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Award of Merit
Steve Nash's story on climate change in the mountains won an award of merit for environmental feature.
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Deborah Huso's story
Deborah Huso's story on George Masa won an award of merit for historical feature.
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Elizabeth Hunter
Elizabeth Hunter's every-issue From the Farm won another gold award for best column.
The International Regional Magazine Association (IRMA) has announced the winners of its 2009 competition and Blue Ridge Country has come away with three awards for 2008 stories. Recognitions were announced at IRMA's annual conference, in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Elizabeth Hunter's "From the Farm" won (not its first) gold award for best column. Elizabeth has written the column since Blue Ridge Country was founded in 1988, and also writes "Mountain Garden" for each issue, as well as feature articles. She's the author of books including "Blue Ridge Parkway: America's Favorite Journey."
Deborah Huso's May/June 2008 story on Japanese photographer George Masa, a friend of Horace Kephart and an inspiration behind the creation of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, won an award of merit for historical feature. Deborah is a freelance writer who lives in Highland County, Va. Her Moon guide on the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky mountains will be released in 2010.
"Double Vision: Climate Change Comes to the Mountains," Steve Nash's November/December 2008 story on the effects of climate change on the Appalachian mountains, won an award of merit for environmental feature. Steve is associate professor of journalism at the University of Richmond and author of books including "Blue Ridge 2020 – An Owner's Manual."
Congratulations to our talented writers and photoraphers and the editorial and design team at the magazine.