By DINA CAPPIELLO
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration is taking steps to reverse a last-minute Bush-era rule that allows mountaintop mining waste to be dumped near streams.
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said Monday the administration will ask a federal court to abandon the rule that made it easier for coal mining companies to dump waste… »

From Mother Earth News

Excellent wind resources off the coast of the lower 48 states could generate enough power to exceed the electricity demand in the United States, according to U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
The NREL findings are included in a report released April 2 by the U.S. Department of the Interior, which… »

We are pleased to announce the final judges of poetry, fiction and nonfiction for our 2009 Literary Contest (listed below). New Southerner’s editorial advisory board and staff members will determine finalists in each category. Final judges will select winners and runners-up. The deadline for submissions is October 1, 2009. Click here for Contest Guidelines. We… »

From Meadow Glen Farm’s Web site

Nature Camp
An exciting summer in the great outdoors is being planned for our 2009 Nature Camp at Meadow Glen Farm. Participants will have the opportunity to explore the fields, woods, pond and lake that surround our farm while becoming junior botanists, entomologists, ornithologists, and trekkers. Enrichment studies will focus on… »

From credoaction.com

The Mid America CropLife Association (MACA) has a bone to pick with Michelle Obama.
MACA represents chemical companies that produce pesticides, and they are angry that - wait for it - Michelle Obama isn’t using chemicals in her organic garden at the White House.
We are not making this up.
In an email they forwarded to their… »

By KIMBERLY ELLEN ANDERSON

Until April’s end, connoisseurs of both visual and written art can witness how a renowned writer sees the dreamy morning landscapes of rural Kentucky or the humble, rustic and brilliant personalities of the state’s authors, such as Wendell Berry and Bobbie Ann Mason.
James Baker Hall, author of The Mother on the Other… »

Photos and recipes submitted by KAREN DILL

Grilled Ramp Soup

½ cup vegetable oil
½ cup all-purpose flour
4 quarts chicken broth
2 cups heavy cream
2 Tablespoons olive oil
Emeril’s Original Essence
4 bunches fresh ramps, trimmed and large leaves removed
For garnish:
4 grilled ramps
1 Tablespoon chopped parsley
Crust bread
Combine vegetable oil and flour in a large, heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium… »

Essay and photos by KAREN DILL

In April, the wild things emerge: Bears crawl from their dens; baby wolves are born while their parents howl at the moon; and mysteriously tender green shoots climb bravely from the ground. To an unsuspecting eye, the tiny foliage may resemble weeds, but to my mountain-bred father, they were supper.
My… »

From KENTUCKIANS FOR THE COMMONWEALTH

Spend a Friday evening celebrating our Kentucky mountains with a number of local musicians and Kentucky authors Silas House and Erik Reece. Food and drinks will be provided by local vendors. This event has been organized by the Jefferson County Chapter of KFTC and sponsored by Heine Bros Coffee and Carmichael’s… »

By JUDITH EGERTON
The Courier-Journal

Wendell Berry’s observant poetry is a window to nature and humanity, as well as a warning about what humanity is doing to nature.
“Wild Blessings: A Celebration of Wendell Berry,” at Actors Theatre of Louisville, is a transfixing public tribute to the esteemed writer and his solitary work.
With wondrous images of nature and… »