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Robert Allen, a civil engineer with over 25 years of experience, discusses the environmental reclamation aspect of coal mining in Southwest Virginia, including Lee County, Dickenson, Wise and Buchanan Counties. He describes the coal industry with emphasis on union activities, environmental regulations, labor mechanization, community responses to coal mining, and the future of fossil fuels.

Barbara Blakey discusses her life in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Blakey recalls teaching high school business and English classes at the Lucy Simms School, in Harrisonburg; her work in the NAACP; the advent of public housing in the Shenandoah Valley; and the impact of integration on education in this area.

Records an interview with David Coffman of Coffman Breeder Farm, who discusses his work as a poultry farmer and chicken grower for Perdue in Rockingham County, Virginia. Coffman discusses the history of poultry breeding in Rockingham County; the economic impact, costs, equipment of being a contract grower vs. an independent grower; breeding and the various breeds grown by different companies; light, heat, fuel and energy systems; coops and confinement houses; automation and the impact of automation on labor; the Chesapeake Bay and runoff concerns; poultry litter disposal and waste management; mice and rodent prevention; poultry nutrition; egg care, including vaccinating eggs and the differences between eggs for breeding and consumption; various poultry companies, including Rocco, Cargill, Tyson, Georgia, and others; PETA and regulations.

Records an interview with Elizabeth (Libby) Custer, who worked for the Wampler Foods, later Wampler-Longacre-Rockingham (WLR), until her retirement in the 1990s. Custer discusses growing up on the family farm, the company's beginnings in 1947, her various jobs at Wampler, taking the company public, a takeover attempt by Tyson, and the eventual sale to Pilgrim's Pride. She also discusses the poultry business generally, including changes in dressing and processing turkeys, government regulations, labor and unions, turkey breeding, and relationships with other companies such as Borden and Rocco.

Records an interview with Gary Flory, who works for the Valley Regional Office of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). Flory discusses his childhood in Ohio, his education, and previous employment as an environmental consultant. Flory discusses his work as a water compliance manager overseeing waste water treatment plants and inspecting farms and poultry operations. Flory discusses the use of poultry litter as a slow-release fertilizer in the Shenandoah Valley, specifically the issue of excess nutrients in ground water and waterways. He also discusses disposal methods of dead birds, the use of phytase in feed, fish kills in the Shenandoah Valley, the inspection process, bacteria in poultry litter. Flory discusses the work of the Department of Conservation Recreation, and the other groups involved in environmental issues related to the poulty industry.

Records an interview with John Hall and Charlie Smith, employees at Southern States Feed Mill, who discuss their business in relation to the poultry industry in Rockingham County. Topics include automation, medicines and ingredients within the feed mixes, various competitors, and feed and nutrient research.

Records an interview with Marshall Hammond, member of the Shenandoah Valley Bike Coalition, in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Hammond discusses his work as an industrial trainer for Merck & Co. in Elkton, Virginia. Hammond recalls his childhood experiences biking in Martinsburg, West Virginia and ways he incorporates cycling into his daily life. He discusses the increase of bicycle clubs, bike paths and bicycle shops in this area; the role that the Harrisonburg and Rockingham Regional Pedestrian and Bike Committee has played in increasing the number of bike lanes; and the creation of the Rocktown Trails, in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Records an interview with Wilhemena Johnson, who discusses her life in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Johnson, who graduated from the Lucy Simms School in Harrisonburg, Virginia in 1947, discusses her subsequent work at the Harrisonburg/Rockingham Department of Social Services, and involvement with various social services organizations in Harrisonburg. Johnson recalls public school integration in Harrisonburg; the "urban renewal" movement in the 1950s-1960s and its the impact on the black community in Harrisonburg; public housing; the construction of the John Wesley Methodist Church on Sterling Street, in Harrisonburg; segregation in Harrisonburg area businesses in the 1930s and 1940s; the role the Lucy Simms school played in organizations in the community; black-owned businesses in Harrisonburg; and various places of business in Harrisonburg that are no longer in operation. She discusses various families in Harrisonburg, including the Bundy, Newman, Tolliver, Wilson, Harper, Curry, Webb, and Ney families.

Records an interview with Carl Luebben, an inspector working for the USDA Service Center and District Office in Harrionburg Virginia. Luebben discusses changes in agriculture in the region, and problems associated with increasing concentrations of poultry and livestock in Rockinham County. He discusses the history of fertilizer composition and fertilizer-use in the Shenandoah Valley, the relationship between fertilizer use and soil quality; no-till agriculture; the mergers of various fertilizer companies; hardpan and soil compaction; and the Farm Bureau Federation. Luebben dicusses the discovery of high levels of coliform and other pollutants in the Muddy Creek Watershed during the mid-1990s, and efforts to address those concerns with area farmers. Luebben discusses his experiences working with Mennonite and Old Order Mennonite farmers.

Records an interview with John Manka, a park ranger at the Shenandoah National Park. Manka discusses the history and creation of the park. He discusses the diaplacement of and relocation of park residents, various populated areas in the park, such as Nickelson Hollow area and Big Meadows, the establishment of relocation centers for displaced people, and various livelihoods including tanbarking, orchards and fruit-trees, raising livestock, and moonshining. Other topics include his efforts to learn more about the history of the Monacan Nation;the history of Skyline Drive and the work of the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC); the mission schools built by the Episcopal church in the Blue Ridge Mountains; various ecological topics, including native plants, efforts to establish the chestnut, the threat of fires and blights, invasive species, and efforts to re-introduce certain wildlife. He discuses the impact of tourism on the park, funding, and personal reflections about the work of being a park ranger.