Vernal Review

It's no secret that Appalachia is host to some of the best scenery America has to offer. From grand, mountainous vistas to pastoral settings that remind of us simpler times; from thick, lush forests to evening meadows with fog resting like pillows in the svelte curvature of rolling hills; from endemic flora and fauna to mountain folk whose bloodlines extend back to colonization; rural life and natural scenery are ingrained in Appalachia like a defiant eastern child who refuses to succumb to the glitz and glamour of The Big Apple.

This blog, sometimes radically and irreverantly, seeks to shed light on the shadowy ills that plague the Appalachian region. The stories are disheartening and often infuriating. Sometimes those who man the front lines want to drop their arms and flee. I've been told, often with a snide tone, "If you hate it so much, then leave." To those who fail to see the connection between passion and anger, I reply, "Dissent is the highest form of patriotism." That stock rebuttal is commonly attributed to Thomas Jefferson, even though the Monticello claims no evidence of his speaking or writing this exists. 

Between extractive industry and exploitative poverty, beauty flourishes here. As a native son of West Virginia and an avid outdoorsman, I have a deep love and affinity for the land that nourishes Appalachia's roots. I (sometimes selfishly) take every opportunity to immerse myself in its diverse ecosystems. A unique aspect of Appalachia lies in its acquaintance with all four seasons. There aren't many places in America where you can experience the intensity and biting cold of a heavy snow storm, the ethereal explosion of spring, the stifling heat of a long summer day, and the vivid brilliance of autumn leaves from the same rocking chair on an old covered porch. I feel this one of the most special and endearing qualities of the region - one that is often taken for granted.

 The following are my favorite photographs I've had the pleasure of capturing during the spring season throughout some of the most treasured landscapes in Appalachia. Click on the images to enlarge. 

Sprouting buds greet the sun on bare branches overlooking Foster Falls, Tennessee. 

Hemlock forest glows in afternoon light on an unknown stream in Tennessee. 

Intricate cairns peacefully stand next to crystal clear waters in Tennessee. 

Ice flows hang on to the last throes of winter along sandstone cliffs in Snake Hill Wildlife Management Area, West Virginia. 

The evening sky burns bright on Easter near Kentucky's Red River Gorge.

Ominous clouds and color streak Route 19 by the Meadow River Gorge in West Virginia. 

Evening light scatters over a calm pond in Coopers Rock State Forest, West Virginia. 

Spring imitates Ireland where my grandfather rests peacefully in Greene County, Pennsylvania. 

Spring rains swell the riffles at the start of the world-class Cheat Canyon whitewater run in Preston County, West Virginia. 

Neon green explodes around the Henry Clay Iron Furnace at Coopers Rock State Forest, West Virginia. 

Crisped rhododendron leaves and flower pedals contrast against charred earth after a recent fire burned along the rim of the New River Gorge in West Virginia. 

A tall cascade intersects the Butchers Branch section of the Kaymoor Miners Trail in the New River Gorge, West Virginia. 

An early spring thunderstorm casts a brilliant rainbow in its wake over Morgantown, West Virginia.

Gentle spring rains soak the Kentucky countryside while an overhang shelters the top of a rock climbing route in the Red River Gorge.

(Re)defining Appalachia

What is Appalachia? Where are its borders? Who are its people? What is its culture? What problems burden its existence? Why is it special? In answering these questions, we can define Appalachia. But using antiquated ideas to do so does little to further the region. It's time that we share in the discussion of redefining Appalachia.

The quintessential element of change in regional and cultural identities is found in shifting the paradigm. The lens through which we see the world has far more influence than the facts and figures we use to focus that lens. The Renaissance. The Enlightenment. Women's Rights. The Labor Movement. Civil Rights. All of these movements were not the result of scientific research or a theoretical epiphany. These major sociopolitical changes happened when brave souls, followed by societies, changed the perception of what was already clear to those seemingly prophetic observers. 

Paradigm shifts are taking place right now with gay rights, environmental justice, and marijuana legalization. So why not Appalachia? The region is long overdue for a makeover: environmental degradation is hitting critical mass, political polarization is pitting residents against one another, infrastructure is aging (and failing), and wealth disparity is forcing people to continue the same destructive practices that we know are not sustainable. We see the facts. We have the figures. But the lens we focus on Appalachia remains the same obsolete relic through which we first observed the region in the 19th and 20th Centuries.

Appalachia means many things to many people. To some, it is a mountain range - one of the world's oldest continuous chains. To others, it is a political region synonymous with poverty and industrial economics. For culture aficionados, it is a bubbling mountain spring of art and music. Let's divide Appalachia into three spheres: regional, environmental, and cultural. Like a Venn Diagram, these spheres overlap in certain aspects, combining to create a new vision for Appalachia. This post will lay the foundation on which we can began building the framework. Subsequent posts will address each sphere in detail. Let's start the conversation.

As a region: If we're going to get official, we must recognize the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC). The ARC was born in the 1960s when President John F. Kennedy met with the Council of Appalachian Governors - a group of ten leaders from Alabama, Georgia, South and North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania - to address the need for federal assistance in the rural mountain communities. At the time when progress in America was the gold standard, these areas continually lagged at the bottom of rankings for income, education, healthcare and transportation. Kennedy himself visited West Virginia in 1960 - an iconic move that would propel his presidential campaign to success in Appalachia.

Charleston Gazette photograph of JFK speaking
in front of the West Virginia Capital building in Charleston.
Source: West Virginia Division of Culture and History

Along with Kennedy, the iconic 1962 book Night Comes to the Cumberlands: A Biography of a Depressed Area by Harry M. Caudill served as a window for the nation to view Appalachian poverty and history in the Cumberland Plateau of Kentucky.

Kennedy's visit to the Mountain State saw living conditions that convinced him of the need to send federal aid to Appalachia. The ARC was formed in 1963 and became a federal agency in 1965. Although it has no governing powers, it was and remains critical in advancing legislation and serves as a research and planning advocate. It was instrumental in constructing the Appalachian Development Highway System and brought sewage and water infrastructure to areas with out any utilities.

Strangely enough, when news came to surrounding areas of federal funding for infrastructure and education, a campaign to expand Appalachia rose from the coal ashes. States and municipalities that had previously taken whatever means necessary to distance themselves from the region began clambering to become a part of Appalachia. Mississippi, Ohio and New York stood unified with their lesser cousins and joined the party for the federal cash grab.

Appalachia following the formation of the ARC. Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Appalachian_region_of_United_States.gif

The ARC is currently comprised of 420 counties (or county equivalents) and partners with 73 local development districts. Its present day mission is to be a strategic partner and advocate for sustainable community and economic development in Appalachia. Has it been effective and efficient? One can clearly see its presence through the highway and utility infrastructure. But what about economics? Poverty still plagues the region and extractive industries rule the physical - and political - landscape. Has the disease of big bureaucracy infiltrated its hallways? To redefine Appalachia as a region, we must examine the ARC and demand reform. 

As an environment: Appalachia is not a single environment, such as one might label a river riparian or a forest coniferous. It is, however, a patchwork quilt of wildly diverse and finely-tuned ecosystems that thrive through symbiosis and self-regulation. While the ancient mountains have fought to resist erosion for over a billion years, the ecosystems that have taken that time to evolve are not as strong. Pull one thread from the weave, and the quilt will unravel given enough time.

Industry, like an ignorant child, has tugged at the corners of the quilt for well over one hundred years. The fabric, while appearing to be in one piece, is tattered and dirty. Most are aware of the monsters of mining, the downfalls of dams, the lows of logging, and the dangers of development. Some issues, however, remain under the radar for the average citizen. Acid mine drainage (AMD) degrades watersheds. Diseases arising from pollution and invasive species plague Appalachian flora and fauna. The Wooly Adelgid beetle, for example, is ravaging eastern hemlock forests at an astounding rate. If hemlocks disappear, we can say goodbye to trout and cold-water aquatic life, along with over 90 species of birds that nest in the shade-tolerant conifer. Analogous to the quilt, if we remove one life form, many others go with it.

Is it too late? The quilt still exists. It needs to be mended. It will take the time, effort, dedication, and yes, loads of funding, to restore the ecological fabric of Appalachia. Have we started the conversation? I believe we have. But we must be sure to avoid simply pointing fingers. We must not only ask questions, but ask the right questions. To redefine Appalachia as an environment, we must view it as a comprehensive ecosystem.

As a culture: Appalachian heritage is a formidable beast in anthropology. There is a rustic romanticism in the self-reliance of the early Appalachian settlers. While few would pine to suffer through the disease, famine, and other hardships that mired these original mountaineers, the culture that developed around their struggle contains some of the most hauntingly beautiful music and art of the modern era. In this romanticism lies the blueprint for an Appalachian Renaissance. As societal events trigger the enzymes, the cultural evolution is set in motion. The inaugural decade of the 21st century fired some of these triggers: Environmental justice. Natural foods and farming. Support for local businesses. Sustainability. I believe the Appalachian Renaissance is in a catalytic state and is being driven forward by energetic and passionate citizens.

In my experience, I sense a contingency of folks - both young and seasoned - flocking to Appalachia to relish in rural living. Despite persuasive attempts at urbanization by shareholders and profiteers, many of us want to live in small, rural communities. We may not need forty acres and a mule, but we place high value on forested land and the absence of light and noise pollution. Believe or not, we are at a point in society where a dark night sky and the silence of a summer evening are considered threatened resources.

Too often the prescription for socioeconomic ills is rampant development. Just as a doctor slapping an Rx on your arm for a malady that can be treated holistically through self-awareness and preventative measures, development attempts to cover up the problem as opposed to addressing its roots. And this development has consequences: landscapes are scarred, the poor and uneducated become further disenfranchised, demographics change, and local businesses are stamped out by corporate chains. To redefine Appalachia as a culture, we must embrace its heritage while cultivating a supportive network that fosters localization and economic self-sufficiency for rural communities.