Students in Virginia mountain county will study their own watershed with the help of a new book

Students in one of the more mountainous counties of southwest Virginia will get to see how conservation directly affects their community through the use of a new supplemental science resource. A new book, The Virginia Headwaters of the Big Sandy River: A Story of Revitalization and Nature’s Resilience, will be used to teach high school students in Dickenson County how to protect their local watershed.

The book, by Lu Ellsworth and Kari Kilgore, "includes a historical perspective that should attract young and old readers alike," writes Paula Tate in The Dickenson Star. "It focuses not only on protecting the remaining natural resources within the watershed, but also on the challenges ahead to restore many damaged and threatened areas." Every current high schooler will receive a copy of the book. As long as funds are available, it will be given to every subsequent freshman class. (Read more; subscription required)