Kathryn Newfont's Books

Blue Ridge Commons

Environmental Activism and Forest History in Western North Carolina

By: Kathryn Newfont

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Blue Ridge Commons

Environmental Activism and Forest History in Western North Carolina

By: Kathryn Newfont

In the late twentieth century, residents of the Blue Ridge mountains in western North Carolina fiercely resisted certain environmental efforts, even while launching aggressive initiatives of their own. Kathryn Newfont provides context for those events by examining the environmental history of this region over the course of three hundred years, identifying what she calls commons environmentalism--a cultural strain of conservation in American history that has gone largely unexplored. Efforts in the 1970s to expand federal wilderness areas in the Pisgah and Nantahala national forests generated strong opposition. For many mountain residents the idea of unspoiled wilderness seemed economically unsound, historically dishonest, and elitist. Newfont shows that local people's sense of commons environmentalism required access to the forests that they viewed as semipublic places for hunting, fishing, and working. Policies that removed large tracts from use were perceived as 'enclosure' and resisted. Incorporating deep archival work and years of interviews and conversations with Appalachian residents, Blue Ridge Commons reveals a tradition of people building robust forest protection movements on their own terms."--p. [4] of cover.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

417

Publisher

University of Georgia Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

082034124X

ISBN 13

9780820341248

The Land Speaks

New Voices at the Intersection of Oral and Environmental History

By: Debbie Lee,Kathryn Newfont

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

The Land Speaks

New Voices at the Intersection of Oral and Environmental History

By: Debbie Lee,Kathryn Newfont

The Land Speaks explores the intersection of two vibrant fields, oral history and environmental studies. Ranging across farm and forest, city and wilderness, river and desert, this collection of fourteen oral histories gives voice to nature and the stories it has to tell. These essays consider topics as diverse as environmental activism, wilderness management, public health, urban exploring, and smoke jumping. They raise questions about the roles of water, neglected urban spaces, land ownership concepts, protectionist activism, and climate change. Covering almost every region of the United States and part of the Caribbean, Lee and Newfont and their diverse collection of contributors address the particular contributions oral history can make toward understanding issues of public land and the environment. In the face of global warming and events like the Flint water crisis, environmental challenges are undoubtedly among the most pressing issues of our time. These essays suggest that oral history can serve both documentary and problem-solving functions as we grapple with these challenges.

Average ratings

N/A