May/June 1984 RAIN Page 31 Katuah, Issue #3, Spring 1984); (3) oil and gas leasings (see Katuah, Issue #2, Winter 1983-84); (4) stream protection (Katuah, Issue #2); (5) agricultural practices (Katuah, Issue #3); and (6) acid rain. Several organizations and individuals in the bioregion are working on specific aspects of sustainability. In agriculture and gardening: the Tennessee Organic Growers Association; the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association and the Carolinas Center for Bio-Agricul- tural Husbandry. In environmental defense: the Stream- watch programs, the Georgia Conservancy, the Conservation Council of North Carolina, Carolinians The Katuah village site is the geographical center of the Cherokee territory as well as the energy center for the eastern half of the Turtle Island Continent. for Clean Energy, the Sierra Club chapters, the Western North Carolina Alliance, and others. In social concerns: The Highlander Center, Rural Southern Voice for Peace, Hunger Awareness Group of Asheville, Habitat for Humanity, and others. In self- sufficiency skills building: the New Homestead School, Long Branch Environmental Education Center, Arthur Morgan School, and others. In cultural preservation: several schools and universities have programs, exhibits, and libraries on Southern Appalachian history. This is a partial listing of issues and organizations; no comprehensive list exists yet. As we move closer to a "Katuah Council," perhaps we can collectively compile such a list. □ □ M KATUAH BIOREGIONAL .lOURNAL OF THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS Katiiah Biofegional Activities Concerns and issues for Southern Appalachia make the most sense when viewed in a bioregional context. "What's a bioregion?" people ask when they hear the word; when we explain the concept, they say, "Oh yes, of course, that's the kind of planning and understanding we need here in the mountains— a view of the region as a whole, not just by state boundaries." Employment, banking practices, zoning, land taxation, energy use, transportation, farming, housing, environmental protection and healing, citizen action: We can see all these issues in light of Southern Appalachia as a whole, natural-boundaried, region. The Katuah journal, for us, has been a first step in saying the word bioregion here. It is a tangible way of saying, "Here is what we are feeling about our region—what are you feeling?" In issue #1, we stated. "The journal is a 'talking tool,' to help initiate dialogue." Eventually, it may encourage local groups to form in each county or city to talk about bioregional issues in general and to study their local habitat in particular. So far, we have had a Fall Gathering this past October and will have a Spring Gathering this year at the end of April. These are informal gatherings where we have a morning meeting to bring ourselves up-to- date on the bioregional effort and to discuss ways to share more fully with others what it means to be "inhabitants;" then, in the afternoon, we have a potluck picnic, music, and games. The academic community has shown an interest in the bioregional concept. The Katuah staff has given guest lectures at several local universities. For the last several semesters. Professor). Linn Mackey of Appalachian State University, of Boone, North Carolina, has offered a general course in bioregionalism to ASU students. The Appalachian Consortium, an academic association of various professional organizations in the Appalachian area (including Earth Studies Programs from various universities, the Appalachian Regional Commission, the TVA, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and so on), invited Katuah staff to give presentations at their annual conference, the Appalachian Studies Conference in March. Katuah members gave the following presentations: Robert Zahner, Professor of Forestry at Clemson University, spoke on forestry and the bioregion; J. Linn Mackey, Professor at Appalachian State University, spoke on bioregionalism and the nation-state; Chuck Marsh spoke on bioregional economics; and Thomas Rain Crowe presented poetry of the bioregion. We are also in the process of developing a watershed map for our region. The headwaters of several rivers are in the Katuah region, including the Tennessee, Little Tennessee, Chattahoochee, French Broad, Holston, Cumberland, New, Nolichucky, Roanoke, and Pigeon rivers. We look forward to sharing this map and other materials through displays on bioregionalism at local libraries in the region. Katuah members also hope to share bioregional ideas and materials at many spring and summer festivals in the region—music festivals, craft shows, and town fairs would be ripe for a bioregional booth. We also hope to spend time this year "networking" with the various organizations and people in this area who already know how critical it is that we work toward and nurture sustainability of our bioregion. We hope all our efforts combined will encourage a Katuah Council to form, where all of life can be reflected and represented at Council Meetings. Ho. For more information, contact Katuah, Box 873, Cullowhee, NC 28723, and see Appalachian Wilderness, by Edward Abbey ancl Eliot Porter, 1970, E. P. Dutton & Company; The Appalachians, by Morris Brooks (natural history textbook); The Southern Appalachians, by Jerome Doolittle, 1975, Time-Life Books; and The Southern Highlander and his Homeland, by John Campbell, University of Kentucky Press. □ □
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