This American Land

Blue Ridge Parkway, Women In Farming, The Value Of

Running for 469 miles from Virginia to North Carolina, the Blue Ridge Parkway offers stunning views of mountainous landscapes that are protected from development by land purchases supported by the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Developers in Denver seek to buy water from a distant valley where farmers rely on an underground aquifer to grow their crops. A farmer's wife in Texas describes her role in managing the family's finances, earning extra income, and sharing the burden of farming's constant uncertainties. Researchers study tiny spadefoot toads to understand the importance of plasticity in evolution.