Mountains and Mining

Frank Newsome is an Old Regular Baptist preacher, singer of lined-out hymnody, and former coal miner in Appalachia. Virginia’s State Folklorist Jon Lohman describes Newsome’s musical tradition and its influence on bluegrass, gospel, and oldtime music.

Central Appalachia is unique for its musical traditions, its mountain landscape, and its coal mining industry. But travel to the Carpathian Mountains in Romania and you’ll find a place that’s not unlike southwest Virginia and Kentucky. Theresa Burris is co-chair of the Appalachian/Carpathian International Conference. She says the parallels of these two regions are striking.

Turns out, former coal mines can yield important biological discoveries. Wally Smith recently found a type of green salamander that lives in this habitat of vertical cliffs, bluffs, and rock crevices.

A study in Appalachia is taking a very close look at roadkill. James Vance hopes to find ways to help animals avoid crossing a particularly high-traffic area.