The Mayapple

Immature fruits as well as the vegetative structures of Mayapple are poisonous.  As with many drugs, there is a fine line between poison and effective medicinal use.American Indians ate…

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Will the Atlantic Coast Pipeline Damage Virginia’s Waters?

WARNING.  This story contains law talk.  May cause drowsiness.  Do not read while driving or operating heavy equipment. By John McFerrin Several groups and individuals have sued the Virginia State Water…

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Girl in the Woods

By Rachel Barton   girl in the woods hair wild with twigs could be eating dirt or sucking roots her skin the color of bark   I expect she may have grown at least in knowledge living with the…

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Book news: Off Belay: A Last Great Adventure by Jamie Shumway

A review by Dave Elkinton “Isn’t that Jamie Shumway?” I said to my wife at the uppermost point at the top of Edinburgh Castle. It was 1992 and we were…

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Board Highlights

By John McFerrin The Board meeting itself was mundane—some business stuff along with some reports on ongoing controversies.  The more significant part was in the previous day’s discussion on the…

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Department of Environmental Protection Makes Pipeline Website

The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection has established a web site containing information about the five major proposed or under construction natural gas pipeline.   The five pipelines that…

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New Farm Bill Could Damage Public Lands

The farm bill is, as usual, enormous.  The recently introduced Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018 will set agricultural policy for the United States.  It includes provisions on commodities,…

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Community Organizing Summit Leaves Participants Warmed and Strengthened

By Cindy Ellis The registration desk was loaded with vases of daffodils from Roane County as attendees arrived in early April for our co-hosted event, a “Community Organizing Summit”, at…

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GAO Says Get Rid of Self Bonding

By John McFerrin The non-partisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) has recommended that Congress consider amending the Surface Mining Coal and Reclamation Act to eliminate the use of self bonding as…

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