at-risk communities. toward nearby communities over time. crosses into Virginia and winds between the federal list of impaired waterways. lachian Mountain increasing. Krypton, Ky., Bishop, W.Va., Much of the expand- dozens of scientific papers have Looney Ridge and Ison Rock Ridge. The onset of mountaintop removal Stewards led op- and Roaring Fork, Va. were identified ing surface mining is for linked mountaintop removal to When it reaches a narrow valley, the road mining on Looney Ridge in the early position to the per- as the top three communities at risk, metallurgical coal used human and environmental im- follows Looney Creek through the quiet 2000s changed life in Inman. Blasting mit, and for eight while the three counties that contain the to make steel, as opposed damaged homes and shook pictures years community pacts that range from increased mountain community of Inman, Va. highest number of at-risk communities to thermal coal used in on coal company bankruptcies, mine lay- off the walls, and toxic dust from the members spoke out rates of cancer and birth defects among Inman consists of a tidy park, a are Pike County, Ky., Wise County, Va., power plants. Metallurgical coal is offs and steep declines in coal production mining operations coated cars and against the proposal. people living near these mines, to high well-kept Baptist chapel, several brick and Boone County, W.Va. usually exported overseas, says Ap- since 2012 — the year that production buildings. And then, on an August SAMS member levels of pollutants in downstream water public housing apartments, and a col- Among the findings: palachian Voices Program Director from the Marcellus Shale made natural night in 2004, mine operators widening Judy Needham lives supplies and the disappearance of entire lection of about 50 modest homes. A • Communities where mountaintop Matt Wasson, who developed the gas a more economically viable source of an access road without a permit dis- on the other side of orders of aquatic organisms from mine- forested slope rises steeply on each side Inman Park was built by local residents and “never cost the town a removal mine encroachment is increas- methodology for the web tool. energy than Appalachian coal. lodged a half-ton boulder that crashed Ison Rock Ridge from penny,” says Ben Hooper of Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards. impacted streams. of the narrow valley. ing suffer higher rates of poverty and “The human suffering and environ- Prior to 2012, however, the domi- 649 feet down the mountainside and Inman, in Andover, a Photos by Erin Savage Appalachian Voices developed the Yet behind this “beauty strip” are losing population more than twice as mental destruction from mountaintop nant news story out of the region was into the home of three-year-old Jeremy place she describes as map and identified the 50 communi- sprawls a 3,000-acre mountaintop re- landscapes — and voice their opposition fast as nearby rural communities with no removal mining won’t just disappear as the environmental and human impact Davidson, killing him in his sleep before “a community where families congre- ties most at risk using Google Earth moval coal mine that runs the length of to the Ison Rock permit. mining in the immediate vicinity; America’s aging power plants retire,” of mountaintop removal coal mining stopping at the base of his brother’s bed. gate together.” She and her husband Engine, U.S. Geological Survey data, Inman and beyond, carving the top off “You have to do what’s right, and I • Southwest Virginia had a dis- he says. “It’s incumbent on the Obama and the Obama administration’s efforts The tragedy rallied opponents of have cousins, siblings, grandchildren publicly available satellite imagery, of Black Mountain. feel that the mountains are sacred,” says proportionate concentration of at-risk administration to help revive this region to reduce the impact of the practice. mountaintop removal, and spurred and great-grandchildren in the sur- mining permit databases and mapping “Strip mining was controversial Needham. “If you look how many times communities on the list (20 percent), that has powered the nation’s economic Mountaintop removal is a contro- the formation of Southern Appalachian rounding towns. Her great-grandchil- data and consultation from Skytruth. in the ‘70s here, but it was in no way mountains are in the Bible, they’re sacred. but accounted for only eight percent ascendancy for generations, starting with versial form of large-scale surface coal Mountain Stewards, based in the nearby dren live in the town of Appalachia, at The mapping tool was developed for as destructive as taking the entire top They’re refuge, they’re habitat.” of Central Appalachia’s surface mine ending mountaintop removal mining.” mining that involves using explosives to town of Appalachia, Va. the foot of Ison Rock Ridge. “If [moun- iLoveMountains.org on behalf of The off of mountains,” says Ben Hooper, She notes that while some area resi- coal production in 2014; and Major national news about the Ap- blast the tops off of mountains to access In 2007, A&G Coal Corp., which taintop removal] continues, they will Alliance for Appalachia. Explore the president of the community organiza- dents are unwilling to speak out against • Communities that face the greatest palachian coal mining region has focused thin seams of coal. Over the past six years, owns the Looney Ridge operation, ap- never know of the mountains,” she says. map at CommunitiesAtRisk.org tion Southern Appalachian Mountain mountaintop removal publicly because plied for a permit to mine 1,230 acres on For years, Needham participated Stewards. He was born in an Inman they have relatives whose livelihoods Ison Rock Ridge, located on the other in community meetings and events unpaid safety fines. right now, that we’re not going to have to we have left — be destroyed like Looney coal camp house — the community was are linked to coal, she has received many side of Inman. The mine would come as opposing the permit. She recalls driv- Front Lines In Inman and nearby communi- fight this battle,” Needham says. “I don’t Ridge was,” he says. “The community owned by a coal company until 1976. private words of thanks for her activism. continued from previous page close as 100 yards from the backyards of ing around the area to notify residents ties, Justice’s poor track record has think A&G will ever apply [for a permit now would like to look at helping with When he was a child, Looney Creek Nobody has ever disturbed the “Save many Inman residents, and perilously of an upcoming rally at the Virginia of mined lands are commonplace at contributed to the pollution in Looney here] again because of the way the condi- the recovery on Looney Ridge.” was still full of fish. Kids would gather Ison Rock Ridge” sign that has hung on Department of Environmental Quality operations owned by Jim Justice, the Creek, and has residents such as Hepler tions are for coal right now.” “Most people here grew up without her fence for years, she says with com- office, and the successful effort to bring West Virginia Democratic gubernatorial questioning whether the company will Yet if demand for coal rises, coal [a] voice,” Hooper says of the effort to munity pride evident in her voice. the area’s congressman, Rep. Morgan candidate who owns Southern Coal, the properly reclaim Looney Ridge. But that companies could apply for new mining empower local residents “If you spoke The state initially approved the Ison Griffith, R-Va., to Wise County to show parent company of A&G Coal. same poor record also helped halt the permits on Ison Rock Ridge. against anything that the coal mine Rock permit in 2010, but A&G Coal ran him the proximity of the proposed mine “In the past two years [Justice] has threat of mining on Ison Rock Ridge. “A huge percentage of the land wanted to do you could be sat out in the into trouble for water quality violations to surrounding communities. amassed countless violations in every In 2013, the state of Virginia denied in Wise County is not held by private street, you know, in the old coal camps. and bond issues at some of their exist- Local activists, with the support of single state … West Virginia, Kentucky, the permit for Ison Rock after A&G Coal citizens but actually large landholding But even after that they had so much ing mine operations, including Looney allies from around the region, also visited Tennessee and Virginia,” Hepler says. failed to address their outstanding is- companies, and many of them will lease control that you didn’t speak against the Ridge, that needed to be resolved before congressional representatives and fed- In 2014, three Justice-owned companies sues. Due in part to pressure from local this land out to the coal companies,” says coal mines. And it was just letting people the state would let the Ison Rock Ridge eral agencies in Washington, D.C., to talk in Tennessee received 39 federal cessa- citizens and from the U.S Environmen- Hepler. “The fight’s never going to be know that you really do have a voice.” permit move forward. about their experience with mountaintop tion orders for various environmental tal Protection Agency, the state made completely over as long as [the outside He gestures around Inman Park, a According to Matt Hepler, an Inman removal — the blasting, the dust, the lost and road maintenance violations, and a final decision to deny the permit in companies are] owning this land.” welcoming space built by local residents, resident who works with SAMS, water a 2014 investigation by NPR and Mine March 2015. A&G Coal exhausted its Ben Hooper says the group will as an example of the area’s can-do atti- The 3,000-acre mountaintop removal coal mine quality concerns and poor reclamation on Looney Ridge stops just 300 feet from the and Safety Health News found that appeal options in April 2015. stay vigilant. “We’re just not going to let tude. “We can do good things,” he says, yards of Inman residents. Photo by Erin Savage continued on next page Justice owed more than $2 million in “It is such a relief, to know that, for another ridge — and one of the few that “but we need the opportunity.”

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Appalachia has its scars along with its beauty, its struggles along In Defense of Food Security with its triumphs. But mountain Veterans in Agriculture people are resourceful, and By Eliza Laubach grow food, but they’re [also] becoming M untain across the region citizens are Mike Lewis, a U.S. Army veteran community leaders.” making strides toward a better Lewis believes that to change the tomorrow — one that builds on from Kentucky, came across this statistic while working on food security issues: economic landscape of Appalachia, the strength of our past while Ingenuity more than 1 million veterans and ac- more focus on agriculture is needed. sustaining healthy environments Veteran Logan Nance, director of operations at Growing tive duty military personnel receive That ideal is epitomized in William- and communities today. son, W.Va., where a reclaimed surface Warriors, plants in a raised bed with a community aid from the Supplemental Nutritional member. Photo courtesy of Growing Warriors In this issue, read about the Assistance Program, or food stamps. mine site is the future location of a new In this section: Growing Warriors chapter. Knowing this, and also that more individuals, organizations and new West Virginia Veterans to Agriculture ship to veterans, who receive a discount, 8 Agriculture 13 Health than 70 percent of the nation’s military Jason Linkenholder began orga- communities that are working program, which created an educational and civilians. Members collectively grow 10 Natural Resources 14 Economic Revitalization come from rural America, inspired nizing this new chapter with fellow together to address the pressing farm in Lakin, W.Va., to offer agricultural and harvest on a quarter-acre garden Lewis to create Growing Warriors, an veterans in the Williamson Community 12 Environmental 17 Clean Energy issues of our time. training. The same initiative provided plot, which John maintains full-time. incubator for connecting veterans to Gardens, where six veterans are growing Awareness 19 Climate Change beekeeping equipment and supplies for This year, 13 veterans and 16 civilians agriculture. Most Growing Warriors food and selling excess produce to local 48 veterans to start their own hives. Back- and their families are participating. “It’s projects employ a community garden restaurants and at the farmers market. yard Victory Gardens, a program funded important to have the mix because part of model, where staff, who have all served Linkenholder intends to grow hemp, by Grow Appalachia — which addresses the purpose is to transition veterans back New Website Maps Culinary Delights in Appachia Certification for Ethically- themselves, invite veterans to cultivate vegetables, fruit and poultry on the three-acre plot at the reclaimed mine site, food security out of Berea College — pro- into civilian community,” says Nicole. By Julia Lindsay One of the featured restaurants, IvyWild of Sewanee, vegetables, community and self-reliance Produced Ginseng following a few years of soil remediation. vides support and training for 10 veteran A $35,000 grant from the Entrepre- Tenn., serves a cornbread flan — a hybrid of Ap- as they transition to civilian life. Lewis The Appalachian Regional Commission aims to A high school also sits atop the barren families growing home gardens. neurship Boot-Camp for Veterans, which palachian and European comfort food traditions. Launches oversees seven projects across Kentucky nourish the nation’s growing grassroots movement land, and Linkenholder’s vision includes In Kentucky, produce or value-add- the founders attended last year, has al- The restaurant’s popularity is just one example of and West Virginia, and his brother, a with an initiative to market food culture. Last year, By Eliza Laubach engaging high school students alongside ed goods grown by farming veterans lowed the Mahshies to expand their scope. the region’s local food culture and developing agri- combat veteran, operates a training farm the ARC published a map in Food Traveler magazine, A coveted me- local veterans in farming. are recognized under the Homegrown They bought two shipping containers, one tourism market, which the ARC hopes to showcase in Rockcastle County, Ky in collabora- titled Bon Appétit Appalachia!, to allow tourists to eat dicinal plant of the A lot of the veterans Linkenholder by Heroes label. Kentucky Proud, out outfitted to be a bunkhouse and the other through the Bon Appétit project. tion with Growing Warriors. their way through the Appalachian region’s 13 states, Appalachian moun- encounters have minor to severe post- of the Kentucky Department of Agri- to be a kitchen and pantry, so that they In a promotional video, Bob Jenkins, associate tains, wild American “It’s a different type of defense of spotlighting culinary experiences from farmers mar- traumatic stress disorder from their time culture, manages the label as well as may hold extended workshop retreats publisher of American Heritage Magazine, stresses ginseng populations the land, caring and nurturing [it],” says kets to breweries. Focusing on sustainability as well in the service. “Working with the PTSD, the Jobs for Vets program, which places on sustainable, healthy living skills for the map’s role in highlighting the region’s progres- are at risk. Two states Lewis. “We’re teaching [the vet- as economic development, the ARC picked 283 out of working with soil, it’s very therapeutic,” veterans in agricultural jobs. veterans from across the country. sive trends. “We love the fact that … with this map have listed the plant erans] how to 900 nominees based on the establishments’ dedication as endangered, says Linkenholder. The Veterans Healing Farm in Hen- The grant also allows the Mah- guide in their hand [people will] see that this is not American ginseng, Panax cinquefolium, to serving local, seasonal food and beverages. while eight others dersonville, N.C., founded by U.S. Air shies to take a salary from their farm, is native to the eastern and midwestern Last year, the West Vir- your grandmother’s Appalachia.” Peggy White of the also place legal limits As interest in unique cuisine grows, the ARC United States. Photo by Eric Burkhart ginia Department of Ag- Force veteran John Mahshie and his wife actualizing these entrepreneurs’ dream hopes to encourage exposure to Appalachian food, Pulaski County, Va. Chamber of Commerce credits the to protect the plant. Nicole, offers a community farm member- project into a career. Sometimes called Grandfather Ginseng, most of the riculture launched the which boasts a rich heritage in what a Wall Street program for bringing national attention to a Virginia farmers market, The Marketplace, which subsequently herbs’ roots harvested in Appalachia are shipped to China, Journal article describes as “one of the most agricul- according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In Asia, the was awarded a $57,000 U.S. Department of Agricul- turally abundant areas in the U.S.” native ginseng is famed, farmed and over-harvested as well, “[Our regional food] is not commercially avail- ture Farmer’s Market Promotion grant. for its reputed benefit to the immune and nervous systems able,” says Susan Owen, a farm owner in Boone, N.C. Bon Appétit Appalachia!’s launch has spawned and improved mental and physical strength. To discourage ginseng poachers and maintain a “You can’t go to the grocery store and buy a ramp.” an official Kentucky culinary tourism website, which healthy wild population of American ginseng, Pennsylvania However, it’s not all turnip greens and biscuits. can be found at KentuckyCuisine.com. Check out Bon Appétit Appalachia! at visitappalachia.com Certified Organic, a national organic certifying company, has teamed up with United Plant Savers, a nonprofit dedicated Online Shopping: A Farmer’s Market to protecting at-risk and endangered medicinal plants. To- gether they have created a set of guidelines for sustainable The Monroe Farm Market, an like, the quantity of those products, cultivation and harvest of forest-grown native plants. They online farmers market in southeast- and even to choose which farm they started with American ginseng and established a fund to ern West Virginia, works with 51 local would prefer the products come from. help the first eight farmers through the application process. farms to post their products in an After purchasing, customers can pick Participants will bear a Forest-grown seal on their online store, allowing customers to up their goods at one of four pickup ginseng products, giving consumers the option of purchas- buy all of these products from one lo- locations in Monroe County, W. Va. ing sustainably farmed ginseng. Adam Seitz, certification cation. Through their website, Monroe The Monroe Farm Market uses specialist at PCO, said the program intends to involve Farm Market sells produce, live plants, the technology of the Local Food farmers and those who process ginseng into medicine. Six locally made crafts, meats, honey, Marketplace, a national network of producers and processors have applied this spring. dairy and baked goods. farmers and markets with several or- PCO is developing sustainable cultivation guidelines What started in 2006 as a spread- ganizers in the Appalachian region, for other at-risk plants native to Appalachia, such as black sheet emailed between a group of including West Virginia, Virginia, cohosh, goldenseal and ramps. Seitz intends to expand locals, farms and a market manager and North Carolina. The interactive map on Bon Appetit Appalachia!’s website allows the forest-grown certification program to include these and has evolved into an online shopping For more information, visit: local- users to search by keyword, category and state. The site also lists other medicinal plants from across the country. center that allows customers to more foodmarketplace.com/monroe resources to learn more about sustainable agriculture in Appalachia. To learn more, visit paorganic.org easily pick which products they would – By Laura Marion

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M ountain Ingenuity // NATURAL RESOURCES M ountain Ingenuity // NATURAL RESOURCES Healing the Red River’s Tributaries Scientists Go to Bat for the Bats By Dac Collins the U.S. Forest Service to create the Red By Dac Collins The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service dedi- River Gorge Restoration and Watershed cated $14 million to white-nose syndrome The Red River in eastern Kentucky Since the first documented case Plan, which addresses potential threats research between 2008 and 2013, and the forms one of the most spectacular gorges of white-nose syndrome in New York to the water quality of four creeks that agency announced on April 23 that it will in the country. Its sandstone arches, state in 2006, the disease has killed flow into the iconic river. These threats grant an additional $1.5 million to fund cliffs and unique rock formations lure more than 5.7 million bats in the east- include high levels of sediment resulting more extensive research. climbers and fascinate geologists, and ern United States. The root of the dis- from road construction, and contami A portion of these funds went to- many of its rock shelters and caves are - ease, a fungus known as Pseudogym- ward developing an innova- classified as significant archeological nated runoff from residential areas. noascus destrucans, has spread south tive method for screening bats: sites. A dam proposal in the late 1960s Because portions of these tributar- and west over the past decade and can do your part ies are located on private property, the when placed under long-wave would have swallowed up the gorge, now be found in caves throughout Ap- People exploring caves should avoid disturbing ultraviolet light, the wing-mem- but Kentuckians, with help from the watershed plan recommends “best man- palachia. In a few of these caves, 90 to the bats. To prevent spreading the fungus to branes of infected bats glow a Sierra Club and writer-activist Wendell agement practices” that property own- 100 percent of the bats have died. other locations, cavers can clean their gear with A little brown bat suffers from white-nose fluorescent orange-yellow. Woolite or Formula 409 before going from one syndrome. Photo courtesy Ryan von Linden/New Berry, grappled with the U.S. Army ers can implement in order to reduce the The disease drains bats of the en- Until recently, a cure cave to another, and stay out of caves that are York Department of Environmental Conservation Corps of Engineers until the Red was amount of polluted runoff. Maintaining this is a major issue along Swift Camp The Red River’s Wild & Scenic designation ergy reserves needed to keep their vital offers special protections to places like Creation for this devastating disease closed or gated off. granted federal protection in 1993 under a riparian buffer of streamside vegeta- Creek, where many homeowners are organs functioning during hibernation. with Rhodococcus rhodochrous were Falls. Photo by Karen Roussel seemed out of reach, but in the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. tion, which prevents bank erosion, is just using old or defective pipes that leak A study released by the U.S. Geological released back into the wild. 2012, researchers at Georgia in close proximity to the fungus, can The Wild and Scenic designation one solution that private landowners sewage into the stream. such as the removal of two culverts Survey in January found that hibernat- A colony of bats maintains an impor- State University made a promising prevent the disease from taking hold in applies to the stretch of river that passes can choose to implement. The nonprofit organization has on Indian Creek that are currently ing bats with white-nose syndrome used tant ecological balance by consuming tons discovery in the form of Rhodococcus bats, and can also slow its progression through the gorge, but it does not protect Tessa Eedlen, watershed program secured an implementation grant from impeding the passage of fish. up essential fats twice as quickly as unin- of insects every night. Mosquito popula- rhodochrous, a bacterium that inhibits in bats that are already infected. the entire Red River watershed from director at the Kentucky Waterways the Kentucky Division of Water, which The Kentucky Waterways Alli- fected bats over the same period of time. tions would skyrocket without them, and the growth of Pseudogymnoascus On May 19, a group of scientists human impacts. That is why members Alliance, says, “We’re also going to be Eedlen hopes to use to create financial ance will be hosting creek cleanups Scientists and researchers are des- so would the amount of harmful insects destrucans. Controlled experiments and conservationists gathered out- of the Kentucky Waterways Alliance, an focusing on septic systems, [including] incentive programs for homeown- and streamside tree plantings this fall. perately seeking ways to remediate the that plague the agricultural industry. conducted over the past few years in- side a cave in Missouri to watch as environmental nonprofit, collaborated repair, pump outs and, if necessary, ers. The grant money will fund other Visit their website to get involved: kwal- spread of the fungus and its effects on the Visit whitenosesyndrome.org to dicate that the bacterium, when placed the first 150 bats successfully treated with the state’s Division of Water and replacement.” According to Eedlen, stream restoration projects as well, liance.org/red-river-watershed twelve species of bats currently at risk. learn more. Landowners Support Songbird Conservation Integrating a Plant Medicine Economy By Kimber Ray — areas of young trees and shrubland birds, according to a federally funded By Eliza Laubach along the edge of dense forests — has 2014 assessment. For three years, a team In a basement lab on the grounds of The prevailing chorus of Appala- declined due to activities such as devel of academic, nonprofit and govern- The North Carolina Arboretum in Ashe- chia’s spring, once dominated by the - opment and fire suppression. With the ment researchers tracked more than ville, Amanda Vickers looks at medicinal trills of tiny warblers migrating from plants on a microscopic level. She is assistance of federal funding, landowners 800 warblers on 95 properties man- Central and South America, has grown testing the plants — valued as a source aged through the program. increasingly muted over the past cen- commission foresters and wildlife experts of income by many in the biodiverse Blue The tury. Efforts to rejuvenate this song are from either the state or other local groups It used to be more difficult to evalu- Ridge Mountains — to determine their five-year potency for use in herbal products. receiving support from two separate, to help implement habitat protection ate the success of federal wildlife con- goal of the project As director of the U.S. Botanical federally funded projects to restore strategies, which include limited timber servation efforts, according to Todd Vickers works in the Blue Ridge Bionetwork is to enroll 12,500 acres of Safety Laboratory, Vickers uses botani- wildlife habitat on private lands, which harvesting and selective burning to Fearer, coordinator of a regional lab, which hosts training, education and private forestland in Kentucky, cal labs at universities and community host nearly two-thirds of all threatened thin canopy covers, removal of invasive bird conservation partnership colleges across western North Carolina outreach in addition to lab services. Photo Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio and courtesy of Bent Creek Institute. and endangered species in the country. shrubs, and the plant- known as Appalachian Mountain to conduct her tests. The results inform West Virginia. Landowners receive a wild harvesters and farmers about when development. This work is done out of Since 2012, the U.S. Depart- ing of native species, Joint Ventures. Now, however, “These many of which also practices are specific enough that we can subsidy to remove lower-quality trees, to harvest and how to process the herbs. the Blue Ridge Bionetwork, a lab on the ment of Agri- campus of Asheville-Buncombe Techni- benefit pollinators. look at how the land was before and after such as red maple, which in turn cre- Vickers also adds plant samples to the culture and arboretum’s Germplasm Repository, North cal College that serves as public testing The creation of the habitat was implemented, and how ates the open canopy preferred by the the U.S. Fish America’s only gene and seed bank for and teaching grounds. Ultimately, the the birds respond,” says Fearer. cerulean warbler and provides growth and Wildlife forest-edge habitat medicinal plants. dry shampoo will bear the Blue Ridge space for the more valuable hardwood Service have partnered in the 7,000 acres cur- The partnership has since launched “We’re sort of an engine for getting farm- Naturally label, designating the local saplings. This type of habitat also ben- ers’ crops qualified and getting them in the sourcing of the ingredients. with farmers, ranchers and forest rently enrolled in the a similar effort in Appalachia, the Ceru- golden-winged war- lean Warbler Appalachian Forestland efits populations of game species such hands of other local people,” says Vickers. Blue Ridge Food Ventures is a com- landowners on the Working Lands for The Bent Creek Institute, a nonprofit mercial kitchen that also collaborates with bler program is already Enhancement project, which was among as ruffed grouse, rabbit, deer and turkey. Wildlife initiative, a five-year project the Bionetwork lab, initiated by the eco- Additional habitat will be supported business incubator, manages the lab targeting seven at-risk species. supporting greater pop- 115 conservation programs selected to and seeks to serve as a catalyst for eco- nomic development group AdvantageWest. ulations of the warbler and by reforesting reclaimed mineland prop- One selected species, the golden- receive federal funding this past Janu- nomic development in a region abound At the kitchen, entrepreneurs craft food and other shrub-dependent erty. More than 1,000 acres of this cur- with herbalists. As part of this goal, cosmetic products and can use the lab, or winged warbler, once thrived in ary. The tiny blue-and-white songbirds Vickers is currently working with a local employ Vickers, to test the integrity of their A golden-winged warbler eats a nest in valuable hardwoods such as oak rently unsuitable habitat will be planted the Appalachian mountains from salon to develop an herbal dry shampoo, ingredients. “We try to stay really embed- caterpillar. Photo by Ed Burress and hickory, which landowners could with blight-resistant American chestnut Georgia to New York. The choice first by connecting a wild harvester and ded in the local economy,” says Vickers. be prohibited from harvesting if the ce- saplings, which may ultimately provide nesting ground for this songbird Cerulean warbler. Photo courtesy of a farmer with the hairstylists, and then For more information, visit a significant source of habitat and food. Mdf, Wikimedia Creative Commons rulean warbler is listed as endangered. testing the product as it undergoes botanical-safety.com Page 10 | The Appalachian Voice | June/July 2015 June/July 2015 | The Appalachian Voice | Page 11 M ountain Ingenuity // ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS M ountain Ingenuity // HEALTH A Burning Problem Access to Care: Connecting Rural Residents to Medical Services Illegal trash fires spark health concerns By Molly Moore is acute in rural areas. Twenty percent of In the Bluegrass State, residents serv- miliar concept in southwest Virginia The 16-county area in the United States population is rural, but ing as community health workers are — the Center for Telehealth at UVA has just 9 percent of the nation’s physicians helping their neighbors access healthcare provided long-distance medicine since By Dave Cooper dangers of burning tires, posting them western North Carolina served by the work in rural areas, according to Owen. through Kentucky Homeplace, a program 1994, and their connections in the area are on community bulletin boards. Later, Mountain Area Health Education Cen- When students from Park Uni- Other efforts to train and retain ru- of the University of Kentucky Center for expanding. Instead of driving 600 miles they returned to Cranks Creek Lake and ter is short 140 doctors. versity in Kansas City, Mo. came to ral practitioners are ongoing across the Excellence in Rural Health. The services round-trip for a cervical cancer screening, posted large signs alerting campers to Created in 1974 as part of a state- Harlan County, Ky. on an alternative region. The Appalachian Regional Com- they provide include educating clients women in southwest Virginia can meet the dangers of burning tires. wide effort to increase the supply of fall break, they wanted to learn more mission helps to fund 200 osteopathic about how to manage diabetes, follow with a trusted nurse practitioner at one of Many homes in rural Kentucky rural physicians, MAHEC offers nine about health problems in the region internship and residency slots and has medical instructions, and access home the Health Wagon’s biweekly colposcopy have a burn pile or burn barrel in the competitive residencies for medical and find ways to help Appalachians developed a masters-level physician as- heating assistance or free medical care. clinics while a specialist from UVA joins back yard, and tires are just one part of students. On average, 62 percent of live happier, healthier lives. sistant program with Marietta College Sometimes, however, a medical situ- via secure video for a virtual examination. the problem. Decades ago, trash was those residents go on to practice in the On a trip to fill water bottles with Park University students post signs at Cranks in southeastern Ohio. And the Healthy ation calls for an expert — even if that Margaret Tomann, program manager mostly paper products, but today it is bedding and tires, and to do so can MAHEC service area, compared to just some pure mountain spring water, they Creek Lake in Kentucky, warning about the Appalachia Institute connects students at expert is hundreds of miles away. To at the Healthy Appalachia Institute, sees primarily plastics. result in fines of up to $25,000. Yet dur- 2 percent of those who are not associ- photographed a trailer with a huge pile hazards of burning tires. Photo by Dave Cooper the University of Virginia in Charlottes- bring specialized care to remote areas, telehealth as a key tool, and not just for While weatherizing a home in the ing their week in Harlan County, Park ated with the program. of smoldering truck tires in the front yard. has provided posters and pamphlets for ville to their counterparts in Wise County local providers are increasingly relying patients. By connecting local doctors and Closplint area of Harlan County, the students counted dozens of backyard “MAHEC was created because data Later they noticed the remnants of tires in future volunteers to distribute. The post- to develop interest in rural public health. on technology and a practice known as nurses to the telehealth network and students saw a backyard burn pile that fires releasing thick, toxic smoke. show that where you train doctors is the campfire rings around Cranks Creek ers show a resident cooking hotdogs and Dr. Teresa Gardner, a nurse practi- telemedicine or telehealth. providing workforce training for careers contained a half-burned roll of carpet- Talking to people in Harlan, Park where they tend to stay,” says the or- Lake, a popular camping and fishing spot. marshmallows over a campfire that con- tioner, runs the Health Wagon, a non- “Telemedicine, regardless of wheth- in the medical industry, the institute aims ing, a television and a plastic kiddie students learned that tires are considered ganization’s Tina Owen. Returning to Harlan, the students tains plastic bags and soda bottles, with profit that provides mobile healthcare to er for psychiatrists or other specialists, to both bring skilled jobs to southwest car, plus many bags of trash and soda an easy way to light a fire: they burn all States with higher ratios of primary began researching the issue of illegal a tagline that reads, “If you burn trash medically underserved communities in is pretty important,” says Dr. Amy Virginia — the types of jobs that support bottles. In the hollows, the black smoke night long, providing light and heat for care physicians to citizens have bet- burning. They learned that burning tires in your campfire, you could be eating southwest Virginia. She would like to see Russell, a physician with MAHEC. “For a healthier community — and to improve from a smoldering backyard trash fire campers and night fishermen. One old ter health outcomes, fewer premature and plastics can release toxic chemicals poison. Burning trash emits toxic gases a higher concentration of nurse-practitio- some of our communities, depending patient health by ensuring that quality can linger over the community, con- timer claimed that burning tires kept the deaths and lower healthcare costs. Yet including dioxin into the air, contami- and heavy metals like lead and mercury.” ners in the area as well as changes to state on the time of year, it is actually very medical care is within reach. taminating the air for days. mosquitos away. But many Kentuckians the supply of primary-care physicians is nating the soil and water and contribut- For more information, contact the health laws to allow them to perform more difficult to get anywhere.” In Kentucky, it is illegal to burn that they talked with seemed completely dwindling nationally, and the shortage ing to childhood asthma attacks. Kentucky Division of Air Quality at services without a supervising physician. Telehealth is also a fa- plastics, construction debris, plywood, unaware of the health dangers. The students quickly created an 1-888-BURN-LAW or visit air.ky.gov/ treated wood, painted wood, animal The Kentucky Division of Air Quality informational flier about the health Pages/OpenBurning.aspx Advancing Quality of Life for Patients with Black Lung By Molly Moore to mow the lawn again after doing the ex- prevention of pneumoconiosis, ercises, and wheelchair-bound participants of occupational dust disease, Kids in Parks Reconnects Families with the Outdoors The most severe form of black lung have experienced improvements such as be- has to be on the workplace.” disease, known as progressive massive fi- ing able to get in and out of bed more easily. In August 2014, the Mine By Chris Robey Child in the Woods” was widely cardinal or bluebird that would brosis, is at its highest levels since the early The program provides information Safety and Health Administration circulating. The book connects lack otherwise go unnoticed. 1970s, despite being nearly eliminated 15 Basic ecological literacy is waning about the disease, how to use medications, published a new coal dust rule years ago, according to a 2014 analysis of outdoor play to numerous health According to Urroz, it is and, Wills says, “understanding what’s that lowers miners’ allowable among children. A 2008 study by BBC by the National Institute for Occupational and behavioral problems in children. critical that children be given the normal and what’s an emergency.” exposure to coal dust at under- Wildlife Magazine indicates that most Safety and Health, part of the U.S. Centers Among its readers was Dr. Olson opportunity to find inspiration in Often, she says, patients will panic ground and surface mines. And children cannot identify common plants for Disease Control and Prevention. Huff, a renowned pediatrician who, when they can’t catch their breath, which in April of this year the Labor and animals, and an earlier study con- the outdoors. “If we don’t get kids This debilitating lung disease is caused Patients excercise at a new rehabilitation clinic in Dawes, W.Va. can worsen the situation and send them to Department proposed the Black through a collaboration between the and families today outdoors,” he by exposure to coal mine dust. Across the Photo courtesy The Breathing Center at Cabin Creek Clinic cluded that children know more about the emergency room. The program teaches Lung Benefits Act Rule. The draft Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation of says, “then who’s going to be our country, clinics funded by the federal Black paying benefits after a claim is awarded. Pokemon than they do about wildlife. participants when to use breathing exercises regulation would require that doc- North Carolina and the National Park future stewards?” Lung/Coal Miner Clinics Program provide The Workers Compensation Programs Even the language used to describe or a rescue inhaler to quell these episodes. tors and lawyers representing both the miner early diagnosis and assist with the process Office is accepting public comments on the Service, helped create the TRACK Learn more at KidsInParks.com “[Rehab] often prevents ER visits because and the coal company disclose all medical nature is falling out of favor. The latest of filing claims for federal black lung ben- Black Lung Benefits Act until June 29. Visit: Trails program. Eight states now host miners can handle what’s going on with their records associated with a claim, and make edition of the Oxford Junior Dictionary efits, along with helping patients learn to 1.usa.gov/1eKpKMo Young hikers examine a trail brochure in Virginia. breathing themselves,” Wills says. it more difficult for coal companies to avoid TRACK Trails, including Virginia, cope with the incurable disease. has cut words like pasture, otter and Photo courtesy of Kids in Parks Dr. Cecile Rose, an associate pro- West Virginia and North Carolina. In southern West Virginia, Valley willow in favor of more “modern” terms fessor at the Colorado School of Public Health Black Lung Program Coordinator TRACK brochures can be Health, says that there are ways people di- such as broadband and MP3 player. Deborah Wills is on the front lines, help- downloaded online and include agnosed with black lung can improve their In Appalachia, trail-based edu- Get Kids Outside with Disney App ing current and former coal miners file a variety of on-trail activities such well-being. “For people that have a chronic cation initiatives like Kids in Parks’ Disneynature Explore virtually their photo journal while educating for federal benefits and trying to connect as Nature’s Hide and Seek, which lung disease, we know that maintaining TRACK Trails program are re-intro- brings five diverse animals to your back- them with real video clips about the miners in need of legal representation with activity levels, having a regular program of lists local flora and fauna for yard. The free iTunes app engages chil- animals. Unexpected complications the few lawyers available. Witnessing the ducing children to the natural world exercise for muscle strengthening and for children to look for on a hike. dren’s imaginations by superimposing within the game, such as the sudden increase in severe black lung is discourag- through self-guided hiking adventures. weight control improve … quality of life,” The self-guided activities allow the habitats of bears, monarch butterflies, appearance of plastic bags in a sea ing, Willis says, but she points to a bright Between 2007 and 2008, the she says. According to Rose, medical care chimpanzees, lions and seaturtles onto a turtle’s home, foster environmental- spot — three rural pulmonary rehabilitation kids to go at their own pace, such as regular flu vaccinations, quitting Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation smartphone’s live camera. Kids can see ism at a young age. Additionally, the centers opened in the area in September while their parents can step in smoking and treating other conditions that found that less than 11 percent of through a butterfly’s eyes or help a bear parents’ page provides suggestions for 2014, and another is slated to open in can be exacerbated by black lung, such as educators, sharing meaning- track her cub, learning about foreign en- interacting with kids outside. Lincoln County in September 2015. visitors brought young children to as sleep apnea, can also help. ful moments while teaching their vironments while playing outside. For more information on the app or Rehabilitation for pulmonary patients the parkway, according to Kids in But, she adds, “medical care by its children the differences between red Creators of the app hope to moti- Disneynature, visit nature.disney.com includes exercises that help patients of all Parks Director Jason Urroz. Around very nature focuses on the patient and not vate kids to win virtual pins and expand – Julia Lindsay abilities regain their strength. One participant and white oaks or pointing out the on the workplace, and the real focus for this time, Richard Louv’s “Last told a local television station that he was able

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Mountain Ingenuity // ECONOMIC DIVERSIFICATION An Enterprising Idea Reworking the Region Investing in Appalachia starts with By Dan Radmacher is hosting a three-day conference in Fayetteville jumpstarting local businesses As Appalachia suffers through the effects in September, “Building Bridges to a New of yet another downturn in the coal industry, Economy,” the latest in a series of conferences By Tom Sexton directly supporting Appalachian a number of organizations are stepping up aimed at finding ways to shift the region’s focus. West Virginia has several creative magnets From former coal boomtowns and tobacco- businesses, other projects, such as efforts to create jobs, retain young adults in Appalachian Ventures, an initiative the region and better educate the workforce. — areas that attract people who want to come to dependent counties to areas that haven’t seen an area not just for jobs but for a sense of place. a dominant industry in decades, communities of the Appalachian Prosperity Proj- “It’s a challenging environment, for sure,” ect, specialize in educating entrepre- says Brandon Dennison, executive director These range from geographic locations like the throughout Appalachia are finding inventive New River Gorge to technology centers like the ways to support new business and add a cru- neurs to give them the tools to ensure of Coalfield Development Corp., an orga- their long-term success in business. nization devoted to revitalizing the local Fairmont/Clarksburg/Morgantown corridor. cial boost to their local economies. “West Virginia needs to grow creative muscle Appalachian Ventures gives Community members participating economy in Wayne, Mingo and Lincoln The Mountain Association for Community in the Grafton, W. Va., Turn This and the ability to diversify,” James says. “Small entrepreneurs access to abbreviated versions of counties in West Virginia. “Almost all of Economic Development was one of the earli- Town Around initiative completed towns and the people that come from them need the highly-ranked management program at the projects such as repainting a our crew members have been economi- est supporters of Appalachian entrepreneur- to know they can build an innovation economy. ” ship. Since its inception in 1976 in Berea, Ky., University of Virginia’s Darden Business School. downtown caboose and expanding cally affected by the coal downturn. There Appalachian Ventures is currently trying to the local farmers market. Photos MACED has reinvested hundreds of thousands aren’t a lot of job opportunities.” Financing Rejuvenation encourage start-up opportunities in southwest courtesy of Amanda Yager, WV of dollars received from grant funders, inves- The organization’s Quality Jobs One thing that could certainly help in a Virginia by utilizing the area’s natural resources, Community Development Hub tors and individual donors into burgeoning Initiative gives recently unemployed number of revitalization efforts is an infusion most notably the Clinch River, which is already central Appalachian enterprises. young adults a 30-month contract and of cash in the region. This could come in the a destination for adventure tourism in the area, In the past few years alone, MACED has puts them on a weekly 33/6/3 sched- form of President Obama’s POWER+ Plan, and is noted by the initiative as one of the world’s Turn This Town Around: given financial backing to ventures as diverse ule: 33 hours of construction work, six which will devote significant new money to most biologically diverse rivers. as up-and-coming country music artist Tyler Energizing small communities in West Virginia hours of community college and three the coalfields if the plan can pass Congress. At the municipal level, Appalachian cit Stephens, the Beaver Creek Veterinary Hos- - hours of life skills training. The plan would add $25 million in fund- pital which serves the pets of low-income ies are starting to provide incentives to create By Kimber Ray community development experts — provided rector of the Hub, A Coalfield Development Corporation Crew members who graduate from ing to the Appalachian Regional Commission, entrepreneur-friendly environments. In Whites- advises that the Quality Jobs Initiative participant works at families, and Good Shepherd Farms, which Amid the low brick buildings forming the by the nonprofit West Virginia Community De- the program gain an associate’s degree, $20 million a year for re-employment services burg, Ky., a regional hub for the arts and media, most important a construction site. Photo by Patty Brewer started making sheep cheese on a repurposed modest downtown of Whitesville, W.Va., a velopment Hub — and asked to come up with multiple professional certifications, hands- and job training for laid-off miners, money for the city helps entrepreneurs find and negotiate step for communi- tobacco farm in Bath County, Ky. storefront window displays a jubilant sign of and pursue practical neighborhood revitaliza- on experience, and training in life skills grants to help economically distressed com- competitive rents with the owners of empty ties in Turn This Town Around is developing Most recently, MACED ventured outside the welcome: “Excited to learn / Ready to turn!” tion projects to change the course of their town. areas such as money, time management and munities foster “an environment conducive to retail spaces, and even goes so far as to waive plans and a sense of motivation. “Funders will Bluegrass State by collaborating with Natural Such optimism is certainly welcomed in this If last year’s winners are any indication, emotional health. Similar programs for agricul- job creation and economic growth,” and a $200 the annual occupational licensing fees for new only invest in communities that will invest in Capital Investment Fund of West Virginia to small Boone County community that, like many the answer is good. Even the smaller of the tural and service workers are also being planned. million annual boost in spending on reclaiming businesses inside the city limits. In the last year themselves,” explains Spellman. make a $300,000 loan to River Expeditions, the others in the area, has steadily receded from the community-initiated projects, such as freshly “We want to give them the tools to reverse abandoned mine lands. alone, Whitesburg has introduced a record store, brainchild of Rick and Heather Johnson of Lan- better days of the Mountain State’s southern coal- painted buildings, cleaner streets and decora- Whitesville residents have taken this credence the cycle of poverty,” Dennison says. “The POWER+ Plan would utilize re- a bakery, a moonshine distillery, a hydroponics sing, W.Va. The couple used the funds to start fields. Just this past year, the disquieting closure tive planters, have already infused the West to heart and, before the first community meet- For Jeff James, chairman of the new non- sources on a scale that a single federal initiative shop and an extremely successful farmer’s mar- an outdoor adventure business that employs of the town’s only grocery store left residents with Virginia towns of Matewan and Grafton with ing was held in March, they had independently profit Create West Virginia, giving tools to indi- hasn’t done in our region in a very long time,” ket, which will include more than 70 vendors 11 full-time staff with 200 seasonal employees. a 30 minute drive to the nearest supermarket. a transformative air. Progress on larger-scale raised $14,000 — including a $10,000 state grant viduals, while important, is insufficient. Create says Eric Dixon, an Appalachian Transition projects is gradually unfolding too. While groups like MACED specialize in Continued on page 20 “In the last 20 years we’ve seen a slow de- for building repair — to apply to town projects. West Virginia wants to change the culture in Fellow at Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center. In Matewan, the long-anticipated opening cline. Not just in population but in businesses,” That commitment to community engagement Appalachia so that it’s more conducive to inno- of the new West Virginia Mine Wars Museum Continued on page 16 local resident Hollie Smarr told West Virginia has endured in Matewan and Grafton where, vation and entrepreneurship. The organization was made possible this May with the replace- Three Corners of the Focus Magazine. “In the last few years it seems even after their conclusion ment of damaged flooring. Additional propos- like everybody has just lost hope.” of Turn This Town Around, als from local residents include adding bike residents continue to host Cumberland Trail Gap Project Many locals have experienced growing racks and improving road safety to qualify as weekly meetings. “We un- A Tribute to WV Mine Wars tucky, Virginia and Tennessee, hosts a network of enthusiasm, however, since the announcement By Kimber Ray a nationally certified Bicycle Friendly Com- derstand these projects take By Laura Marion media propaganda — from resident donations and trails, including a portion of the Great Eastern Trail, last December that their town was chosen to local antique stores. The Paint Creek-Cabin Creek As the gateway to the West, Cumberland munity, restoring a historic jail, developing the time and there will be chal- The West Virginia Mine which runs from Georgia to New York. Combined participate in the second year of the West Vir- strike exhibit shows an example of the tents where Gap once marked the main passageway through Wars museum, which opened with the appeal of other growing projects, such as Geocache Matewan project, and branding and lenges and bumps in the miners and their families lived during the strikes. the Appalachian Mountains for both wildlife and ginia community revitalization project Turn This in Matewan, W. Va. on May 16, the nearby Wilderness Trail Off-Road Park, tourism marketing the town as a destination for historic road, says Spellman. “But In the coalfields of the early 1900s, miners were people. More than 200 years have since passed, Town Around. Along with Ripley in Jackson commemorates the conflicts is growing in the region. and outdoor recreation tourism. the really critical thing is that confronted with low wages, high work-related death but the area retains a wealth of historic and natural County, Whitesville is among this year’s two between miners and mine The committee of tourism officials, trail groups rates, and other challenges. In 1912, miners in West resources, such as a restored mountain settle- Both Matewan and Grafton have ample progress is continuing.” ownership that took place in and community members plans to help communi- West Virginia communities selected by a vote Virginia walked off of their jobs to demand that their ment, sandstone caves, and waterfalls. By linking funds to work with, thanks to a $150,000 Claude “We did a debrief at the the early 20th century. ties share their tourism appeal and connect to the of more than 23,000 people across the country. Photo courtesy WV MIne Wars Museum employers recognize their union. Over the next up these destinations with nearby towns, the Tri- Worthington Benedum Foundation grant, end of the first year and what The museum was fund- growing trail network by building multi-use trails A collaborative effort initiated by West Vir- decade there were many confrontations between State Regional Trail Committee, led by Bell County ed through grants, crowdfunding and private for activities such as hiking, horseback riding and which called for small teams in the two com- we heard [from residents] was ‘We had never the miners and the company mine guards, which Adventure Tourism Director Jon Grace, plans to ginia Focus Magazine, Turn This Town Around donations. The building was originally the Cham- mountain biking. With a survey and map already munities to submit mini-project proposals. The worked together before,’” says Spellman. “‘but culminated with the 1921 Battle of Blair Mountain, work across state lines to cultivate a new branch seeks to inspire public leadership and engage- bers Hardware Store, and served as a meeting complete, the group is putting their finishing the largest civil uprising since the Civil War. of economic diversity for the region. two new communities, Whitesville and Ripley, Turn This Town Around brought us together, and place for miners involved in the strikes. touches on an Aug. 1 grant application to the Na- ment in struggling communities. Together with The West Virginia Mine Wars museum is open The Cumberland Gap National Historic Park, will not know whether they will receive the taught us how we can work together.’” Volunteers helped gather the items on display tional Park Service. “We’re looking at how we can West Virginia Public Broadcasting, the maga- Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. More situated on 26 miles of forested landscape in Ken- same grant until this July. For more information, visit: wvhub.org/ at the museum — such as bullet shells, rifles, and get people to stay for more than a day,” says Grace. zine shares the story of what happens when resi- information is available at wvminewars.com Either way, Kent Spellman, executive di- what-were-doing/turn-this-town-around dents are offered assistance from professional Mountain Ingenuity // ECONOMIC DIVERSIFICATION Mountain Ingenuity // CLEAN ENERGY

A worker-owner arranges fabric continued from p. 15 at the Opportunity Threads Increasing Homeowner Access to Energy Savings Reworking the Region plant in Morganton, N.C. “The way the [Aban- have a proud history to build from; Photo by Willa Johnson By Eliza Laubach insulated with spray foam, Solarize Success in WV doned Mine Lands] plan is enterprising, strong, smart, creative and he also received a new A grassroots effort to make solar pan- structured, the money has to be used for people; vibrant communities that work Burning fossil fuels to create elec- thermostat and heat pump. els more affordable for homeowners has projects that pose an economic develop- with the land and close to the land tricity comprises the largest share of Gulley discussed his retro- taken off in the Southeast. Through the ment potential,” Dixon says. “These instead of exploiting it.” the nation’s carbon dioxide emissions, fit in a promotional video about Solarize model, homeowners interested in sites have potential for beekeeping, ag- The desire to build upon history according to the Department of Energy. installing rooftop solar can join together to How$mart. “From November riculture, recreational tourism and other and use resources that already exist From changing incandescent apply for discounts, free energy audits and to February, it took everything economic engines, but those solutions guides much of the work Coalfield bulbs out for LEDs to adding insula- solar panel assessments. we had to pay our heating won’t pop up unless we have a very big Development Corp. does, such as the tion, energy efficiency measures not Using this model, a solar cooperative in bills,” he said of the winters public dialogue about this money and recent renovation of the Urlings Gen- only reduce a home’s carbon foot- West Virginia installed seven new systems before he received the retrofit. this program to spark people’s imagina- eral Store in Wayne, W.Va. print but also are the cheapest form last fall, adding about 36 kilowatts of solar “This program is one of the power to Fayetteville, W.Va. Now, two solar tions across the region.” “We like to work in historic, aban- of reducing reliance on fossil fuels. best things — as a homeowner cooperatives in Wheeling and Morgantown The boost to the Abandoned Mine doned buildings,” Dennison says. A whole-home retrofit can lower a — that has happened to me.” are accepting applications, while coopera- Lands program could be especially “We like to maintain the character, the well. In rural North Carolina, hit hard “We can drive those narrow margins utility bill by 20 to 40 percent. While tives in Fayette and Monroe County filled The total savings of the energy important for the region, Dixon says. sense of stories and history embedded over the last few decades by the collapse into good hourly wages and benefits,” those energy savings will pay for the their membership, with 30 and more than upgrades on Gulley’s bills are Employing laid-off miners and others in those buildings.” of the tobacco market and the textile she says. “Worker ownership lends itself efficiency upgrades over time, the 80 members signed up, respectively. Sixteen estimated at $102 per bill, and with the necessary skills to reclaim And bringing new life to a vacant and furniture industries, the focus is to meeting all the challenges in this in- upfront investment can be substantial. Solarize programs in North Carolina and after the loan payment, he still Smith Insulation contractors install spray foam in eight in Virginia have run or are currently old mine sites will give communities building is healing. “Empty buildings on re-envisioning what labor looks like dustry: Quick turnaround, high quality For many low-income homeown- Woolery’s basement. “Last year, two new [regional running, while three programs in South through worker ownership. and a competitive price structure. When a pockets $16 a month. an immediate economic boost. But the can be a real scar on a community,” says ers across the country, the DOE offers contracting] businesses entered the spray foam Carolina are receiving applications. long-term impact could be far greater. Dennison. “It’s great to return vitality Opportunity Threads is a worker- worker is also an owner, they understand a weatherization assistance program In February, Roanoke industry,” says Woolery. “There’s a lot of demand for Adam Wells, economic diversifi- and purpose to a place like that.” owned garment plant in Morganton, the value of their own productivity.” that distributes funds through a local Electric Membership Corp. this type of work.” Photo by Chris Woolery. N.C., with a focus on sustainable produc- Opportunity Threads is part of the launched its own on-bill Another Community Solar cation campaign coordinator for Ap- The former general store is now community action agency. Demand Protection Agency regulations. tion and building local resources. Carolina Textile District, a cooperative financing program in eastern North Farm Sprouts palachian Voices, the publisher of this home to five affordable housing units, often exceeds capacity, however, and In a region that hosts a waning “Traditionally, labor in the South that helps small textile shops work to- Carolina. The cooperative is one of Leasing solar panels provides rural newspaper, is fully behind the plan. built with energy efficiency in mind, many homeowners are put on a wait- coal industry, energy efficiency spurs involved wealth being taken out of the gether and aggregate demand. the first to use the Department of electric cooperatives with a way to incorporate “For so long, Appalachia has given including solar water heaters. Such ing list for years. economic development. How$mart has community,” says Molly Hernstreet, Sara Chester, part of Carolina Textile Agriculture’s Energy Efficiency & solar into their energy portfolio, and for of our natural resources, and our cultur- efficiency is good for the environ- Other homeowners may not provided 11 jobs for Kentuckians, and homeowners to invest in solar, with lessened founder and general manager of Op- District’s management team, says that Conservation Loan Program funding al and social resources,” says Wells. “It’s ment and helps low-income tenants qualify for this program but do not Woolery was recently told that the pro- costs to both. The cooperative builds a solar portunity Threads. “Our challenge the idea is to recruit work — rather than to back the loans, but must assume really good to see a federal program that by lowering their bills. have funds or credit for home energy gram allowed a contractor to make three farm and offers a lease on a panel or half-panel was to build models in these heritage companies — to the region. But one the financial risk if a homeowner de- gives back to us in a meaningful way, The building will also house com- improvements, even if the upgrades new hires. In Arkansas, HELP spurred 27 to members. Those members receive credit industries where the wealth can be more challenge has been convincing a new faults on their loan payments. on their utility bill for the energy generated by and one that focuses so specifically on mercial space, including a coffee shop are badly needed. In rural areas, such new jobs in just two years. “[Right] now deeply rooted in our community.” generation of workers to trust in textiles. Risk is a serious consideration for their leased panel. moving us forward to a diverse new operated by the tenants, who — like as much of Appalachia, these situa- that’s just a drop in the bucket, but can Like Dennison, Hernstreet believes “We lost so many jobs in such a short rural electric cooperatives that rarely Duck River Electric Membership economy in Appalachia.” the crew members who renovated the tions are especially true. you imagine this at scale?” says Agard. An influx of federal money could be building — will be on Coalfield Devel- understanding Appalachian character is amount of time,” Chester says. “Kids grew have the funds to cover defaulted loans Cooperative in southern Tennessee funded a In eastern Kentucky, “often people 26-kilowatt solar farm in 2012 and members helpful, but many looking to better Ap- opment Corp.’s 33/6/3 schedule. the key to future prosperity. “We’re mak- up with their parents and grandparents without passing that cost along to their Appalachian Voices is promoting energy have higher energy bills than their mort- have already become partial owners of ers,” she says. “We can hope for change, telling them not to work in these jobs. It’s members. In order to avoid disconnect- efficiency and on-bill financing in the region. palachia’s economy are wary of waiting “We’re trying to create truly empow- gage,” says Chris Woolery, residential 87 of its 108 panels. Once the rest are or know that’s what we’re good at. Let’s been a real battle to change that image.” Learn more at appvoices.org/energysavings for any kind of external savior. ering opportunities and replicate our energy specialist at Mountain Associa- ing electricity when a homeowner de- sold, the cooperative plans to double the find the models that are financially the As with much of this work, pa- Building on the Past model in a new industry,” says Dennison. tion for Community Economic Develop- faults, some cooperatives are looking solar farm’s capacity, says Steve Odell of most viable and create the most wealth.” tience is key. “We’re not going to turn elsewhere for financial security. Giving Credit to Energy Duck River EMC. In April, the Appalachian “Our philosophy is that we al- Crafting Worker ment. “They didn’t have an incentive For Hernstreet, the worker-owner it around in just a year or two,” Chester The Home Energy Loan Program Efficiency Regional Commission granted BARC Electric ready have everything we need to Ownership to be efficient because fuel was cheap.” Cooperative in rural Virginia $500,000 to model makes the most sense, especially says. “This is a message we’ll have to in Arkansas uses DOE funding to cover The Warehouse for Energy Efficiency Woolery works on MACED’s build a 250 to 350-kilowatt solar farm and thrive in Appalachia,” says Coalfield Revitalization efforts are underway in a low-margin industry like textiles. reinforce for years to come.” Loans is a self-sustaining lending platform How$mart program, a model for electric defaulted loans. Tammy Agard, who a community learning center that will offer Development Corp.’s Dennison. “We outside of Appalachia’s coalfields as for home energy financing. WHEEL formed HELP, is working to implement leasing options. Electric cooperatives in cooperatives to finance energy efficiency helps states leverage funds from public it on a large scale. She is building a direc- Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee and North upgrades for their members. On-bill and private investors to increase the Carolina are using this model as well. Blazing Trails in Mars Hill tory of reliable contractors and teamed number of low-interest loans available to financing allows a homeowner to secure By Kimber Ray ment Fund, a business loan fund that up with Rob Moody, a software designer, homeowners through the ReHome Loan supports sustainable economic develop- a low-interest loan from their utility to With the scheduled opening of Bai- to create an interactive smartphone ap- Program for energy efficiency upgrades. Energy Savings Launch in ment, helped finance the park. pay for efficiency upgrades and then pay ley Mountain Bike Park in Mars Hill, N.C., plication that shows day-to-day energy Harlan County, Ky. “We’re looking to make ourselves a that loan back through their utility bill. The low interest rates offered by VOTED BEST BBQ this June, mountain bikers skilled at high- mini-destination,” says Bailey co-owner savings and alerts homeowners when the program create an incentive for The town of Benham launched an on- speed maneuvering down steep, rough Credit does not determine loan avail- Jennifer Miller. “It’s highly likely that their energy usage is above average. homeowners to make the most energy- bill energy efficiency financing program in IN THE REGION terrain may soon travel to rural Madison ability, and the program is structured the people who come to us will go and Moody and Agard are currently efficient choices, says Colin Bishopp, who April. Benham$aves, modeled after Mountain County from across the country. so the bill is usually lower than before. by Appalachian Voices’ staff of tasters! explore other things in the area too, oversees WHEEL, and the customer’s Association for Economic Development’s Unlike traditional downhill trail opera- fundraising for this developing project. whether it be the hot springs or down- As of summer 2015, How$mart monthly payments more closely resemble How$mart program, will pay for energy efficiency tions, which often convert to ski slopes in “We think real results is what’s going OPEN FOR LUNCH AND DINNER. town Marshall or Mars Hill.” has funded 189 retrofits across four amount of money saved on their utility upgrades upfront, and members will repay the CLOSED MONDAYS. the winter, Bailey will be the first in the U.S. Miller is optimistic that, combined with cooperatives in eastern Kentucky. Jeff to make this industry take off,” says bill. WHEEL is currently operating in loan on their utility bill with their energy savings. Hwy 321 Bypass to remain open year-round and cater exclu- continued development of nearby cross- Agard. Moody says the software could Pennsylvania and Kentucky, and will soon A resolution passed by the Benham Power Blowing Rock,N.C. sively to mountain bikers. The first stage of Gulley of Flemingsburg, Ky., was one country bike trails, Bailey’s opening could also monitor cooperatives’ carbon off- launch in Virginia, Florida and Indiana. Board formally recognizes community partners the park will include five trails, but the long- of the first program participants. His (828) 295-3651 help “put Madison County on the map for Visit: renewfinancial.com/financing- including Kentuckians For The Commonwealth, term plan is to build as many as 30 trails. sets from the retrofits, which will help www.woodlandsbbq.com some major mountain biking action.” attic and crawlspace were sealed and solutions/rehome Appalshop and MACED. The nonprofit Natural Capital Invest- them meet new U.S. Environmental Visit: baileymountainwnc.com Page 16 | The Appalachian Voice | June/July 2015 June/July 2015 | The Appalachian Voice | Page 17 FI NAL (unless text moves;

Mountain Ingenuity // CLEAN ENERGY Mountain Ingenuity // CLIMATE CHANGE Schools Do the Math and Go Green Caught red-handed! Or more accurately, red-beaked By Kimber Ray otherwise gravity-driven seeds. the thrush regurgitates the seeds intact. in classrooms. The school has also under contract [in] Greene By Lorelei Goff “Working with a plant like this This could offer an important means upgraded aging equipment, such as County, but I cannot in- With a bright berry neatly A growing number of schools makes you appreciate how vast our lack of transportation for ginseng as the climate water heaters and air conditioning, to terest any investors to clasped in its beak, the wood thrush is across Appalachia are going green with of knowledge is,” says McGraw. “Every- continues to warm and disrupts the plant’s more efficient models. come to Tennessee,” says frequently among the usual suspects of renewable energy and energy efficiency time we ask a new question we realize habitats. The most venturesome travels are Dr. Cindy Bowman, principal of Atkins. “They can go to long-distance wild ginseng seed dispersal. programs. Though the common de- how little we know about this.” undertaken by juvenile wood thrushes, South Greene High School, says that many, many other states, For three years, biology professor nominator in budget-challenged Appa- After investigating hundreds of pho- which may comprise up to a quarter of the having the solar arrays on campus and invest the same mon- Jim McGraw and his West Virginia Uni- A motion-activated camera catches this wood lachian schools is cutting energy costs, tos and conducting a feeding test with population and have been recorded as far thrush snacking on a ginseng berry. Photo provides a good tool for teaching about ey in exactly the same versity research team trained motion- students benefit from applied learning captive wood thrushes, a paper published as two miles from their nest sites. courtesy of James McGraw green energy and sustainability. equipment and make a activated cameras on this threatened opportunities and communities feel the last year identified this small brown- “They get picked out of their home “My teacher that teaches pre- much higher return.” medicinal plant in an attempt to figure positive impact of sustainable practices. and-white mottled songbird as the seed territory and go search for new food growth and reproduction in the plant. engineering will use it some, and out which creature might be responsible In Tennessee, Greene County Funding Solar dispenser. Unlike other ginseng diners, sources,” says McGraw. “That’s what we Combined with illegal gathering and sometimes our science people will use for expanding the migration of ginseng’s Schools cut their energy costs by $1 Schools think may account for their importance overpopulation of deer, McGraw says there it,” says Bowman, adding, “We talk are a lot of environmental factors working million over the last two years with In other parts of the in terms of climate change.” here a lot about green energy.” Resilient Landscapes for a against ginseng. Still, he adds, “Once we a combination of 50-kilowatt solar region, state grants have But it’s unclear whether the wood To the west, Campbell County, understand the whole ecosystem and how arrays, an energy efficiency plan, and helped Virginia schools Shifting Environment thrush could beat the pace of cli- Tenn., installed 13 solar arrays in its one piece out of balance affects the rest, updating aging equipment. to go green. Students Students at Henley Middle School in Crozet, Va. helped design By Kimber Ray Blue Ridge Mountains of South Carolina, mate change which, according to a school system by using a similar busi- we’re going to start doing things better.” According to Greene County an art installation powered by a solar panel. Photo courtesy for example, Anderson’s report cites a case second paper recently published by ness model with funding from private in Albemarle County Since 2008, Mark Anderson, a field Schools’ Energy Specialist Steve Tip- Albemarle County Public Schools where the 104 degree heat of a sunny slope McGraw’s lab, will depress rates of investors, brokered by Efficient Energy raised $40,000 toward so- ecologist with The Nature Conservancy, ton, the solar arrays were installed at was in stark contrast to a nearby ravine, of Tennessee. lar panels in 2011, which and equipment upgrades and improved has been probing the ecosystems of the no cost to the school system through which was 25 degrees cooler. “They’re thrilled,” says Janet Hol- helped the school district procure a building automation controls. Four of eastern United States for a better strat- Designing Endurance on a partnership with private investors The Doris Duke Charitable Foun- comb, accounts manager with the com- number of state grants totalling over the schools in Albemarle also compost egy to protect species seeking refuge brokered by the Tennessee-based com- dation, which supported Anderson’s pany, noting that energy production has $212,000. Since the panels were in- food waste from their cafeterias. from the impacts of climate change. the Appalachian Trail pany Terra Shares. The Tennessee Val- mapping projects, has since created a $12 exceeded their initial projections. stalled, the school district has saved “Some of the teachers are using When he described the conclusions ley Authority utility doesn’t allow the million fund to promote conservation of By Kimber Ray But according to Holcomb,gradual $25,000 on energy costs, using a combi- the systems in their lesson plans,” says of his team’s groundbreaking research schools to directly use the solar energy the resilient landscapes identified using Though some may dream of a solitary changes in the TVA solar incentive pro- nation of solar and wind power, lighting continued on p. 23 — a sophisticated map analysis of land- they produce, however, so the solar ar- Anderson’s research. retreat, the wayfarers and romantics along gram have placed limits on the amount scape and species diversity — to The the Appalachian Trail are far from alone. rays feed directly into the grid and the Known as the Resilient Landscape of electricity that schools are allowed to Nature Conservancy Magazine in 2014, With between 2 and 3 million visitors school system receives corresponding Students Use Sustainable Methods Initiative and managed by the nonprofit Adjunct professor Dr. Jeff Marion measures up produce and lowered the amount the he compared it to a baseball field. each year, the steady trudge of hikers along credits on their electric bills. Open Space Institute, the project invites this protected corridor of land, spanning from Appalachian Trail conditions with doctoral student utility pays for that electricity per kilo- “As much as we like the players, we “We have two different programs to Build New Homes, Teach Others public agencies and land trusts to apply Georgia to Maine, wears down the trail and Holly Eagleston. Photo courtesy of Jeff Marion watt hour. Due to this, Efficient Energy know they won’t stay the same forever,” here at the schools, and solar is actu- By Cody Burchett involving the biomaterial aspects that the for matching grant funds to help protect strains natural resources. At the same time, can no longer attract solar investors to he says. “They are going to move on.” the persistent advance of climate change is ally a small part,” says Tipton. “We In southwest Virginia, high school students learned from the Virginia Tech targeted areas. For land trusts, this in- Carolina State University are collecting data Tennessee to fund the school installa- Protecting land based on its impor- driving more intense storms and droughts have an energy conservation program, students are designing and building sev- demonstrations” in their next project. about how the trail is used, whether this use volves creating conservation easements along the footpath. tions, and the program is at a standstill. eral houses in cooperation with Habitat The duplex that was designed and tance to endangered or uncommon species is sustainable and how this impacts nearby where we try … to reduce consumption with private landowners; the property Jeff Marion, a recreation ecologist with the John Atkins of Terra Shares, the for Humanity of the New River Valley. The constructed by these students and vol- is a popular strategy — one that Anderson natural resources. This includes information through behavior modification. That’s is protected from development and the U.S. Geological Survey and adjunct professor endeavor was initiated in the spring of 2014 unteers is expected to be finished and helped develop during his early work with such as soil compaction and erosion, water company that brokered Greene Coun- at Virginia Tech, launched a three-year study where most of our savings comes from.” by the Giles County Technology Center, sold at cost to a family in Narrows, Va., owner retains possession of the land. drainage, waste disposal and the unauthor- ty’s program, says it’s unlikely that The Nature Conservancy in the 1990s. Yet this May to help reduce the impact of this an- The behavior modification pro- which serves both Giles and Narrows high by July 2015. The home is one of three The Northeast-focused portion of the ized creation of campsites and side trails. future solar projects of this type will according to his ongoing mapping proj- nual flood of hikers and unpredictable weather. gram includes turning off lights as soon schools by assisting high school students that the service organization is currently With this knowledge in hand, Marion’s crew project has so far protected more than 3,000 Equipped with a $300,000 grant from be initiated in Tennessee schools under with career and technical education. constructing in the area. ect, this strategy often amounts to blind will create low-impact guidelines for sustain- as students leave the building for the acres of climate-resilient land in northern the National Park Service, Marion’s team of TVA’s current solar policies. Meanwhile, a sustainable biomateri- guesswork when it comes to identifying able trail maintenance, which will be shared day and controlling the temperature Appalachia. The coverage region, which researchers from Virginia Tech and North “I still have another dozen schools als class at Virginia Tech University has potential future hotspots for biodiversity. in workshops with trail staff and volunteers. includes four eligible focus areas, extends developed teaching materials on green Anderson and his team’s first study, from Maine to as far south as the Potomac building practices for the highschoolers. published in 2012, revealed that geol- Dr. Hindman, an associate professor at Headwaters of Virginia and West Virginia ogy is the strongest predictor of which Virginia Tech, saw the technology center’s — an important home of the increasingly undeveloped environments can sup- class as an opportunity for his students threatened native eastern brook trout. to apply their biomaterial construction port the greatest diversity of plants and Meanwhile the Southeast-focused knowledge in a hands-on setting, and to wildlife. Variations in features such as part of the project, which began at the teach the younger students “how the con- slope, elevation and soil profiles create a cepts of sustainability and making efficient end of 2014 with the Southern Cum- wide range of distinct habitats known as decisions are the future of the building berlands area in Georgia, Alabama and microclimates. These pockets of different construction industry.” Tennessee, recently expanded to include The principal of Giles County Tech- temperatures and moisture levels offer the southern Blue Ridge and the Greater nology Center, Forest Fowler, says that options for migrating creatures to cope free wireless internet Pee Dee River regions. The project is Locally roasted Fair Trade working with Habitat for Humanity gave with climate change. accepting applications for grant funds; frappes & fruit smoothies them an educational “structure to build Virginia Tech students explain sustainable Dubbed a “resilient landscape,” Ap- homemade pastries & desserts on.” According to Fowler, the technology deadline is July 21 and awards will be Coffee & Espresso building practices to high school students. palachia is noted as a particularly remark- center hopes to “begin a modular home announced in September. 221 w. state street black mountain, nc 828.669.0999 www.dripolator.com Photo courtesy of Virginia Tech able example of these microclimates. In the Page 18 | The Appalachian Voice | June/July 2015 June/July 2015 | The Appalachian Voice | Page 19 FI NAL (unless text moves;

an appalachian bookshelf beds of turn-of-the-century gardens. Appalachia’s Political Landscape connecting the reader intimately with Beautiful Land Phenomenal Like a detective, Wood follows the locals she encounters throughout of the Sky the life of Harlan P. Kelsey (1872-1958) By Leigh Ann Henion her travels. An eclectic Puerto Rican By Loren M. Wood through letters, newspaper clippings, To merely call it travel writ- beach denzien and a generous Tan- Clean Power Plan Comes with Options and Opportunities government documents and other ing would be overly simplistic. zanian whittle are only a few of the Yosemite National historical anecdotes. Uncover Kelsey’s Leigh Ann Henion takes readers heartwarming characters. Park’s well-known advo- By Brian Sewell The models also found that full story about opportunities presented childhood influences that led him to on a spiritual sabbatical in her Intermittently taking on a tone of cate, John Muir, had an adopting efficiency programs by the Clean Power Plan, politicians like found a native plant nursery in North The U.S. Environmental Pro- premiere novel, “Phenomenal.” wisdom, Henion weaves aphorisms, obscure counterpart in minimizes impacts of the rising McConnell and McKinley are rightly Carolina at age 12, and pursue the growth tection Agency found a familiar Wishing to reconcile the obliga- missteps and moments of self-real- the east, posits author Loren M. Wood. of an entrepreneur who transmits his love price of natural gas, the fuel that concerned about the rule’s impact on the tions and love of motherhood with ization into her book. She includes This conservation pioneer helped estab- foe in Sen. Mitch McConnell when of nature to local and national govern- will cover much of coal's lost ca- coal industry. Already against the ropes, her desire for adventure, Henion reawakens eyebrow-furrowing, thought-provoking quotes lish our country’s most visited national it announced plans to regulate ments as an environmental advocate. pacity. In models where the role of the Appalachian coal industry is expected her sense of wonder by taking part in natural like, “But maybe transcendence isn’t about park in the Great Smoky Mountains and carbon emissions from the nation’s brought native plant horticulture to the – Reviewed by Eliza Laubach phenomena across the globe. She vibrantly leaving. It’s about being present.” power plants last summer. energy efficiency was limited, on to take a huge hit from the plan. captures nature’s truly awesome performances According to a May analysis by the Henion also provides intellectual fod- Real Goods Solar sustainably. Shaeffer brightens the The Kentucky Republican the other hand, costs to consumers from passionate lightning storms in Venezuela der, referencing scientific and philosophical pages with comedic titles like “A U.S. Energy Information Administration, and Senate majority leader has Citizens calling on lawmakers to support the EPA’s Clean Power ballooned with climbing gas prices. and volcanic eruptions in Hawai’i to the seduc- greats and bravely taking on debates with Living Sourcebook Mercifully Brief Glossary of PV Sys- Plan have amplified their message ahead of the final rule’s release But the concept that improv- the EPA’s proposal is expected to more tive dance of aurora borealis in Sweden. Her an astrophysicist. Throughout her memoir, pledged to “pursue all avenues,” By John Schaeffer tem Terminology” and “Small Wind in August. Photo courtesy of Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club poetic, colorful descriptions rekindle a childlike ing energy efficiency — doing than double the number of coal plant re- Henion includes little reminders about the John Schaeffer illuminates Turbines, Cuisinart for Birds or Red whether through Congress or admiration of the world. more with less — can actually save tirements through 2040, which would also importance of protecting the environment, as the way to live off the grid in this Herring?”. This extensive resource the courts, to cripple the EPA’s April. “People expect us to do it. I don’t As the book progresses, Henion unpacks money for consumers is lost on some of impact coal production. In areas already global climate change threatens the existence 14th edition of the 1982 clas- is not only a guide to renewable Clean Power Plan, the centerpiece of see any utility thinking we’re not going the modern humans’ need for control and our of some of these life-altering phenomena. A sic. Released this year, the new energy, building and transporta- the plan’s opponents. suffering the economic impacts of coal’s tendencies to distance ourselves from the the Obama administration’s efforts to to do it. So the politics are one thing and truly delightful read, “Phenomenal” lets you edition contains more than 450 tion, but to lifestyle and worldview In April, the EPA’s Janet McCabe, decline, arguments against the plan relate immediate. In an effort to close that gap, she combat climate change. reality is another.” ride shotgun on a quest for understanding and pages of charts, definitions and personal changes that help us act as better stewards testified to the U.S. House Committee to coal job losses as much as energy costs. investigates the shared human experience, beauty. – Reviewed by Julia Lindsay to the environment. McConnell even attempted to In reality, policy groups are acting as anecdotes to help the common person live on Energy and Commerce that, “If we A new study by economists at the – Reviewed by Julia Lindsay enlist officials at the state level, ask- guides and convening state utility commis- Mountain Ingenuity // ECONOMIC DIVERSIFICATION ing governors to rebuke the president sioners and environmental regulators to use less energy, our bills can go down. University of Maryland and the consult- by simply refusing to create a plan to build a common understanding of the rule. And our carbon emissions can go down.” ing firm Industrial Economics, however, taking it one step further and Hemp Makes A Comeback implement the regulations. A range of recent analyses have West Virginia Rep. David McKinley was concludes that the impact of lost jobs in Enterprising Idea investing in infrastructure to which legalized production for research pur- shocked. “Unbelievable,” the congress- the coal sector would be offset by invest- continued from p. 14 By Laura Marion That plot has so far failed. Ahead found that, not only can states cost- poses more than a year ago, may soon ap- man replied. “It just seems delusional.” ments in cleaner energy sources and pro- encourage new business. In early May, the commissioner of the of the final rule’s release in August, at effectively comply with the Clean prove commercial growers too. Close behind from in and around the Chattanooga, Tenn., of all the urban Kentucky Department of Agriculture an- As for renewable energy, the antici- ductivity gains across the U.S. economy. is Virginia, with an industrial hemp research least 41 states are moving to meet their Power Plan, they can create savings for area selling their products this sum- centers in the region, has best positioned nounced that 121 industrial hemp projects pated growth of wind and solar mean Despite the flexibility given to states farming bill that will go into effect this July. emissions goals, taking advantage of the consumers while reducing pollution. In will be participating in this second year of that they will contribute to reducing under the plan, those seeking to defeat mer — nearly ten times the number itself as an attractive destination for entre- The industry is not legal in North Carolina, flexibility offered under the plan to craft May, the Center for Climate and Energy the state’s five-year pilot program. Licensed from the previous year. preneurs. The city invested in a fiber optic but a company is building a plant to process carbon with or without the Clean it are resolute. Legislation recently in- growers and processors, as well as seven their own path to compliance. Solutions compared the findings of six One vendor, Chris Caudill, who spe- grid and offered reasonably priced access kenaf, a fibrous cousin to hemp. Power Plan. States with policies that troduced by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, universities, will cultivate more than 1,700 “We have the legal — not just right such analyses, all of which conclude A variety of Cannabis, hemp was out- incentivize renewable energy will see R-W.Va., aims to erase the Clean Power cializes in corn and pumpkins, estimates to lure modern entrepreneurs with some acres — up from just 33 acres last year. and authority but responsibility — to that energy efficiency is the most cost- lawed in 1970 because lawmakers feared that he’ll generate $30,000 in sales this of the fastest internet speeds in the coun- “Hemp equals jobs and economic the greatest benefit. Plan, according to language of the bill, “as a correlation between hemp and marijuana [finalize the Clean Power Plan],” EPA effective way to reduce emissions and year at the market, which he hopes to put development,” the commissioner said in While they don’t give the public the though the rules had never been issued." try. So successful is Chattanooga’s big bet since hemp contains some THC, marijuana’s Administrator Gina McCarthy said in lower demand for fossil fuels. a press release. toward opening a grist mill. on fast internet, that it prompted Google psychoactive ingredient. However, the Plans to cultivate this profitable crop TH Kentucky Tennessee North Carolina Virginia West Virginia “My vision is to have an old-timey to copy the city’s model with their Fiber amount of THC in hemp is minimal. 114 CONGRESS: Below are recent congressional bills and amendments on envi- — used for natural body care, clothing, ronmental issues and how central and southern Appalachian representatives voted. To operation with the big wheel that Prior to February 2014, when the farm program, which offers Gigabit internet construction materials, biofuels, food and see other recent votes, or for congressional representatives outside of the five-state area, bill removed long-standing federal restrictions rotates in the river,” says Caudill. “I and television access in select U.S. cities. more — are also in the works for several visit thomas.gov. =pro-environment vote✗ =anti-environment voteO =no vote on hemp cultivation, hemp fiber and oil were want to do tours and show people how Given the progress that the forward- additional states in Appalachia.

mainly imported from China, Canada and T. Massie H. Rogers RoeP. S. Desjarlais V. Foxx McHenreyP. M. Griffith A. Barr J. Duncan Fleischman M. Meadows R. Hurt B. Goodlatte D. McKinley A. Mooney E. Jenkins HOUSE (R) KY-04 (R) TN-01 (R) TN-04 (R) NC-10 (R) VA-09 At press time, the 53 farmers approved to (R) KY-05 (R) KY-06 (R) TN-02 (R) TN-03 (R) NC-05 (R) NC-11 (R) VA-05 (R) VA-06 (R) WV-01 (R) WV-02 (D) WV-03 cornmeal was made many years ago, thinking people, municipalities and orga- Europe. Before hemp production was crimi- participate in Tennessee’s new pilot program H.R. 1732, the Regulatory Integrity Protection Act, repeals a recent EPA and Army Corps and sell them cornmeal made in that nizations in the region are making — and nalized, it was widely cultivated in the United ✗ are awaiting hemp seed shipments, which of Engineers rule that defines the “waters of the United States” that fall under jurisdiction of ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ OO ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ way, right there at the mill.” the examples they are setting — it seems States. Even the Declaration of Independence the Clean Water Act. 261 AYES, 155 NOES, 16 NV PASSED need to be planted by June. West Virginia, Urban centers in Appalachia are that they may just be on to something. was drafted on paper made from hemp. H.R. 2028, the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, authorized funding for the Department of Energy and other initiatives, lowering spending on ✗✗✗ ✗✗✗✗✗✗✗✗✗✗✗✗ renewable energy and energy efficiency and increasing spending on fossil fuel research. Offers a diverse mix of music & informative programming for the heart of Appalachia. 240 AYES, 177 NOES, NV 14 PASSED H.Amdt.171 to H.R. 2028 cuts all funding to the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy ✗ Efficiency and Renewable Energy 139 AYES, 282 NOES, 10 NV FAILED ✗ ✗ ✗O ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ Music from the Mountains • Delicious Deli-Style Sandwiches SENATE M. McConnell (R) R. Paul (R) L. Alexander (R) B. Corker (R) R. Burr (R) T. Tillis (R) T. Kaine (D) M. Warner (D) J. Manchin (D) S. M. Capito (R) • Homemade Soups S.Con.Res. 11 establishes a budget for fiscal year 2016 that favors increased fossil fuel ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ • Vegetarian Fare development. 52 AYES, 46 NAYS, 2 NV PASSED S.Amdt. 659 to S.Con.Res. 11 requires the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to enhance reviews of ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ • And Much More! the economic impacts of critical wildlife habitat designation. 52 AYES, 42 NAYS, 6 NV PASSED S.Amdt. 777 to S.Con.Res. 11 declares that climate change is real, caused by human activity, and that Congress should cut carbon pollution. 49 AYES, 50 NOES,1 NV FAILED ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ S.Amdt. 836 to S.Con.Res. 11 prohibits the EPA from withholding highway funds from states that refuse to comply with the agency’s Clean Power Plan. 57 AYES, 43 NOES PASSED ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ 240 Shadowline Drive, Boone, North Carolina S.Amdt. 838 to S.Con.Res. 11 would allow Congress to sell, transfer or exchange federal (828) 262-1250 • www.Peppers-Restaurant.com public land that is not part of a national park, national monument or national preserve to ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ LISTENER -SUPPORTED RADIO WWW.WMMTFM.ORG state or private entities. 51 AYES, 49 NOES PASSED

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the half-century track record as a major Patriots of the New River Valley obtained 2015, the EPA approved the Louisiana Radford Arsenal emitter of contaminants provides ample via a Freedom of Information Act request, Military Department’s proposal to hire Sparking a Controversy continued from previous page reason to investigate the Radford plant for outlines violations of four federal statutes a contractor to conduct a contained burn. Superfund status. But the EPA-supervised including the Clear Air and Clean Water Oberlender has followed the events Air pollution permit renewal raises During the burns, contaminated material cleanup plan for the facility stops short of Acts. When asked about the findings at at Camp Minden and strives to see the is doused with diesel fuel. Plant employ- questions for Radford arsenal classifying the plant as a Superfund site, the meeting, Army officials said they were open burns in Radford replaced with ees go behind a wall as the burn begins. and Justine Barati, director of Public and not yet ready to comment. safer disposal methods. By Andrea Brunais confirms that the Radford Army Am- “All of this takes place 150 feet Congressional Affairs Joint Munitions “I think there’s more widespread Perhaps in a parallel universe, these munition Plant, operated by a private from the New River – just a mile and a Alternative Disposal contractor to manufacture munitions Command for the Army, supports the challenge to [the permit renewal] com- four things don’t sit within walking half upwind from Belview Elementary BAE Systems, the plant’s private- for the U.S. Army, is “one of the top status quo, responding in an email that ing than the Army has let on,” deFur distance: a toxin-emitting munitions School,” Oberlender says. sector operator since 2011, also operates emitters of toxic chemicals in the state.” Superfund status does not apply. says. “The question is, how long is plant, a mountain river, an elementary On the plant’s website, the Army Holston Army Ammunition Plant in According to the DEQ, some nine For Nelson and deFur, Superfund anybody going to put up with the open school playground and Kentland Farm, states that safety procedures “include Kingsport, Tenn., where the Tennes- million pounds of toxins are released classification could be a big part of a burning and [with] Radford being one where Virginia Tech students tend plots The Radford Army Ammunition Plant red flashing lights and a warning speak- see Clean Water Network has filed from the plant annually, most being long-term solution. According to deFur, of the largest contributors of nitrogen of fruits and vegetables. in Virginia manufactures munitions for er system to notify people on the river suit against the company and the U.S. nitrate compounds stemming from the if agency regulators were to declare the going into the river?” The New River, famous for its snaky the U.S. Army. Photo courtesy U.S. EPA that a burn is going to occur.” military. The lawsuit claims that the process that neutralizes acids used to arsenal a Superfund site, a full-scale As the Army readies for the DEQ’s wildness, is a favorite of kayakers and Also adding to the air pollution is Kingsport plant is polluting the Holston make explosives. In the agency’s Toxic cleanup could take place with federal decision, greater public questioning tourism-boosters who tout its unusual an aging 1941 coal-fired power plant that River, a drinking water source, with Release Inventory report for 2013, is- chromium, cadmium and perchlorates. may not measurably contaminate the agency involvement “in a day-to-day has upped the ante. “They’ve never south-to-north flow and its ancient ori- generates most of the arsenal facility’s RDX, an explosive chemical that may sued this spring, the arsenal once again The operators are also issued per- river even when permitted discharge way,” he says. Public scrutiny would be had as many people asking about the gins. Biodiversity flourishes near the river, electricity. According to Rob Davie, the also be a human carcinogen. topped Virginia’s list of polluters; the mits to burn some of the hazardous limits are exceeded because the river is increased as well, Nelson adds. plant as there are right now,” Nelson whose features include breathtaking rock Army’s chief of operations at the plant, But the Radford plant’s contamina- annual report has frequently listed the waste left over from the manufacturing huge enough to easily swallow up the What’s more, deFur says, Super- says. “There’s more public questioning cliffs and rim-top ledges. Its three-state getting a new, cleaner plant within two tion problems predate BAE Systems by plant. process. Burns take place out in the compounds. But he points to what he calls fund oversight would bring more atten- than the arsenal has ever experienced span – North Carolina, Virginia and West years is one of the “priorities” of the Army. decades. Over the years, explosions and By law, operators are permitted open, in sight of the river and close to a fundamental flaw in the agency’s meth- tion to groundwater cleanup. “The data in its history.” Virginia – hosts vastly different environ- major fires have repeatedly occurred. to discharge toxic substances, mostly an elementary school. The DEQ issued a odology: “The DEQ’s entire approach is Cleanup Questions on what chemicals are going where are mental issues along its length. Relatives of people working at the nitrates, into the river. According to the warning letter to the facility in April 2015 that dilution is the solution,” he says. Greg Nelson, a Virginia Tech student not sufficient to confirm that the existing In Virginia’s Pulaski and Montgom- arsenal, who asked to remain anony- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, when an open burn produced 4 percent Which is better, he asks: Halting whose doctoral dissertation focuses on problem is not larger and not reaching ery counties near the town of Blacks- mous, say the community accepted such the plant’s toxic emissions include ni- more lead than the permit allows. the discharge of millions of pounds of public participation in the hazardous- the New River,” he says. burg, a 4,600-acre U.S. Army munitions incidents because they were thankful troglycerin, lead, ammonia and nitric The plant was cited as a top pol- contaminants into a water body, or con- waste cleanup at the arsenal, seeks to ad- At a recent public meeting on May plant dating to 1941 straddles the New for jobs — even though the price paid acid. Other hazardous wastes identified luter in a 2012 report on the nation’s tinuing the polluting practices because dress the risks from burning thousands 28 mandated by the cleanup plan, Ober- River. Bill Hayden of the Virginia De- included spills and releases of toxic at the plant include remnants of TNT, most contaminated waterways from of the theory that the New River is so of pounds of what are called “munitions lender and others came armed with a partment of Environmental Quality chemicals into the soil, water and air. the Environment America Research large and flows so fast that the toxins constituents.” He says, “The health ef- December 2014 report from the EPA’s Na- As the June 29 deadline to begin the and Policy Center, but studies repeat- quickly seem to leave no trace? fects have never been documented be- tional Enforcement Investigations Center renewal process for the plant’s open-burn edly deem the plant’s emissions — at cause there’s never been a health study.” that was publicly released the day before. A Hazardous Breeze permit approaches, DEQ spokesperson least those that are measured — in According to Nelson and deFur, The report, which the Environmental Some environmental advocates compliance with environmental laws Hayden says the agency is “evaluating believe the battleground should be air and health standards. Regulators from possible alternatives.” The Army’s Da- quality rather than water quality. The vie says the arsenal “will be going to bid” the DEQ as well as Army staff defend school system in North Carolina held plant’s DEQ permit, which allows 8,000 Schools Go Green on a project to design an incinerator to Used, the strictness of the standards. continued from p. 18 its first ever Solar Schools Challenge last pounds of propellant to be burned in replace open burns, but he declines to an- The latest all-clear regarding water year. North Buncombe Middle School Rare & Out the open air each day, is up for renewal Lindsay Check Snoddy, program manager swer questions about timeline and cost. quality comes from the Centers for Dis- won the grand prize, a 1-kilowatt, grid- at the end of June. for environment, energy and sustainabili- Different disposal methods were of Print Books ease Control and Prevention. A study tied solar system donated by FLS Energy. According to Peter deFur, an en- ty with Albemarle County Public Schools. considered at Camp Minden in Louisi- released in January concluded that The contest, part of the Natural Resources Specializing in vironmental scientist and instructor at According to Snoddy, the educational ana, where a 2014 proposal to eliminate Books about Black the plant’s discharges “cannot harm Defense Council’s Solar Schools cam- Virginia Commonwealth University, opportunities of the solar system aren’t more than 15 million pounds of an Mountain College people’s health” via groundwater used paign, helped students learn about solar air quality measurements in nearby limited to science and math. An art class explosive propellant called M6 through for local residential drinking water. power and encouraged schools to seek neighborhoods have never been col- at Henley Middle School integrated demo open burns spurred public outcry. In May According to Rick Roth, president of creative ways to incorporate solar energy. lected and are needed. solar panels with art to create and animate the local Friends of the New River and Elsewhere in the Tarheel State, NC Dr. Jill Dyken — the co-author of the an outdoor art sculpture. professor of geospatial science at Radford Green Power, a nonprofit based in Ra- Organ CDC report that examined groundwater And in late May, the school system UY ic University, the CDC’s conclusion does not leigh, is offering schools across North B near the plant — agrees, stating that the announced a partnership with Staunton, surprise him. “Are they the kind of toxins Carolina an opportunity to apply for agency “recognizes the lack of air sam- Va.-based solar company Secure Futures that bioaccumulate?” asks Roth of the matching grants to fund small-scale solar pling results as a data gap.” She further to install 3,000 solar panels on six schools, plant’s nitrogen discharges into the New photovoltaic systems. writes in an email that the agency’s next which will generate 1.3 million kilowatt- River, and immediately answers, “No.” Though green practices add up to step is to “evaluate the community’s hours per year. The contract is the first But according to a former Virginia savings on energy costs and more edu- exposures to contaminants in air.” between a third-party energy company DEQ employee who quit his job citing cational opportunities for Appalachia’s Blacksburg resident Devawn Ober- and a school district in Virginia. Powered lax enforcement, concerns over the schools, varying regulations and funding Jean & Carl Franklin by (PV) lender, spokesperson for Environmental Solar energy companies have also 103 Cherry Street Solar Cells plant’s history of handling hazardous means that all school systems aren’t on B Patriots of the New River Valley, cam- shown support for the green schools U E Black Mountain, NC 28711 materials on the premises are legitimate. equal footing. For some, going green may Y D paigns to end the arsenal’s open burns. movement by donating prizes for green F ra (828) 669-8149 The former regulator, who spoke require innovative funding that includes air T competitions. The Asheville-Buncombe [email protected] on condition of anonymity, says nitrates continued on next page a variety of public and private sources. BlueSmokeCoffee.com

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of the state’s Special Reclamation Fund. Residents Near Duke Ash Ponds Told To Not Drink Their Water Another Challenge Facing Coal: Cleaning Up “Given the precarious financial situa- tion” of companies operating in West Vir- By Brian Sewell to insure its mines in the state through As even some of the largest U.S. coal “self-bonding,” a feature that had allowed producers run the risk of caving under their ginia, the letter states, regulators should Utility pleads guilty to separate Yet another aspect of the financial the company to cover the future cost of debts, officials that oversee the federal closely examine the risk of failure for sites perils facing U.S. coal companies has restoring the land without putting down bonding program under the 1977 Surface with markedly more expensive liabilities, water pollution charges recently come to the foreground. collateral, provided the company met Mine Control and Reclamation Act are such as pollution treatment facilities. Regulators are questioning the ability By Sarah Kellogg tested by May —all located certain financial criteria. voicing urgent concerns to state officials. As the problem grows, advocates for of coal companies to pay for post-mine The decision came after officials of In April, the U.S. Office of Surface reform of the bonding program face a pre- within 1,000 feet of the ponds land reclamation, so they are moving to Jeff Keiser and his wife, Kim, have Wyoming’s Department of Environmental Mining Reclamation and Enforcement sent dicament. Stricter self-bonding standards —191 were deemed unsafe protect taxpayers’ interests by targeting lived in a small neighborhood in Bel- Quality reviewed Alpha’s finances and a letter to West Virginia Department of could push cash-strapped companies to drink. Most of the wells a tool coal companies use to limit the mont, N.C., near Duke Energy’s G.G. determined it is no longer eligible to self- Environmental Protection Secretary Randy like Alpha and Arch Coal closer to bank- upfront costs of their operations. tested high for vanadium or bond under state standards. The company Huffman requesting that the state conduct a ruptcy. But inaction could leave taxpayers Allen power plant, for 15 years. Although On May 29, regulators in Wyoming hexavalent chromium, both now has less than 90 days to put up $411 fuller analysis of future risks — not just his- to pick up the bill if companies cannot their community is surrounded on three withdrew Alpha Natural Resources’ ability million in anticipated mine cleanup costs. toric data — to ensure the long-term viability meet reclamation requirements. sides by coal ash, the toxic by-product of known carcinogens. The Bel- mont community received 83 burning coal, the Keisers have used their Labor Dept. Audits MSHA tap water just like anyone else. But that do-not-drink orders, the most Fracking Concerns Fuel Research, Government Opposition of any location. Following a scathing report by two media Expressing concern that fracking may through their zoning rules, wrote Herring. In changed in late April when they and their to nine violations of the Clean Water Residents impacted by coal ash join together with By Eliza Laubach organizations into unpaid mine safety fines, threaten local water supplies, the town of early June, the state of Maryland passed a neighbors started receiving letters from Duke Energy claims that the ele- concerned citizens to rally outside the annual The sharp increase in earthquakes in Act at five of its North Carolina coal ash the U.S. Department of Labor has announced Berea, Ky. passed a resolution that advises temporary moratorium, following suit with New ments found in the wells are naturally Duke Energy shareholder’s meeting in Charlotte the central and eastern United States since the state health department advising them sites and agreed to pay a $102 million plans to audit the Mine Safety and Health Ad- against the unconventional drilling practice. York’s and New Jersey’s bans. occurring and not a result of groundwa- on May 7. Photo courtesy of NC WARN 2009 is linked to injecting wastewater under- not to drink or cook with their water. ministration’s handling of delinquent penalties. The resolution calls for a review of land use and A federal judge has halted drilling permit fine. The lawsuit was unrelated to the ground, the U.S. Geological Survey stated ter contamination from coal ash ponds, The 2014 report by NPR and Mine Safety zoning regulations in regards to fracking, ac- approvals in North Carolina until a decision “It was pretty frightening for us well water results, but rather was the re- water and drinking water. Although in a recent report. This waste is backwash although the utility agreed to supply and Health News motivated members of cording to the Richmond Register. Just weeks is made on a lawsuit filed by the state’s Gov. to hear all of our neighbors getting do sult of a federal investigation that began the state is suing Duke Energy for the from fracking, a form of drilling used to free affected residents with bottled water Congress and mine safety experts to urge after the measure passed unanimously in April, Pat McCrory against the state legislature. The not drink letters from the state,” recalls natural gas and oil from shale rock forma- after Duke spilled 39,000 tons of coal violations, it issued new draft permits the Labor Department to investigate what Kentucky’s first fracking permit was approved lawsuit filed this spring questions the consti- until the source of the contamination is tions. It involves injecting water, chemicals Keiser. “We had been drinking the water ash into the Dan River in February 2014. that would make all current and future U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott of Virginia called “a in Johnson County, east of Berea. tutionality of several energy and environment determined. and sand at high pressure deep into the with no worry at all, now we’re scared Separate lawsuits against Duke, seeps from the coal ash ponds legal. festering problem” of failed enforcement. More In Virginia, State Attorney General Mark boards, and casts doubt on the legality of Keiser and other residents feel cer- ground. After the wastewater resurfaces, oil for our health.” than 2,700 mine operators have skirted paying Herring reversed a standing precedent pre- fracking in the state. Largely ignored by the filed by the state in 2013 for violations As of publication, the permits have not and gas companies will inject it back into the tain that Duke is to blame for their bad over $70 million in long overdue fines — some venting local governments from passing laws industry due to unconfirmed gas reserves, The do-not-drink orders were a re- of the Clean Water Act at all 14 of the been finalized, but hundreds of citizens ground for storage, which can create seismic water. “I do feel like it’s their ash ponds going back decades — while continuing to banning fracking. Municipalities that choose the state has received no permit applications sult of mandatory water tests conducted utility’s North Carolina coal ash sites, submitted comments in April urging disturbances, the USGS confirmed. that have created this whole mess,” he put miners at risk of injury or death, the news to allow fracking may now regulate fracking since legislators opened it to fracking in March. by Duke Energy and required by North are still pending. the state to limit the amount of coal ash says. His neighbor, Barbara Morales, organizations’ report found. Workers at delin- Carolina’s Coal Ash Management Act. Duke’s guilty verdict and the do- pollution Duke Energy can discharge. quent mines were also found to be 50 percent who also received a do-not-drink notice, used to process coal. The DEP order follows Mountaintop Removal Reduces adverse impacts to the federally protected As of late May, wells had been tested not-drink orders come on the heels of In Belmont and other communities, more likely to be injured on the job. a series of coal-related spills in early 2014 blackside dace before issuing a permit for told the L.A. Times, “Duke just won’t near eleven of Duke’s fourteen coal a controversial wastewater discharge residents continue to process the news The audit will target MSHA’s process for and the discovery that many potentially Nearby Songbird Populations a 1,088-acre mountaintop removal mine in admit their coal ash is poisoning my assessing and collecting civil penalties, but ash pond locations. Of the 207 wells permit renewal for three of Duke En- that their well water is undrinkable. “If hazardous products used to process coal Forest-dependent songbird species Claiborne County. Under the Endangered water, but they need to Labor Department officials say the scope and were previously not required to be disclosed. Species Act, agencies must ensure their ergy’s N.C. plants, including G.G. Allen. we wanted to move, we’d feel obligated appear in significantly smaller numbers in take responsibility.” ultimate objectives are still being determined. DEP spokeswoman Kelley Gillenwater claims areas adjacent to reclaimed mountaintop re- actions are not likely to jeopardize the con- The state’s Clean Water Act lawsuits to let the purchasers of the house know Two weeks after any cost imposed on companies by the new moval mines, according to a study published tinued existence of a listed species. against Duke charge that the utility is about the issue with Duke and the Duke to Close Asheville Coal Plant reporting requirements are insignificant com- the first round of wa- this year in the journal Landscape Ecology. violating the discharge permits at all drinking water in our neighborhood,” pared to the potential liabilities a company Evaluating bird populations in forested land McAuliffe Fast-tracks Efficiency ter tests was released, Under pressure to address rampant coal of their plants due to toxic seeps from Keiser reflects. “That is very scary be- ash pollution, Duke Energy announced it will could face for polluting West Virginia’s waters. next to reclaimed mine sites in Kentucky and Citing the clean energy sector as a “key Duke Energy pleaded their coal ash ponds leaking into surface cause this is our most valuable asset.” close its aging coal plant located near Ashe- West Virginia, researchers found declines in strategic growth area” for Virginia’s economy, guilty in federal court Dominion Eyes Alternate Route CML ad ville, N.C., and replace it with a 650-megawatt nearly two dozen types of songbirds, includ- Governor Terry McAuliffe moved up the state’s natural gas-fired facility, nearly doubling the for Atlantic Coast Pipeline ing species of conservation concern such as goal to reduce retail electricity use by 10 per- current plant’s electricity-generating capacity. the cerulean warbler. A smaller amount of cent from 2022 to 2020. The governor appoint- Immense public opposition in Virginia Of the four facilities deemed “high priority” species, mostly shrubland birds, responded ed 12 individuals from the public and private led developers to propose alternate routes North Carolina’s Complicated Road to Renewables by North Carolina’s Coal Ash Management positively to increases in grassland. “If [for- sector to his Executive Committee on Energy for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, avoiding the Act, the Asheville plant is the only one that est] managers want to take actions that may Efficiency, which is tasked with developing a two counties where residents have been As coal ash continues to plague communi- mercial investments in solar since its adoption in still burns coal. The facility is also one of the benefit sensitive, forest-dependent species, strategy to meet the accelerated goal. Currently, most unwavering. Dominion Transmission ties across North Carolina, the state’s legislature 1999. Despite the proven success of the tax credits, state’s few still-operating plants involved in they need to minimize the amount of forest Virginia ranks thirty-fifth in the nation for overall Inc., which plans to build the 550-mile natural the federal lawsuit over coal ash pollution that lost in a landscape,” commented Doug efficiency policies according to the American is debating whether to invest in or put a freeze many N.C. legislators oppose renewing them. gas pipeline through West Virginia, Virginia led Duke to plead guilty to nine misdemean- Becker, the study’s senior author. Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. on renewable energy. The Energy Freedom Act, Another bill, which was controversially and North Carolina to serve southeastern ors under the Clean Water Act. In May, the utilities, announced in May that it mapped introduced by House Republicans, would al- moved through House committee, would roll back North Carolina Senate approved a three-year Lawsuit Defends Blackside Dace a more-eastern route through Augusta TVA Milestone at Nuclear Plant low third party solar sales in the state and has the 2007 requirement that North Carolina generate extension to Duke’s 2019 deadline for clean- and Nelson counties, slightly shortening A federal lawsuit filed in Knoxville, Tenn., The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Com- the potential to increase investments in solar 12.5% of its power from renewable sources and ing up the plant’s coal ash ponds. the proposed route through the state and alleges regulators failed to meet legal obliga- mission voted in May to issue an operat- energy. The bill has bipartisan support, as well energy efficiency to just 6%, the amount already DEP Orders Coal Prep Plants crossing fewer bodies of water. According tions to protect a threatened fish endemic to ing license to Watts Bar Unit 2, a nuclear as the backing of environmental groups and the achieved. Tech giants Google, Apple, and Face- to Dominion, the changes “potentially have Appalachian streams. Four citizens groups, power reactor owned by the Tennessee “Always a great read!” military. book, all of which have North Carolina facilities, to Disclose Chemicals less impact to environmental, historical and including the Sierra Club and Statewide Valley Authority, pending additional regula- Organizing for Community eMpowerment, At stores & businesses Another bill currently under consideration wrote a letter opposing the freeze as well as a An April order by the West Virginia cultural resources than the initial route.” But tory requirements. If approved, Watts Bar claim the U.S. Office of Surface Mining Rec- almost everywhere in the High Country! Department of Environmental Protection landowners’ qualms persist since the alter- 2 would be the first commercial nuclear would extend North Carolina’s renewable energy provision in the bill that they say could also halt lamation and Enforcement failed to consult or read us online at CMLmagazine.com requires the state’s approximately 90 coal nate route does not take advantage of exist- reactor licensed in the United States since [email protected] | 828-737-0771 | PO Box 976, Linville, NC 28646 976, Linville, [email protected] | 828-737-0771 PO Box tax credit, which has spurred residential and com- renewable energy investments. — Sarah Kellogg with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service about preparation plants to disclose the chemicals ing right-of-ways, among other concerns. the first unit at the Watts Bar plant in 1996.

Page 24 | The Appalachian Voice | June/July 2015 June/July 2015 | The Appalachian Voice | Page 25 EXPORT-

INSIDE APPALACHIAN VOICES About Our Program Work INSIDE APPALACHIAN VOICES About Our Program Work Appalachian Voices is committed to protecting the land, air and water of Solidarity in the Tar Heel State William Dixon: The Eternal Optimist the central and southern Appalachian region. Our mission is to empower Story by Julia Simcoe and staff were found to be polluting By Dac Collins people to defend our region’s rich ground and surface water, and natural and cultural heritage by Appalachian Voices joined William Dixon takes a short recently, close to 200 house- providing them with tools and strategies representatives of the National break during our conversation to for successful grassroots campaigns. holds near some of the ponds Society for the Advancement of ring up a customer in his interna- were issued notices from the Colored People in Stokes County, tional grocery store located in Beck- Organizational Staff state health department advis- N.C., last May to stand in soli- ley, W.Va. “If she’s Ethiopian, she’ll ing them to not drink or cook Executive Director ...... Tom Cormons darity against disproportionate like this one…tell her it’s Egyptian with water from their wells OPERATIONS & DEVELOPMENT polluting in low-income com- style,” he tells a patron who is shop- Director of Development...... Jonathan Harvey (see full story on page 24). munities of color. Representatives ping for his girlfriend. Controller ...... Susan Congelosi The state’s recent decision Operations Manager ...... Shay Boyd from local and national levels of Taya and Abraham’s Interna- Director of Leadership Gifts ...... Kayti Wingfield to drill an exploratory core the NAACP spoke at the event, tional Grocery is unique in a town Development and Operations Coordinator...... Maeve Gould sample to assess natural gas reserves in Rev. Hairston, president of the Stokes County, N.C., NAACP, speaks at an event to bring attention to Operations and Outreach Associate ...... Lauren Essick joined by Karenna Gore, director of the with just over 17,000 people. And so is Walnut Tree has led to concerns that hy- disproportionate environmental threats in low-income communities of color. At left, a concerned resident PROGRAMS Center for Earth Ethics at Union Theo- William, who opened the store in 2009 draulic fracturing might come to the area. holds a sign asking for the state to designate Belews Creek as a high-priority coal ash cleanup site. Director of Programs...... Matt Wasson logical Seminary and daughter of Al Gore. with his wife Dipinti, and has distrib- This reclaimed mine site across the street from Campaign Director ...... Kate Rooth Tracey Edwards grew up next to the nergy olicy irector ory c lmoil Stokes County is home to the coal Jacqueline Patterson from the NAACP plant,” she said. “African-American chil- uted The Appalachian Voice there for William’s Bishop Ranch holler home is no E P D ...... R M I Belews Creek Steam Station and remem- longer the forested mountain he explored in his Legislative Associate ...... Thom Kay ash ponds at Duke Energy’s Belews Creek urged the crowd to see connections be- dren are five times more likely to enter into the past three years. The native West North Carolina Campaign Coordinator ...... Amy Adams bers when coal ash used to fill the air, youth. Photos by William Dixon Steam Station. The two communities clos- tween racism, healthcare and pollution. the hospital from asthma attacks and three Virginian has lived his whole life in a Virginia Campaign Coordinator ...... Hannah Wiegard landing on their homes and gardens. She Water Quality Specialist ...... Eric Chance est to the ponds — Walnut Tree and Belews “Sixty-eight percent of African-Americans times likely to die from asthma attacks, so nearby holler that has been home to Central Appalachian Campaign Coordinator ...... Erin Savage recalls eating from the garden and worries that the mountain he climbed as a Creek — are predominantly African- live within 30 miles of a coal-fired power this is definitely a moral issue.” his family for generations. North Carolina Field Coordinator ...... Sarah Kellogg that the ash may have affected her health. teenager was altered permanently, Economic Diversivicaton Coordinator ...... Adam Wells American and low-income, although the The holler, known by locals as Edwards feels she has already dealt its peak blown up and flattened. Tennessee Enerby Savings Coordinator ...... Amy Kelly county as a whole is less than 10 percent Bishop Ranch, is located in the heart bit of hope, although things seem to Central Appalachian Field Coordinator ...... Tarence Ray with too much pollution, and does not Breaking Clean Tour “This is something that took millions AmeriCorps Energy Savings Associate ...... Eliza Laubach African-American. of coal country—halfway between get worse and worse.” want fracking to come to the community. The Mullins family is hitting of years to form, and now it’s gone AmeriCorps Outreach Education Associate ...... Jaimie McGirt All 14 of Duke’s N.C. coal ash ponds Beckley and Charleston. William was William believes that the only the road once more to share their forever,” he comments. Communications & Technology an adolescent when mountaintop real solution to the problems created Director of Communications ...... Cat McCue story about life in the Appalachian Although the destruction Wil- removal coal mining became the pri- by mountaintop removal would Senior Communications Coordinator ...... Jamie Goodman coalfields. The Breaking Clean Tour, liam has witnessed over the past two Programs Communications Coordinator...... Brian Sewell mary means of extracting coal in the be to move away from coal as an which visited more than 20 cities in decades is nothing short of tragic, Editorial Communications Coordinator...... Molly Moore AmeriCorps Communications Associate...... Kimber Ray the Southeast and Midwest in 2014, area. Now 31 years old, he has a front energy source, and he suggests that he still has hope for the future and IT Consultant...... Jeff Deal row seat in the theater of destruction before we can complete that transi- will be heading to the Pacific North- refuses to leave the holler where he Allison Cook...... Graphic Design Associate west this summer. Nick, a former that surrounds his home. tion, we have to quit referring to coal was raised. The eternal optimist, he INTERNS fourth-generation underground coal “You grow attached to the land- as “cheap energy.” suggests that the flattened, treeless Energy Savings Outreach Assistant...... Chloe Green miner, his wife Rusti, and their chil- scape when you’re growing up, it be- “If you looked at the long-term Energy Savings Outreach Assistant...... Elena Nansen dren Daniel and Alex will meet with mountaintops would make perfect ES/NC Outreach Assistant...... Julia Simcoe comes a part of who you are,” William cost—between the environmental NC Outreach Assistant...... Terrell Taylor and talk to community groups and individual citizens about Appalachian sites for wind farms. says, “And when you see this type of damage and the health effects on NC Research Assistant...... Peter Thompson “I ask myself how bad are things residents and their struggle against mountaintop removal mining and change, it does something to you.” people living nearby—it would be the Stanback Appalachian Assistant...... Francis Oggerri share Nick and Rusti’s mission to create a better future for their children. going to get before they get better,” Economic Development Assistant...... Michael Shrader William admits that he didn’t most expensive form of electricity you Virginia Grassroots Assistant...... Tina Badger “I hope people will take away a new knowledge and interest in how coal William says. “[But] I gotta keep that become an activist until his early could ever imagine,” says William. Virginia Grassroots Assistant...... Linda Chen is extracted and used,” Nick says. Appalachian Voices is excited to be hope inside of me that things will Virginia Grassroots Assistant...... Nicole Duimstra twenties, when he suddenly realized irginia rassroots ssistant llison eil help sponsor the tour. Learn more about the Mullins family and follow their get better. We gotta keep that little V G A ...... E H Virginia Grassroots Assistant...... Katie White progress at breakingcleantour.org Virginia Grassroots Assistant...... Brian Yudkin Editorial Assistant ...... Cody Burchett The Newest Member of Our Team Editorial Assistant...... Julia Lindsay AppalachianVoices Editorial Assistant...... Laura Marion To join our Business Please join us in welcoming Tarence League, visit AppVoices.org or call Ray, expanding our Appalachian Water Board of Directors Business League 877-APP-VOICE Spreading the Word at FloydFest New & Renewing Members June - July 2015 Watch project in Central Appalachia Chair ...... Kim Gilliam and working on federal policy to end Vice-Chair ...... Landra Lewis It’s not too late to get tickets to this year’s FloydFest: A Pimento Mountain Construction Enterprises mountaintop removal coal mining. Secretary ...... Dot Griffith Fire on the Mountain, but don’t delay, as they won’t Charlottesville, VA | apimentocatering.com Boone, NC |mountainconstruction.com Tarence was raised in the rural oilfields of Treasurer ...... Kathy Selvage Members-At-Large last long. Appalachian Voices staff is gearing up for an Appalachian Mountain Brewery Potter’s Craft Cider southeastern New Mexico and received Boone, NC | appalachianmountainbrewery.com Free Union, VA | potterscraftcider.com unforgettable event. We’re collaborating with festival a bachelor’s degree in history from the Clara Bingham Pallavi Podapati Pat Holmes Lauren Waterworth staff to create a special Tattoo Parlor in the middle of Beehive Events Proper University of Texas at Austin. He served the festival, where we will spread the word about moun- Scottsville, VA | beehiveevents.com Boone, NC | propermeal.com Silas House Tracey Wright two terms as an AmeriCorps VISTA in Rick Phelps Tom Cormons (Ex-officio) taintop removal coal mining, encourage stewardship of Blue Mountain Brewery Seven Oaks Farm and Vineyard Afton, VA | bluemountainbrewery.com Greenwood, VA |sevenoaksfav.com Letcher County, Ky., focusing on the Advisory Council the mountains we all love, and hope to (temporarily!) tat- connections between water quality, systemic poverty, mine safety, Jefferson Vineyards Skyline Tents Learn about our Jonathan C. Allen Van Jones too 10,000+ festivalgoers with the words iLoveMountains. the black lung benefits system and the environmental impacts of coal Charlottesville, VA | jeffersonvineyards.com Charlottesville, VA |skylinetentcompany.com Jessica Barba Brown J. Haskell Murray Special thanks to Erika Johnson, Kris Hodges, Sam Calhoun campaign on page 7 Mast General Store WMMT Radio mining. Tarence is an occasional contributor to The Daily Yonder blog Alfred Glover Brenda Sigmon and everyone at Across-the-Way Productions — we’ll see and Appalshop’s WMMT-FM in Whitesburg, Ky. andy ayes unk pann Valle Crucis, NC | mastgeneralstore.com Whitesburg, KY |wmmt.org VISIT: CommunitiesAtRisk.org R H B S you July 22-26! Learn more at appvoices.org/floydfest Photos courtesy of FloydFest Christina Howe Non-Profit The Appalachian Voice Organization 171 Grand Boulevard US Postage Paid Permit No. 294 Boone, NC 28607 Boone, NC www.appalachianvoices.org

The flame azalea is native to the East and is usually found at higher elevations. It attracts native pollinators, such as bumblebees and hummingbirds, but isn’t a friend of beekeepers, because the honey made from azaleas is poisonous. Commercial beekeepers saw a 40 percent honeybee population decline in the past year, grim news for one of our most important pollinators (see p.3). This image was captured in Nashville, Tenn., by Mike Hill.

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