7/27/09

coal ash has all kinds of uses

heres an article about a town built on coal ash, i wonder if thats like building a city on rock and roll?
in any case. the proponents of coal insist coal ash is useful as well. its great for road fill, ground fill, building fill, etc. not enough dirt? just use coal ash.

well, heres just one small towns story of what happens when you make such wonderful use of the substance.

7/7/09

kayford mountain

practically everyone remotely interested in mountain top removal (whether your for or against it) knows of a man by the name of Larry Gibson, for good reason.
mr. gibson has property on a mountain called kayford mountain, when i look at an aerial shot of west virginia, kayford mountain jumps out at me due to... well, its lack of existence? i dont want to tell all of Larry's story (im not sure thats possible), but ill attempt to introduce you to the basics, in case youre unfamiliar with him. (feel free to visit his site for more information.) larry inherited this land and can trace it (being in his family) back over 250 years. in the early 1900s, his grandfather signed over the "mineral rights" to this property, like many others in this area, for .01c an acre (its my understanding that they originally had over 1000 acres.) people did this, because they only knew of deep mining, and could respect the wealth this brought to their communities, they in no way saw this as a threat to the land they lived and played on.
over 20 years ago they began to surface mine on kayford mountain, taking over much of Larry's property. somehow, at some point, he managed to get 50 acres into a land trust, making it so that no one could purchase, sell, trade, etc.
originally, Larry looked up 400ft. to the peak of the mountain from his property, his property is now the highest point among multiple mountain top removal projects.
due to his courageous efforts, Larry receives more harassment and threats than i can fathom. but alas, he is the "keeper of the mountains", and a wonderful one at that.
upon walking out to the site, were greeted with a pile of rubble, including a large rock with a hole drilled in it, this hole is a remnant from the coal company drilling down, to fill with explosives (like those used in the Oklahoma City bombing), to blast away "overburden". in addition to a no trespassing sign.

we stepped up on the high wall, and looked down at what was going on. immediately in front of us were the alien grasses character of "reclamation". far off in the distance, a lovely mountain range. and in between, something id expect to see on the moon, with a group of heavy machinery.

i think i could have stayed, and just watched, shocked, in awe, all day. i wanted to know what was really running through these miners minds. deep down, the secrets they share with no one. i understand that this is about the only decent paying job in the entire state. i understand that they have families to feed. but surely, some of them think beyond that on occasion, but are just too scared to tell anyone. for those, my heart goes out.

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7/2/09

the last house in mud.

on june 20th me and my family began to take a road trip that would involve a few stops in west virginia. i hoped to see the devastation of mountain top removal first hand, for the first time. it was a success.
sunday morning (the following day) we were up bright and early, in charleston, wv. not sure what to do with our day we decided to check out their unitarian universalist congregation, it wasnt until shortly before the service that i realized this could have multiple benefits, a big one being finding potential resources to help in my journey. upon walking through the parking lot i noticed several bumpers proudly wearing "i love mountains" bumper stickers, and knew i was in the right place. inside a gentleman appeared to me almost like an angel of sorts, sporting a shirt that largely exclaimed "i love mountains", named julian.

naturally i began to discuss my goals and ask questions, he was eager to provide stories and information and even offered to take us on a tour of a couple places, one of them being "the only house left in mud, wv". yes, mud is a town, or was. i guess. most towns have communities, stores, animals, etc. not this one. after a drive down a long winding dirt road, mostly lined in trees we got to the infamous house. it was a quaint little farm house style residence, unfortunately the family wasnt home, but julian was happy to tell us about them and their property.
when the coal company decided to mine on this land they insisted all the residents leave, as they often do using various tactics (mineral rights, bribes, threats, etc.). this particular family had no interest in relocating and went all the way to the supreme court to assure they could keep a portion of their property. with that they also included a single stipulation, that they be able to sit on their porch and only see the land the way it was intended (no site of mining). and thats what they got.

the first site is right through the trees to the left of their home (in the first image you can see it midway down on the left). the trees disappear and theres... dirt?
julian walked us along through the trees to see what lied beyond, the sky was beautiful on this particular day, one of the most photogenic skies ive photographed to date, it contrasted the land that lie ahead very dramatically. you look one way and see forest, another, something more like desert.
this particular company apparently takes sundays off, as the equipment was all lined up and not a soul in sight. it was just so surreal, to imagine a beautiful mountain where all this rubble was. human and environmental impacts asside, there was nothing remotely pleasant about the acres and acres that spanned beyond my view filled with tossed up rocks and minerals yet no trees, water, or wildlife. in the middle of the appalachian mountains, the north american rainforest, oldest mountains in the world, richest ecosystem in north america.

this final photo, is of our dear friend julian, standing in front of what is considered a "reclaimed mountain" (that sits just off the property line of the aforementioned house). this land is what the coal companies tout as being restored to natural contour and ready for plant and wildlife reintroduction. they also claim this land is much more useful than the previous hillside. perfect for shopping centers, airports, golf courses, etc. im wondering where the customers for such attractions will come from?

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