VIDEO Wild Connections: ‘Appalachian Gold and the plight of ginseng’

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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Wild Connections is a collaboration among the following organizations: Wild South, Warren Wilson College Department of Environmental Studies, Pisgah Brewing Company and Ashvegas.com. The goal is to connect people to the very special places of Western North Carolina – specifically, the region’s diverse ecosystems and the native wildlife that inhabit them.

Warren Wilson students recently took on projects to explore and research five ecosystems: high elevation spruce-fir forests, mountain bogs, rich cove forests, grassy balds and the Hickory Nut Gorge. The students have written a series of essays published here, and they also shot and edited 5- to 7 -minute documentary films.

This documentary short film looks at the threats and conservation efforts around North Carolina’s native ginseng population. It is by Jesmira Bonoan and Max Olszack, students in a Warren Wilson College documentary class.

APPALACHIAN GOLD: THE PLIGHT OF GINSENG from Warren Wilson Docs on Vimeo.