Carol Ruckdeschel, a legendary conservationist now in her 80s, has lived on Cumberland Island for half a century, self-sufficient and mostly alone—reflecting her vision of what a public wilderness should be.

In loving memory of Wendell Berry

A personal reflection of place and music in Dolly Parton’s Smoky Mountains

An investigation

Author Andrew Moore sits for the inaugural Southlands Questionnaire — on elk, awe, and the unfinished business of restoring the wild East.

Southern rock is abundant but often locked behind property lines. That hasn’t stopped climbers. If you want to know how to make private land public, ask a community that’s spent two decades doing just that.