Appalachian Feed

News, updates and opinion from around Appalachia

Celebrating Larry Gibson: The Life and Legacy of the Keeper of the Mountains
Sep 28, 2012

The public is encouraged to attend to help celebrate Larry’s life and legacy.  You are encouraged to RSVP and invite friends to this facebook event.

Larry died of a heart attack on Sunday, September 9, while working on his family’s land on Kayford Mountain, which he spent the last decades of his life protecting from mountaintop removal.  Larry successfully protected fifty acres of his homeplace on Kayford Mountain and he inspired people nationwide to take action to stop mountaintop removal coal mining.  The program for “Celebrating Larry Gibson: The Life and Legacy of the Keeper of the Mountains” will feature family, friends, prominent activists, West Virginia residents, musicians and preachers.  This event will be preceded by...

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New section of CRMW website focuses on public health and MTR
Jun 26, 2012

Check out Coal River Mountain Watch's new section entitled "The Health Impacts of Mountaintop Removal and Coal Mining."  The new health guide on Coal River Mountain Watch's website includes a list of the peer reviewed research that has been conducted on the impacts of MTR and coal mining in general on public health in local communities.  Six of the studies are specific to mountaintop removal.  This guide was developed by Aurora Lights' own Jen Osha, who is also Project Director at Coal River Mountain Watch.  These studies, conducted from 2007 to 2011,  provide evidence that human health problems such as heart, respiratory and kidney diseases, cancer, low birth weight and serious birth defects are significantly higher in communities near mountaintop removal mine sites.

In addition to listing the studies, the new public health guide provides information about the findings of each...

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Update: Mining on Coal River Mountain
Jun 18, 2012

Although there are 3 approved mountaintop removal permits on Coal River Mountain, as of June 18th, there is currently no strip mining occurring on the mountain.  However, mining could be resumed at any time:

  • Mining on the Bee Tree permit was idled in May 2012, due to a drop in international demand. Before mining stopped, Marfork had destroyed about 75 acres of the 1,090-acre permit.  Miners are still working on the permit preforming reclamation activities and, if coal market conditions improve, mining could resume at any time.
  • The 250-acre Collins Fork Permit has been approved but mining has not yet started.  Coal River Mountain Watch appealed the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)'s decision to approve this permit to the state Surface Mine Board.  We argued that the DEP failed to properly evaluate the cumulative effects of strip mining in the watershed of the Clear Fork of the Coal River, including the impact...
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Theatrical documentary play inspired by people of Coal River
Apr 20, 2011

Coal River written and directed by Becky Hill is an original documentary theatre project inspired by the people of Coal River Valley, West Virginia. The show focuses on a community in Southern West Virginia as they face Mountain Top Removal Mining. The language of this piece is formed from actual interviews, documents and speeches. The community member’s voices were taken from interviews collected by myself and Jen Osha within Raleigh and Boone County. All performances are free of charge. Donations are appreciated. All proceeds will go Marsh Fork Community Association.

The show will be at the Davis and Elkins College Boiler House Studio Theatre April 20th-21st and 26th at 7pm with a preview show on April 16th at 5:00pm during the Sustainability Fair.

The cast includes various Elkins community members ranging in age from 21 to 69 with music by Gerry Milnes.
The Cast is as follows:

  • Judy: Emily Yeager
  • Shannon: Craig Hyre
  • ...
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Appalachia Rising! Brings Thousands Together to End Mountaintop Removal
Oct 20, 2010

On September 27, 2010, the largest national protest to end mountaintop removal coal mining took to the streets of Washington, DC. Over one hundred people were arrested for nonviolent civil disobedience in front of the White House, including Appalachian organizers, scientists, students and grandparents. Organized by residents of Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee and West Virginia and their allies, Appalachia Rising! crafted a Day of Action rooted in the visions of Appalachians fighting mountaintop removal. It brought...

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Donate to the Montcoal Mining Disaster Fund
Apr 8, 2010
April 8, 2010

The West Virginia Council of Churches has set up a fund to support people impacted by the Upper Big Branch Mine explosion. "Donate to the Montcoal Mining Disaster Fund" to make a donation.

Thank you.

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New resource to get involved with local NGOs
Nov 5, 2009

Check out local, statewide, and regional groups working across Appalachia on issues of environmental and social justice, or learn more about educational resources that can help tie your school requirements in with an on the ground project or internship!  Includes logos, summaries, and links to more than 20 different organizations. 

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Blasting begins on Coal River Mountain
Nov 5, 2009

Coal River Mountain, the last intact mountain in the watershed and the focus of so much of our participatory mapping project, is being blasted NOW.  Click here for a summary, here for more information about the massive slurry impoundment located next to the blasting, and here to get involved immediately!

 

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The Bluegrass Special: Coal River Journal
Oct 31, 2009

By Jen Osha

When I first came to the Coal River Valley of West Virginia, I was wearing my uncle’s favorite boots. Rugged, yet well cared for, they served me well stomping about on the rocky moonscape of the strip mines.  He was always a practical man.

He also sent me to West Virginia with his blessing.  My uncle Tim was a retired mechanic from the surface coal mines in southern Indiana, and a union organizer during the strike against Peabody coal.  Proud of his community and his work, he took me on a tour to show off the reclamation areas where my cousins could swim and play beneath healthy hardwood trees.  He explained to me about how the topsoil had been hauled back into mounds, to be returned to its place once the coal was extracted and the land was reclaimed.

Read more at the Bluegrass Special...

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