Nov 1, 2006: The Hidden Destruction Of The Appalachian Mountains
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Lexington, Ky., environmental activist Dave Cooper will present a discussion on mountaintop removal at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 2 in the Blocker Science Auditorium at Virginia Wesleyan. In the "Mountaintop Removal Road Show," Cooper will explain what it is like to live near a mountaintop removal mine and answer questions.
In Virginia, 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 been turned into barren grasslands. Mountaintop removal mining increases flooding, contaminates drinking water supplies, cracks foundations of nearby homes and showers towns with dust and noise from blasting.
Mountaintop removal is a high-profile environmental issue that has received great national interest, particularly since the publication of Eric Reese's "Lost Mountain." The mountains in Virginia are next in line for large-scale destruction already irreversible in West Virginia and Kentucky.
The Mountaintop Removal Road Show features a beautiful and thought-provoking multimedia show with traditional Appalachian music and culture.
This event is free and open to the public.
For more information, call 757.455.5716.
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