Livestock Exclusion: Is It Time for the Big R?
Walk Along Middle River—A Chesapeake Bay Awareness Event
Walk Along Middle River in Swoope—June 4, 10 'till noon Come walk along the Middle River with Virginia Senator Emmett Hanger and ninth-generation farmer Jeanne Trimble Hoffman on her farm in Swoope, Virginia. Middle River is a tributary of the South Fork of the Shenandoah River—headwaters of the Chesapeake Bay....
Earth Day 2019—Book Release Day!
Happy Earth Day! Today the pastures of Swoope are a brilliant, emerald-green. I can see forever north with the Allegheny Mountains to the west and white puffy clouds with flat bottoms overhead. The sight fills me with wonder. We have so much to be thankful for, in the stewardship of the...
What’s Up With WOTUS?
Note: This post transformed into an op-ed piece that the Washington Post published in the Sunday print edition on April 14, 2019, and the online edition on April 12. WOTUS stands for Waters of the United States. When Congress passed the Clean Water Act in 1972, it gave the Environmental...
The Lorax, Bald Eagles, and Pictures of Hope—Reflections on 2018
There is so much to be thankful for this year. The U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled again in our favor against the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, citing The Lorax, written in 1971 by Dr. Suess. This ruling and The Lorax made national news. Rare birds stopped by Swoope on...
Shenandoah Valley, What Is It Exactly?
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Atlantic Coast Pipeline Will Destroy Old-Growth Forest
Atlantic Coast Pipeline Set To Destroy Old-Growth Forest “At least three hundred trees, older than this nation, will be destroyed if the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) comes through this ridge on our property,” Bill Limpert lamented. We were walking his part of Jack Mountain in Bath County, Virginia. I could...
Frozen Water in the Livestock Trough
Frozen Water in the Trough A frozen livestock water trough is a nightmare for farmers. Thousands of "frost-free" watering troughs have been installed as an alternative to allowing livestock access to the streams and rivers. Livestock farmers have been excluding livestock from streams and rivers for decades. It's one of...
