As coal production in Southwest Virginia wins White House support, miner protections stall under the Trump Administration. Miners, their families, and the community struggle with the illnesses the industry leaves behind.
Read moreCan this tiny Appalachian town be a blueprint for the region’s rebirth?
All-terrain-vehicle trail enthusiasts line up outside a popular restaurant and a renovated boutique hotel St. Paul on an afternoon in late February. Turning trails and the once-neglected Clinch River into centerpieces has allowed this small town near the Wise-Russell County border to shine as a hub for eco-tourism.
St. Paul , Virginia– a hamlet of 830 people in coal country - remade itself into a bustling spot for ecotourism and off-road trails.
Read moreBig bet: Can a $130M conservation deal in Virginia’s coal country curb climate change and lift Appalachia?
Contracted workers from Williams Forestry & Associates plant tiny hardwood trees in late March atop a former coal mine in Russell County, part of The Nature Conservancy’s Cumberland Forest Project. It marked TNC’s first forest restoration effort in Virginia, part of a tri-state conservation initiative that began more than five years ago.
Big bet: Can a $130M conservation deal in Virginia’s coal country curb climate change and lift Appalachia?
The Nature Conservancy is halfway through its ambitious 10-year plan to preserve 253,000 acres and boost local economies across three Appalachian states. Backed by a loan from Virginia and private investors, it’s faced challenges and critics. The experiment could be the future of large-scale conservation – or not.
Read moreIn Coal Country, a Political Journey from Blue to Deep Red
Empty coal cars sit on the tracks outside of Grundy, Virginia. Photo by Mason Adams
Southwest Virginia once voted reliably Democratic, and its transition to clean-sweep Republican within a generation demonstrates the partisan realignment that Trump accelerated, and which the 2020 election looks set to entrench for another generation.
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