Join hearts and hands with community members and others to give thanks and
prayers to contradict the demolition of the mountains in West Virginia's wild, wonderful whitewater country.
The Ansted
Historical Preservation Council will hold the Blessing of the Mountain III on
Sunday, October 5 at 3 p.m. Join community members on Fire Tower Mountain, just
above Ansted, WV, as they join hands and hearts in
community. Folks will give thanks for the gifts of the earth and seek Divine
intervention and wisdom in the movement to end the devastation created by
mountaintop removal coal mining. Mountaintop removal is a wound that won't heal
- don't let this out-of-control mining practice scar this community.
Directions (don't worry, signs will be posted): If traveling east from GauleyBridge on US 60, head toward Ansted
to mile marker 104. Continue another 0.1 mile, then turn left on to Rich
Creek Road.
If traveling west from US 19 and onto US 60, head toward Ansted to mile
marker 105. Continue 0.8 mile, then turn right onto Rich
Creek Road.
From Rich Creek Road,
travel 0.7 mile to Ansted Head Start. Turn left, stay on Rich
Creek Road up the mountain. Travel .9 miles to a
fork in the road and take the left fork onto a dirt road. Follow that road 1.2
miles to the Blessing site. (This site is accessible with small cars) For more
info, call Roy at 304-640-3338, or
Katheryne at 304-658-4224
Rally for Green Jobs and Healthy Mountains!!
September 16, 2008
Dear Friends,
We invite you to join us at the Rally for Green Jobs and Healthy Mountains being held today, September 16th from 5:00-6:30pm at the State Capitol in Charleston, WV.
Citizens from all over West Virginia are coming together to call for renewable energy, "green" jobs and lasting economic development for West Virginia based upon the sustainable use of the state's vast mountain resources. We will be calling on Governor Joe Manchin to prove his commitment to West Virginia's future by saving Coal River Mountain from Mountaintop Removal and supporting the development of a wind farm for the mountain instead. So come and celebrate the opportunity to bring wind power and good jobs to the Coal River Valley, and to let the governor know that citizens across the state are demanding a clean and just future for current and future generations.
The event will open with a gospel song to be sung by Emmett Withrow, a resident of Colcord, WV whose home is situated in one of the valleys surrounding Coal River Mountain. The line-up of speakers will include: Lorelei Scarbro of Coal River Mountain Watch and resident of Rock Creek, WV; Rory McIlmoil of Coal River Mountain Watch and Coordinator for the Wind Campaign; Daniel Chiotos of the Student Environmental Action Coalition and a resident of Charleston; and, green jobs advocate Jesse Johnson. The highlight of the event will be a reading by community members of their rights and statements to Governor Joe Manchin, and throughout the event there will be mountain bluegrass music being played by Here's to the Long Haul.
Event Information: When: Tuesday, September 16th, 5:00-6:30pm Where: On the steps of the State Capitol in Charleston, WV (mall side, next to the fountain) If you aren't able to join us for the rally, you can still help by calling and emailing Governor Manchin and letting him know that you want green jobs and healthy mountains for West Virginia, and that you support Wind Power, not Mountaintop Removal for Coal River Mountain!
To Contact Joe Manchin, call 1-888-438-2731, and send an email by clicking here, or writing to: Governor@WVGov.org
And if you haven't yet done so, please sign our petition support the Coal River Mountain Wind Farm.
Thank you for all your support, and we hope to see you at the Rally!!
Warm Regards,
Lorelei Scarbro, Rory McIlmoil and the rest of the Coal River Mountain Wind team
For More Information, Contact: Coal River Mountain Watch, (304) 854-2182,www. crmw. net Lorelei Scarbro, Community Organizer, lorelei@coalriverwind.org Rory McIlmoil, Campaign Coordinator, rory@coalriverwind.org
Do you have a business, want to start one of your own, or interested in learning about alternative economic possibilities in your community?
August 27, 2008
How can we build an Appalachian economy that creates local small businesses that make smart use of materials close at hand?
Come to a conference in the mountains of Virginia to explore this question with A.C.E. (Appalachian Community Economics). Your skills and ideas need to be shared! Do you have a business or want to start one of your own? Share information about startup funds or business planning, about a grant or service. This weekend could help you bring your farm, forest or home products into a new market.
Workshops including:
Solar, Micro-Hydro and Wind Power
Sustainable Forestry and Non-Timber Forest Harvesting
Coal River Mountain is one of the last mountains left intact in the beautiful Coal River Valley of West Virginia. However, Massey Energy has plans to mine 6600 acres of the mountain - almost 10 square miles.
Fortunately, there is an alternative to mountaintop removal mining – wind power. This is a unique opportunity to move our nation and West Virginia toward the production of clean energy, and to preserve our nation's mountains for generations to come.
This wind farm would:
· Create Jobs 200 local employment opportunities during construction, and 50 permanent jobs during the life of the wind farm. It takes only 27 years for a wind farm to provide a greater number of one-year jobs than the four surface mines combined.
The proposed mountaintop removal mine on Coal River Mountain
· Create Energy – Provide 440MW or enough energy for 150,000 homes – indefinitely, as well as a sustained tax income that could be used for the construction of new schools for the county.
· Create Economic Potential – Allow for concurrent uses of the mountain including harvesting of wild ginseng and valuable forest plants, sustainable forestry, and mountain tourism, as Coal River Mountain is one of West Virginia's finest mountains.
· Preserve Heritage – Coal River Mountain has provided for the people of the Coal River Valley for generations. A mountaintop removal mine would block residents from the mountain and destroy the lands ancestors once lived on, as well as the family cemeteries they rest in.
· Protect the Land and Community – More than 500,000 acres in West Virginia alone have been destroyed by surface mining. Mountaintop Removal mining buries and poisons drinking water, increases flooding, damages homes and personal property, and devastates wildlife habitat.
The H.O.R.N.
