The group posed at Norris Dam, the first big TVA project

The central Appalachians are a region rich in resources and in history. This trip focused on the environmental consequences of both past and present resource exploitation, and included discussions with people with hopeful alternatives to past practices. We began in West Virginia, looking at the devastating practice of mountaintop removal. Much of the rest of the trip, in one way or another, explored alternate uses of the land. 

Aerial view of coal mines in West Virginia, taken on a Southwings Flight.  This one-time use leaves land nonproductive for the foreseeable future	Land in a sustainable rotation of forestry can provide forest products indefinitely.

Next: Coal mining pollutes and alters the landscape