Why I chose to blog about Southwest Virginia

I chose to study the biodiversity of Southwest Virginia because despite the fact that I grew up there, I still learn new things about the towns, people, and the diverse biotic community that calls it home. I have always heard about our incredible freshwater muscle population in the Clinch and Powell rivers but most people would only know enough to interest visitors to the towns or they just use that fact to try and draw in more outdoor recreation. I guess you could say that I took the amazing opportunity to study this area for granted. I thought that it wasn't special because I had always grown up in it. However, in 2017 I hiked the entire Appalachian Trail and along the way I came to realize that Southwest Virginia is one of the most special places that I had ever been not only along the trail but also in my travels abroad. The history of the people who lived there is as varied and treasured as the life within it. The challenges brought on by industry and modern agriculture are looming. The opportunity to learn about what biodiversity really means is omnipresent.

Biodiversity as I define it has to do with the variations found in all aspects of life. In order for a place to have a diverse biotic community it must contain a vast multitude of species, interactions among those species, and those species and interactions must occur in many different types of ecosystems. All of those aspects of biodiversity are present in Southwest Virginia. We have clean streams and creeks which feed into rivers with gravely bottoms and are flanked by forest on either side. We have karst topography which lends itself to cave dwelling creatures and those that prefer cracks in steep rock walls. We even have rocky ridges and high elevation balds sprinkled in red spruce and Fraser Fir. All of this allows this region to hold a staggering amount of biodiversity in terms of natural landscapes. But this region also possesses an special population of humans with their own endemic culture and rich history. This history can cause some to write off those who live here as either  uneducated or filthy coal miners or both. However, if we are to find a way to protect the area's natural community then we must also find ways to strengthen and protect the human communities as well.