Fifty National Wildlife Refuges are located within our Blue Ridge region. The majority are located along the coast, where they were established to provide habitat for waterfowl migrating along the Great Atlantic Flyway. However, at this time of year, I’m suggesting you visit one of the inland refuges that was created for additional purposes.
My first [...]

A few years ago, I ran a race wherein the winners were not the ones who got to the finish the fastest but rather the ones who got to the finish fastest when you also subtracted age-grading variables. For those who do not know, age grading stems from the undeniable fact that both men and [...]

Dear EarthTalk: Are there any health hazards associated with the use of the new silicone bake ware and cooking utensils?  I have found information associated with the hazards/benefits of Teflon and other cookware but nothing on the use of silicone.                               – Jean McCarthy, Sebastian, FL
With all the negative press about Teflon and about [...]

The National Park Service recently released their preferred alternative for governing ORV use at Cape Hatteras National Seashore. For the past two years, the park service has heavily restricted ORV use on the island after a lawsuit from the Southern Environmental Law Center led to a ruling from a federal judge. Wildlife and park visitation [...]

If you were around the Charlottesville music scene in the ’90s, you’re definitely familiar with Baaba Seth. The world jam outfit was one of the region’s most popular bands throughout the decade—mixing a potent ensemble concoction of funk, jazz, rock, African rhythms, and Latin grooves. The high-energy sound was put to good use during the [...]

Road bikers have to be on alert at all times for idiot drivers, but it’s true that some road bikers, due to vast bad experiences, are on hyper-alert.
Hyper-alert=hyper-defensive=chip on shoulder.
I was driving down a narrow road through my neighborhood today when I met a hyper-defensive road biker who practically flung himself into a [...]

In the spirit of complete disclosure and unrepentant bias, I must admit to being an unabashed Trent Wagler fan.
Adrienna Valentine, the 2009 release from Wagler and Jay Lapp, last year earned the distinction of being, at any given moment, the record most likely to be found in my CD player and it was, by [...]

This gear won’t be in shops until the spring or next fall. But here’s a peek at a few innovations and out-there items coming soon to an outdoors store near you.

Glowing Sandals — Never trip in the dark again. A small LED light is built on the tow strap of the Teva Illum sandals, which [...]

Dear EarthTalk: I work for an office equipment company selling copiers, fax machines, computers and printers. Each year new models come out making old ones obsolete. As a result, we have loads of trade-ins with nowhere to go. What can we do with this old equipment? — Jeff P., Worcester, MA
Electronic waste, or “e-waste” as [...]

Let me state this unequivocally.  There is no “purity” of ultrarunning. Why am I even stating this?
As the Winter Olympics end, and with the Summer Olympics over two years away, some people who love this international gathering of athletes and the spectacle (good and bad) with which it brings, have made clamoring about the possibility [...]

I’m a sucker for a romantic story, which is why this little nugget caught my eye. Two Carolina Mountain Club members got engaged on top of Mount LeConte this October after completing the daunting South Beyond 6,000 challenge. After summitting LeConte, their 40’th 6,000 foot peak together, Lee dropped to one knee and asked Kelly [...]

Middle School Students Share Their Favorite Outdoor Experiences

Dave Matthews will join his old friend Emmylou Harris at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on May 18 at the Music Saves Mountains concert to raise awareness about mountaintop removal mining in Appalachia. The high-profile concert will also feature appearances by Patty Griffin, Buddy Miller, Patty Loveless, and Kathy Mattea with more artists to [...]

I have been curled around the woodstove for the last few days as my family and I recover from a bout of gastric volcanus. It was the baby and I who suffered the longest, our intestines gurgling and sighing enough to continue avoiding food.
The thought of a scrumptious dinner out on the town, without the [...]

Around the turn of the twentieth century, Moses H. Cone, who earned his fortune by becoming the “Denim King,” purchased extensive acreage at what is now milepost 294 along the Blue Ridge Parkway near Blowing Rock, North Carolina, to develop his personal mountain kingdom. For hikers, the most outstanding changes Cone and his wife, Bertha, [...]