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Two centuries ago, native elk roamed the Southern Appalachians. Now, more than 150 years after extinction from over-hunting, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) is considering a full reintroduction of a bigger relative—Rocky Mountain Elk—in the southwestern coalfields region of the Commonwealth.
An estimated 150 Rocky Mountain Elk already reside in Southwest Virginia. [...]

Paddlers, Anglers, and Conservationists Fight for the Chattooga Headwaters
For three decades, paddlers have yearned to paddle the pristine waters of the Upper Chattooga River. Earlier this year, the U.S. Forest Service finally granted limited access of the Upper Chattooga to paddlers, but a flurry of legal threats—including a legal challenge from the paddling community—prompted the [...]

Some people hike for exercise; others are looking for views or waterfalls. Jeff Wadley hikes for plane crashes. The East Tennessee minister was a volunteer with the Civil Air Patrol for 30 years, leading search and rescue missions for downed planes throughout the mountains. Retired from the patrol, Wadley now hikes the Southern Appalachians looking [...]

In the Footsteps of Celebrated Hiker and Author Johnny Molloy
Over the last 14 years, Tennessee native Johnny Molloy has published 36 books about hiking, backpacking, and paddling throughout the Southern Appalachians and beyond. BRO talked with Molloy (who averages 150 nights a year in a tent) about getting lost for a living and why the [...]

Southeast congressmen lead new effort to restore roadless area protections

The United States has enough wind energy potential to provide twice as much energy than we currently use. Yet last year, wind farms delivered only one percent of our energy use. Data from the Department of Energy and the National Renewable Energy Lab show that wind could completely replace mountaintop removal mining and lead the [...]

Blackberries and blueberries are ripening this month in the Southern Appalachians. Hikers trekking Southern balds are treated to trail side snacks, as berries thrive in high elevation balds and grasslands. Hike these two berry trails for prime seasonal snacking:
Graveyard Fields Trail
Blue Ridge Parkway, N.C.
A popular three-mile hike off the parkway near Asheville passes through [...]

If you’ve enjoyed a quality microbrew in the last 30 years, you need to thank former president Jimmy Carter. In 1978, Carter repealed an outdated federal law that made home brewing illegal, lifting the prohibition and clearing the way for thousands of Americans to brew their own beer, a step that fostered a craft brew [...]

Study shows hemlocks are dying faster than scientists thought.

Decades of conservation efforts SAVE Mountain wilderness

New chestnut trees have been reintroduced to the Southern Appalachians

The Roan Highlands offer a rare stretch of wide-open high country splendor in the Southern Appalachians. “The Roan” is actually a lengthy stretch of grassy peaks. The bald beauties feature expansive, open meadows—not typical of Appalachia’s deep wooded forests.

EXPLORE
The best way to take in the Roan experience is an epic 20-mile jaunt on the Appalachian [...]

Pedaling Funky Town

It’s like choosing your favorite child. Inconceivable. With so many amazing trail systems in the Southern Appalachians, is it even possible to pick one trail that’s better than all the rest?

Hemlock Hero Will Blozan