FYI-- If you are concerned about the destruction of Southern Appalachia,
you will be very interested in this presentation. Also--UTC's own
"Student Greens" group have helped to organize the event, so it
would be great to show your support!
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Local Activists Host Program on the Hidden
Destruction of the Appalachian Mountains
Chattanooga - Local environmental activists with Katuah Earth First!, the
UTC Student Greens and the Chattanooga Area Green Party are co-sponsoring
a program about destructive coal mining practices in central and southern
Appalachia. The program will occur
Wednesday, January 28th, 2004 at 7:00 pm in
Grote Hall room 129 on Vine Street on the UTC campus in
downtown Chattanooga. This program is free and open to the
public.
The Hidden Destruction of the Appalachian Mountains
It's called "mountaintop removal" mining. In West
Virginia and eastern Kentucky, coal companies blast as much as 600 feet
off the top of the mountains, then dump the rock and debris into mountain
streams. Over 300,000 acres of the most beautiful and productive
hardwood forests in America have already been turned into barren
grasslands. 2002 Goldman Prize award winner Judy Bonds, a renowned
fighter against mountaintop removal will talk about her battle against
the giant coal companies which drove her and her family out of their
Marfork Hollow home in West Virginia. She is a leader with the
group Coal River Mountain Watch. Kentucky native Dave Cooper will
also present a stunning slide show of the beauty and the destruction of
the Appalachian Mountains. Patty Sebok of West Virginia will also
be on hand to lend her perspective as the wife of coal miner.
"This is an opportunity for everyone to come learn about one of the
most pressing issues in Appalachia" stated Amanda Womac of Katuah
Earth First! "Destructive mountain top removal coal mining is
spreading from West Virginia and eastern Kentucky to
Tennessee" she added. "This type of coal mining is
being encouraged by the Bush Administration and the Tennessee Valley
Authority" said john johnson, of Whitwell, TN, also of Katuah Earth
First! " We all need to educate ourselves on this threat and
get together to stop it" he added.
Biographies of Presenters:
Dave Cooper is a resident of Lexington,
Kentucky. After 20 years working as a mechanical engineer in
various industries, most recently at the 3M plant in Cynthiana, Kentucky
that makes Post-it notes, he decided to devote his full attention to
environmental issues after seeing a mountaintop removal mine on Kayford
Mountain, West Virginia. He is currently organizing a national
speaking tour to educate communities across America about Mountaintop
Removal in co-operation with the non-profit group Appalachian Voices, of
Boone, North Carolina.
Judy Bonds, of Rock Creek, West
Virginia is the 2002 winner of the Goldman Prize, the most prestigious
award for international grassroots activism. This coal miner's
daughter and former Pizza Hut waitress was driven out of her Marfork
Hollow home by the Massey Energy Corporation in 1998, and for the past
five years she has been the community outreach coordinator for the
grassroots group Coal River Mountain Watch, in Whitesville West
Virginia. Judy's fearless efforts to fight mountaintop removal,
overweight coal trucks and dangerous coal slurry waste ponds in
Appalachia are featured in the Nov-Dec 2003 issue of Sierra magazine. She
has also been featured in the Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Family
Circle magazine, People magazine, and many others.
This program will be in Knoxville, TN on Monday, January 26th
For more information:
John Johnson - 949-5922 - [log in to unmask]
Amanda Womac - 821-3501 - [log in to unmask]
www.stopmountaintopremoval.com
Katuah Earth First! P.O. Box 281 Chattanooga, TN 37401
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Jennifer Hoff
Grant Consultant
Office of Grants and Program Review, Dept. 4905
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
615 McCallie Avenue
Chattanooga, TN 37403
Phone: 423-425-4168
Fax: 423-425-4052
Email: [log in to unmask]
Website:
http://www.utc.edu/Grants-and-Research
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