After an early morning and long drive from Washington DC, we arrived this afternoon to West Virginia. Mitch and Clare Hescox, Alexei Laushkin, Ben Lowe and myself were greeted by Allen Johnson and Rebecca Eppling from Christians for the Mountains. Allen guided us down narrow rutted roads, past coal trucks, and through hollows (pronounced “hollers”) to our destination, the Stanley Heirs Park. Home to Larry Gibson, the homestead is a 50-acre plot of land surrounded by acres and acres of destroyed mountains and devastated landscape. What used to be lush mountains are now flattened terraces, what was formerly pristine valley now filled with “overburden”, aka the tops of mountains.
Larry Gibson passionately told us his story and the challenges he has had to face by staying in the middle of coal industrial work. Larry spoke about the way people used to live by depending on the plants and animals around them, they respected the land, and the land provided for them. Even though his property is extremely valuable to the mining industry, he refuses to move because his family has lived on this land for generations. He has a conviction that mountaintop removal has costly human health impacts. He challenged us to think on what we would be willing to fight for, what if anything would we defend? It is in this light that he takes his stand for mountains and homestead.
After Larry’s, we went to Ansted, W.V. our starting point for the walk tomorrow. In the evening, we met with Mrs. Katheryne Hoffman a W.V. resident for many years and very involved in her local community. She went on to tell us the history of her mountain conservation work in Ansted. She has had to fight to express the views of the local community, which is not interested in potential new mine work. She spoke of her community-based approach, and connected these local issues to human health and clean water.
So, on to spread and add to these stories with the people we encounter on the walk to DC. With prayer for change and thanksgiving for the beauty that still exists, we look forward to tomorrow!
At this time of year, with summer break on the horizon and final exams and papers looming, it's easy for schedules to fall out of balance. Routine and habit give way to frantic rushing, cramming, and lots of caffeine. While each school has their own culture and way of managing this hectic time in the scholastic calendar, I think this aspect of a student's life is more or less universal. One major challenge facing creation care organizations/clubs, or any other college club for that matter, is finishing the year strong in the midst of this intensified workload. It's not uncommon for a club to simply peter out at the end of the school year as finals and day dreaming of summer take precedence in our minds. But It is my intention in writing this blog to stress the importance of finishing strong and to offer a few ideas to do so.
This past Monday was our last A Rocha large group gathering at Wheaton College. Part of the time was spent reviewing the year through pictures of the events we participated in. It's good to look back to see what was accomplished and to get ideas for improvement for next year. And let's be honest, everyone likes seeing their picture; seeing a picture of someone with their friends engaged in a river clean up or a 350 event, gives them a sense of ownership and achievement. In addition to recapping the previous year, the second part of the meeting was used to elect the new leadership team for A Rocha. During this time, each candidate was given the opportunity to offer their vision for the future of the club. Holding elections at the end of the year gives a clear image of the future leadership. Knowing who is in which position at the end of the year allows the leadership team to get straight to work in the fall, possibly organizing before classes begin. It also allows those graduating or exiting a leadership position to pass on their projects and helps get the new leaders assimilated to the position and its responsibilities.
Ending strong, which may simply mean holding a last official meeting where you recap the year, and electing next year's leadership, enables a club to maintain momentum over the summer. At our last A Rocha Wheaton meeting our president was already trying to figure out what times works with most people for our next fall "retreat" before classes pick up. It's amazing how effective this day-long retreat was in casting a well defined vision for A Rocha Wheaton 2009-10, and the reason it was so successful was because of the well defined leadership and clear communication between each other and with our sponsor over the summer and fall. If your club is able to finish strong, the summer, rather than being a time to digress, can be be used to build momentum for the fall.
One last note. Take advantage of any opportunity to develop your organization's leadership over the summer! There are so many opportunities to intern, serve, learn, and develop leadership skills. One way A Rocha Wheaton is investing in their future leaders is by offering to cover the cost to attend the Creation Care Institute in Santa Barbara for those who wish to attend. See if there's a way to keep your leaders and members involved in Creation Care over the summer.
Join Renewal and the Evangelical Environmental Network to walk for God's creation. From May 8th to 25th we will be walking (!) from Ansted, WV to Washington, DC where we will end with the National Day of Prayer for Creation Care. Come for all or part of the event and contact us with any questions about travel or equipment. If you can't walk but would still like to participate, consider sending your prayers with us or hosting a prayer event in your own town.
What if you turned on the faucet and the water was coffee-colored? It sounds bizarre, but I met people at the Alliance for Appalachia’s Week in Washington who testified to contaminated water running through their faucets. March 6-10 a band of 200 people from California to Virginia gathered to end Mountain Top Removal (MTR) by telling their legislators about its devastating effects. Coal companies extract a portion of coal from the beautiful Appalachian Mountains by blowing off hundreds of feet to reach a few inches of coal. As the explosives demolish the mountain tops, hazardous sediments are released into the air with literally tons of dust. The dust alone is deadly and is linked with a significant increase in respiratory illnesses and cancers in the surrounding communities. As the dust settles, coal companies often dump the mountain tops on streams where, naturally, hazardous sediments find their way to families’ water. I could not imagine bathing or brushing my teeth with water that is brown or even black (like the real samples of water shown above).
Coal companies are NOT the enemy, yet we must protect families. MTR destroys not only the rich heritage of Appalachia, but the health and drinking water of real families in Appalachia. As a student at Milligan College in Northeast Tennessee, I live nestled in the beauty of Appalachia. As a disciple of Christ, I am moved by this injustice. I hope you are moved as well. I encourage you to pray, to get educated about this, and to tell others (including your governmental representatives) about these stories. If you’d like to become better educated about this, explore sites such as ilovemountains.org or Google Mountaintop Removal.
