‘Keeping the lights on:’ In the public lands of the Blue Ridge, a complicated and unusual federal shutdown
This coverage is made possible through a partnership between BPR and Grist, a nonprofit environmental media organization.
Nearly one month into the federal government shutdown, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park remains open to the public, and the National Forest Service’s logging and disaster response capabilities remain active.
Roadless Rule recission appears to undermine public opinion
The National Forest Service, housed under the United States Department of Agriculture, plans to rescind the 2001 Roadless Rule instated by President Bill Clinton to protect national forests’ roadless acres.
Drawing opposition from 99% of public commenters, this recission is part of a series of opaque federal actions and policies instituted in the face of significant public outcry.
This must be the place: ‘A little bit of mercy makes the world less cold and more just’
The quote used to title this column was stated by the late Pope Francis, who passed away last week at age 88. Rest easy, good sir.
Pope Francis was cool in my book, even though I can’t say the same for the Catholic Church, in general. I’m an incredibly spiritual person, not religious. And, as someone who grew up surrounded by Catholicism, I’ve never been a fan of the church’s antics over the centuries and millennia (“antics” is a very, very diluted word to describe the dark history).
Farmland preservation grants available
The application period for county governments and conservation nonprofit groups to apply for farmland preservation grants from the N.C. Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund opened Oct. 14.
Conservation groups file suit over Plateau timber project
In a newly filed lawsuit, a coalition of conservation organizations is alleging that a controversial U.S. Forest Service logging project on the Cashiers-Highlands Plateau violates federal law.
