HTTP://www.clinchriverecotourism.com/rss/blog.xml blog about Clinch River Eco-Tourism at River Place on the Clinch - Kyles Ford, Tennessee, USA. en-us Thu, 08 May 2008 19:47:58 -0600 Thu, 08 May 2008 19:47:58 -0600 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss SafeRSS v1.4 February 5th 2008 - http://www.cedargrovedesign.com webmaster@cedargrovedesign.com (Cynthia Sellers) webmaster@clinchriverecotourism.com (Clinch River EcoTourism) And toast to the most famous moonshiner in East Tennessee history: Mahala "Haley" Mullins. The tales were that she was a Melungeon who lived on the Tennessee-Virginia border and when the Tenness]]> Thu, 31 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0700 HTTP://www.clinchriverecotourism.com/the_river_talk_blog/raise-your-mountain-dews-high.htm HTTP://www.clinchriverecotourism.com/the_river_talk_blog/raise-your-mountain-dews-high.htm Thu, 20 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0600 HTTP://www.clinchriverecotourism.com/the_river_talk_blog/spicy-southern-style-breaded-baked-wild-fowl-recipe.htm HTTP://www.clinchriverecotourism.com/the_river_talk_blog/spicy-southern-style-breaded-baked-wild-fowl-recipe.htm If you're looking for a unique gift for someone special... Christine Lorenz designs and hand-crochets the sweetest little things]]> Thu, 14 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0700 HTTP://www.clinchriverecotourism.com/the_river_talk_blog/forget-to-stop-for-roses.htm HTTP://www.clinchriverecotourism.com/the_river_talk_blog/forget-to-stop-for-roses.htm Fri, 15 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0700 HTTP://www.clinchriverecotourism.com/the_river_talk_blog/river-place-featured-on-tennessees-wild-side.htm HTTP://www.clinchriverecotourism.com/the_river_talk_blog/river-place-featured-on-tennessees-wild-side.htm A recent study conducted by the Virginia chapter of The Nature Conservancy indicates a dramatic overall decrease in people’s participation in outdoor activities since first studied in 1990. Since then, the rate of decrease has dropped an average of over one percent per year both in the U.S. and in other countries included in the study. The study included data on camping, backpacking, fishing, hiking, hunting, visits to national and state parks and forestsIn a recent press release, Stephanie Meeks, acting president and CEO of The Nature Conservancy, noted, “If we lose our connection to the natural world, we’ll lose our appreciation for the food, water, and clean air it provides. And the next generation will feel little compulsion to protect it. We’re facing the most serious environmental threats of our lifetime, particularly in light of the challenges posed by climate change. We need the next generation to both value the natural world in which we live and fight to protect it.”Other studies indicate that this decrease in outdoor activity corresponds to an increase in sedentary activities such as browsing the Internet, watching movies, and playing video games. Chief Scientist for The Nature Conservancy, Peter Kareiva, included an essay with the research findings cautioning that in his experience, most adult conservationists developed a connection with nature in their youth and added, “This alienation from nature is a growing — and troubling — trend worldwide. Today, the majority of humans live in cities, and urbanization is accelerating so rapidly that by 2050 only a small portion of the human population will live outside urban areas. This disconnect could have severe consequences for all of us.”The consequences are not solely limited to environmental concerns. Already, two out of three Americans are overweight and half that number are clinically obese. The current percentage of obesity has doubled since 1980. Not surprisingly, the instance of type 2 Diabetes has risen to epidemic proportions and alarmingly, among children.The solution? Eat less and enjoy the outdoors more. (...at Kyles Ford!)]]> Fri, 29 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0700 HTTP://www.clinchriverecotourism.com/the_river_talk_blog/movies-internet-and-video-games-decreasing-participation-in-outdoor-recreation.htm HTTP://www.clinchriverecotourism.com/the_river_talk_blog/movies-internet-and-video-games-decreasing-participation-in-outdoor-recreation.htm When I was a very young child, I believed in the boogeyman. Maybe I’m telling my age but it’s been a long time since I feared what I’d find in them thar hills. There’s nothing out there that my inbred cousin BillyBob can’t fix with a little buckshot or that I’ll care about after a swig or two of good ol’ Clinch Mountain moonshine. Many residents of Appalachia are scandalized by a recent press release/casting call for “inbred-looking” extras for a film staged as the mountains of West Virginia to be shot in the heart of Yankee country: Pittsburgh, PA. The movie is called “Shelter” and it’s reportedly already cast Julianne Moore. She’s the lucky star of yet another horror film about scary, backwoods, inbred hillbilly monsters that will eat your sister for lunch or make your buddy squeal like a pig. Where do they get this stuff? Appalachia covers a regional identity as complex and diverse as anywhere in the world yet due to irreverent media representation, tourist traps, and the fictional portrayals like Uncle Tom, Brer Rabbit, and Deliverance, that complexity has been reduced to a low-brow anecdote or a joke or in this case, a story to scare the youngsters who might stray from the path. As residents of Appalachia, should we care? Billybob says, “Not like movies like The Hills Have Eyes are going to win any Oscars. Now that would be something to get mad about. But if they’re smart, I think most folks probably know Hillbilly Monsters , etc. are lazy-thinking, mean-spirited nonsense. Can’t just outright assume folks are so gullible they’d believe anything Hollywood throws at ‘em. I like to think better of people.”I’ll drink to that! Pass me that Mason jar, cuz.]]> Thu, 21 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0700 HTTP://www.clinchriverecotourism.com/the_river_talk_blog/sideshow-jobs-for-the-inbred-looking.htm HTTP://www.clinchriverecotourism.com/the_river_talk_blog/sideshow-jobs-for-the-inbred-looking.htm Preparing your taxes? Now is a great time to read up and talk to your lawyer, accountant, or tax-preparer about the tax benefits of conservation easements.]]> Thu, 06 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0700 HTTP://www.clinchriverecotourism.com/the_river_talk_blog/community-heroes-create-conservation-easements.htm HTTP://www.clinchriverecotourism.com/the_river_talk_blog/community-heroes-create-conservation-easements.htm Celebrate Earth Day at one of the Last Great Places on Earth!]]> Sat, 19 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0600 HTTP://www.clinchriverecotourism.com/the_river_talk_blog/clinch-river-conservation-center-retreat-opening-earth-day-event.htm HTTP://www.clinchriverecotourism.com/the_river_talk_blog/clinch-river-conservation-center-retreat-opening-earth-day-event.htm At the Kyles Ford Preserve, groups, agencies, & locals work to conserve Clinch River's water quality & species in the local area but are challenged by upriver coal mining & power plants.]]> Thu, 27 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0600 HTTP://www.clinchriverecotourism.com/the_river_talk_blog/the-impact-of-coal-on-the-clinch.htm HTTP://www.clinchriverecotourism.com/the_river_talk_blog/the-impact-of-coal-on-the-clinch.htm It’s not a barn exactly, that’s been raised here in Kyles Ford. But the spirit of the gathering at the opening of the Clinch River Conservation Center on Earth Day was the probably much like a good old-fashioned barn raising.]]> Thu, 24 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0600 HTTP://www.clinchriverecotourism.com/the_river_talk_blog/barn-raising-along-the-clinch.htm HTTP://www.clinchriverecotourism.com/the_river_talk_blog/barn-raising-along-the-clinch.htm Before and after photos of the restoration of the rental cottage at River Place on the Clinch to vintage Appalachia style circa 1800s.]]> Thu, 01 May 2008 00:00:00 -0600 HTTP://www.clinchriverecotourism.com/the_river_talk_blog/historical-preservation-before-and-after-snapshots.htm HTTP://www.clinchriverecotourism.com/the_river_talk_blog/historical-preservation-before-and-after-snapshots.htm Bring Mom to River Place Cafe for extra "Special" treatment!]]> Thu, 08 May 2008 00:00:00 -0600 HTTP://www.clinchriverecotourism.com/the_river_talk_blog/mothers-day-out-at-river-place-cafe.htm HTTP://www.clinchriverecotourism.com/the_river_talk_blog/mothers-day-out-at-river-place-cafe.htm Many people learn best by first-hand experience. What better way to educate our selves than to continue to ask the hard questions and find good solutions? What better way to educate a new generation than to prompt them to propose their own solutions and then listen to their ideas and help them bring them to reality? Genius never occurred in a vacuum. Our future is in their hands and better those hands are used to being dirty from doing good work. We can’t guarantee a CCC will sweep in tomorrow and fix all our region’s problems. We can act as good parents, good teachers, good neighbors and custodians of the earth and plan to tend to it ourselves. Community stewardship is a sustainable solution for a variety of social and ecological ailments.]]> Wed, 07 May 2008 00:00:00 -0600 HTTP://www.clinchriverecotourism.com/the_river_talk_blog/stewardship-the-solution-for-what-ails-ye.htm HTTP://www.clinchriverecotourism.com/the_river_talk_blog/stewardship-the-solution-for-what-ails-ye.htm