Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - 14

M Disparate Groups for Forest Plan
Cathryn McCue

Mountain
Report

MANY USERS OF MANY PERSPECTIVES ARE MEETING TO PLAN A FUTURE
FOR THE MILLION ACRES OF NANTAHALA AND PISGAH FORESTS.

The 2008 TVA coal ash spill (both photos) is nearly cleaned up.

1 2 3 4 5

North Carolina

Tennessee

Tennessee

Virginia

West Virginia

Stakeholders with often
conflicting ideas of how
the national forests in
western N.C. should be
managed have formed a
new group, dubbed the
Nantahala-Pisgah Forest
Partnership, comprised
of loggers, horseback
riders, wilderness advocates and many others.
"Instead of fighting, we
are trying to get everyone to come together
and put their interests
out there, and then
work together for common goals," says Brent
Martin, with The
Wilderness Society. The
U.S. Forest Service is
beginning an update of
the land-use plan for the
million-acre forest.
fs.usda.gov/goto/
nfsnc/

A federal judge in
September approved a
settlement between
environmental groups
and National Coal Co.,
which has operated the
long-controversial Zeb
Mountain surface coal
mine in Scott and
Campbell counties. In a
2011 lawsuit, the groups
claimed National had
violated the Clean Water
Act in numerous ways.
Under the settlement,
the company will cease
surface mining in
Tennessee, control toxic
discharges from Zeb
Mountain, and pay penalties to the state which
will go towards land
conservation.
socm.org/index

The Tennessee Valley
Authority is nearly done
with the $1.2 billion
cleanup from the massive spill of toxic coal
ash when a dam failed
in 2008 at its Kingston
power plant. During a
tour for journalists in
October, TVA engineers
said some of the ash
was taken to an off-site
landfill, while most was
left on site where workers are covering it with
impermeable liners, clay
and soil. TVA has also
completed several projects to control pollution
at the power plant, and
is converting a nearby
area into a public park.
tva.gov/kingston/

The Wise Energy for
Virginia Coalition in
September launched a
multi-year, statewide
campaign to educate
Virginians of the economic and environmental benefits of clean
energy including energy
efficiency, and solar and
wind power. The coalition also issued a report
showing that clean
energy could supply 1
million homes within
ten years for up to $1.8
billion less than what
Dominion Virginia
Power, the state's largest electric utility, plans
to spend building two
large fossil-fuel plants.
newpower4va.org

A tiny fish once abundant in Appalachian
waters but now found
only in the lower Elk
River in W.Va., has been
added to the nation's list
of endangered species.
The U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service believes
there may be only 50
diamond darters left,
and will begin plans to
preserve the fish from
threats such as siltation
and pollution from coal
mining, gas drilling, logging, all-terrain vehicle
use, sewage discharges
and dams. The agency's
recovery plan will
include about 123 miles
of "critical habitat."
courthousenews.com

14 | BlueRidgeCountry.com


http://www.tva.gov/kingston/ http://www.newpower4va.org http://www.courthousenews.com http://million-acreforest.fs.usda.gov/goto/nfsnc/ http://www.socm.org/index http://million-acreforest.fs.usda.gov/goto/nfsnc/ http://www.BlueRidgeCountry.com

Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014

Cover
Table of Contents
Letters/Worth a Click
From the Editor
Creature Feature
From the Farm
Great Home Buys
Digital Help Guide
Mountain Report
The Hike
Festivals & Events
Mountain Curios: Racing Lawn Mowers
Mountain Curios: Stamping Out Squirrel Sex!
Mountain Curios: A Library as Big as a Breadbox?
Mountain Curios: Mill from 1794 Still Turns!
Mountain Curios: Indian Mounds in Downtown!
Travel Guide 2014: A Year of Great Festivals!
The Blue Ridge Parkway Photoessay
Travel Guide 2014: A Foodie's Dream Journey
Travel Guide 2014: The Retro Pilgrimage
Wilderness Institute in the Smokies
Mountain Garden
Cabin in the Woods: Royal Oaks Retreat
Guest Column
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - Intro
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - Cover
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - Cover2
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - Table of Contents
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - 4
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - Letters/Worth a Click
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - From the Editor
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - Creature Feature
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - From the Farm
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - 9
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - Great Home Buys
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - 11
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - 12
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - Digital Help Guide
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - Mountain Report
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - 15
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - The Hike
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - 17
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - Festivals & Events
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - 19
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - 20
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - 21
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - 22
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - Mountain Curios: Racing Lawn Mowers
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - Mountain Curios: Stamping Out Squirrel Sex!
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - Mountain Curios: A Library as Big as a Breadbox?
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - Mountain Curios: Mill from 1794 Still Turns!
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - Mountain Curios: Indian Mounds in Downtown!
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - Travel Guide 2014: A Year of Great Festivals!
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - 29
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - 30
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - 31
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - 32
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - 33
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - The Blue Ridge Parkway Photoessay
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - 35
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - 36
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - 37
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - Travel Guide 2014: A Foodie's Dream Journey
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - 39
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - 40
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - 41
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - 42
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - 43
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - 44
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - 45
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - 46
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - 47
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - Travel Guide 2014: The Retro Pilgrimage
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - 49
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - 50
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - 51
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - 52
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - 53
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - Wilderness Institute in the Smokies
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - 55
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - 56
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - 57
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - 58
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - Mountain Garden
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - 60
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - 61
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - Cabin in the Woods: Royal Oaks Retreat
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - 63
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - 64
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - 65
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - Guest Column
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - Cover3
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - Cover4
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