Aurora Lights

Two trips to the Brushy Fork Slurry impoundment

2008-11-25T08:53:00.001-08:00

I took a trip up to see the Brushy Fork Impoundment this week. This impoundment is designed to hold 9 billion gallons of sludge and is permitted to be 900 feet high (which is higher than the New River Gorge bridge).

Why did I head up? Permit revision for the Bee Tree Surface Mine will allow overburden to be dumped on the Brushy Fork impoundment. This impoundment already is situated over top of underground mine shafts, like the coal refuse dam that broke in Inez, Ky, in 2000. It sounded to me like blasting in close proximity to such a large slurry impoundment was a pretty stupid idea.

The black to the left is the dam itself. To the right are the two forks of Brushy fork, which is a tributary into little Marsh Fork, then into Marsh Fork, and then into Coal River.

Here you can see a dozer working to compact additional fill material onto to top of the dam.

Looking down the holler, the way the slurry would flow if there was a collapse of the dam, such as in the 1972 Buffalo Creek disaster.

Check out the emergency warning plan for yourself. The plan states that over 990 people would be killed if this dam collapsed. Not taken into account, however, are the effects of a "breakthrough:" meaning the bottom of the impoundment would break and slurry would break into underground mineshafts.

A picture on the way down of a mountain that is still beautiful and not blasted apart YET.

Check out more information about slurry impoundments, as well as updates regarding a coal impoundment study.

Brushy Fork: From the Other Side

We returned a few weeks later to the spot where blasting is supposed to start. The above picture is from the opposite side of the impoundment, with the forks to the left and the dam to the right outside of the picture frame.

Here Matt and Becky are standing directly on top of the place where the blasting is supposed to begin on the Bee Tree MTR permit.

Here are some beautiful pictures of Coal River Mountain that I took along the way:

Here is the view from Wristen Knob...beautiful!

Matt and Becky up on top of the Knob. Becky is staying warm and bright in Bacon's coveralls!

This was my first time riding a four wheeler. It was addictively fun.

By Jen Osha

A day with the Prenter Water Project

2008-11-25T06:52:00.000-08:00

Last week I spent a day with Glenn, Matt, and Maria Lambert to help deliver barrels as part of the Prenter Water Project.

Here is a summary from their website:

The Prenter Water Fund came together in the Summer of 2008 a few months after residents of Prenter Hollow found out that the ground water they had used and depended on for generations had been contaminated by coal slurry injections. With high illness rates and a lack of government willingness to help, the people decided to get clean water themselves. With a water truck and storage containers at each house, the people of Prenter will have clean drinking water until a water line can be laid through Prenter Hollow.

Aurora Lights developed some educational pages about Prenter water quality to integrate into our CD release. I also decided to go along for a day to help deliver barrels and get to meet folks in the community. Here are some pictures from the journey:

Here is the map Maria drew for us showing us where the barrels needed to be delivered. Even after living in West Virginia for eight years, it is still remarkable to me how well folks know their local geography and their neighbors.

On the road with Matt and Glen. They have been on the road delivering barrels to residents who have requested immediate access to clean water for drinking, cooking, bathing, etc.

We set up a hand pump for each barrel that we deliver, so that it will be easier for residents to access their water. I got the hang of putting them together by the end of the day.

Glen can bust them out really fast, even with cold fingers and creative tools.

Folks were really excited to get their barrel, even if there isn't water in it yet!

Here is Barbara Sebok with her barrel.

Residents complain of water that is literally black when they leave home and return after a few days. Even with the water running constantly, check out the water in the back of this toilet.

Evening came early, with still more barrels to deliver. Here Matt is putting together a hand pump.

If you are interested in getting involved, please check out the Prenter Water Fund website, where you can contact participants or give a much appreciated donation.

By Jen Osha

Current Project

2008-07-21T14:01:00.000-07:00

Aurora Lights will be releasing their newest project, a music CD centered on the culture and environmental issues in southern West Virginia, in June of 2009. Check out our myspace page. This music CD is the second music compilation Aurora Lights has produced, the first being “Moving Mountains: Voices of Appalachia Rise Up Against Mountaintop Removal.”

This new CD being compiled by Jen Osha and Sam McCreery and will have an online map component of participatory maps of the Coal River Valley. The participatory maps will consist of 3-5 layers focused on Coal River Valley as well as more detailed maps for areas of special concern. The maps serve as the central feature on the website through which additional multimedia, including web links, video, pictures, additional interviews and songs, can be geographically linked.

Aurora Lights was founded by Jen Osha in 1999 and has a mission to “strengthen connections within and between human communities and their natural environment.” In West Virginia, Aurora Lights supports hands-on environmental educational programs for college students, reforestation programs through their native trees nursery, and overseas opportunities for local students to travel to the Ecuadorian Amazon to experience First People’s connections to the land. They specifically organize, lead and fund weekend trips to the coalfields as well as summer internships.

The new compilation CD will have quite a line-up of musicians. A song from the up and coming band, Rising Appalachia (RISE), will also be featured on the CD. They have been compared Ani Difranco, The Be Good Tanyas and Bjork. Playing a fiddle, banjo, kalimba, and boudrhan, (with guests on the bass, trumpet, djembe, and more) the group Rising Appalachia offers a fresh, raw approach to traditional music. Keith and Joan Pitzer and Andrew McKnight have also submitted songs for consideration for the CD. They were featured on the Moving Mountains CD.

As with the Moving Mountains CD, the profits from this compilation will be donated back into the community in the form of direct grants. The proceeds from the Moving Mountains CD gave about $7,000 to coal field community members and non-profit organizations working to stop mountaintop removal coal mining.

A Record Setting Year for the Mountain Keeper's Music Festival

2008-07-08T06:03:00.000-07:00

The Mountain Keepers Music Festival saw record setting crowds as
more than three hundred made a long journey up to Kayford Mountain to celebrate Appalachian life while also supporting a truly beneficial clean energy economy. This was the second annual Mountain Keepers Music Festival. Held on Saturday, July
5th and Sunday, July 6^th, speakers and organizations at the festival highlighted the absolute need to bring good paying green jobs to West Virginia while also defending our mountains from the ravages of Mountaintop Removal. This free concert is the premier music festival that celebrates environmental justice in southern West Virginia. The two day event featured local and regional musicians who played a variety of bluegrass, gospel, country and old time music, as well as children's games, a pot-luck meal and silent auction.

The purpose of the concert, according to local citizen activist Larry Gibson, is to show support for "human rights, health and water rights, and basically everything that we have." Larry Gibson, whose family has lived on the same land for over 230 years, has been working to protect his health, his heritage, and his community from the ravages of
Mountain Top Removal. This festival brought together Larry Gibson's family with people who actively work to end Mountaintop Removal and also with people who made their first visit to the mountain for an all around fun and warm weekend.

The festival featured many emerging artists who celebrate their homes and heritage. Elizabeth LaPrelle sang with her mother, Sandy LaPrelle who also played fiddle. Jim Savarino, who has played at festivals from Iowa to Texas, performed Appalachain roots
contemporary folk songs. Keith, Joan and Jake Pitzer brought together traditional and contemporary styles with down to earth lyrics. The Lone Tones, a popular Knoxville, Tennessee band, have garnered regional and national attention for their unique style, literate songwriting, and inspiring live shows also played.

For more information about the concert: www.myspace.com/mtkeepersfest

This event was sponsored by the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, Student Environmental Action Coalition and Coal River Mountain Watch.

For more information on the effects of mountaintop removal, please
visit www.crmw.net, www.ohvec.org, or www.seac.org.

Mountain Keeper's Music Festival

2008-06-26T16:37:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, July 5th and Sunday, July 6th, the annual Mountain Keepers Music Festival will be held at Kayford Mountain's Stanley Heirs Park . This free concert is the premier music festival that celebrates environmental justice in southern West Virginia. The two day event will feature local and regional musicians playing a variety of bluegrass, gospel, country and old time music, as well as children's games, a pot-luck meal and silent auction.

The purpose of the concert, according to local citizen activist Larry Gibson, is to show support for "human rights, health and water rights, and basically everything that we have." Larry Gibson, whose family has lived on the same land for over 230 years, has been working to protect his health, his heritage, and his community from the ravages of Mountain Top Removal. The concert will be for remembrance of the homes and jobs lost, while also celebrating communities' efforts to resist MTR and promote sustainable jobs for a better future.

The festival will feature many emerging artists who celebrate their homes and heritage. Elizabeth LaPrelle (www.old97wrecords.com/ elizabeth-laprelle/about.htm ) will be singing with her mother, Sandy LaPrelle, on the fiddle. Jim Savarino (www.jimsavarino.com), who has played at festivals from Iowa to Texas, will be performing Appalachain roots contemporary folk songs. Keith, Joan and Jake Pitzer (http://www.pitzermusic.com/) bring together traditional and contemporary styles with down to earth lyrics. The Lone Tones, (http://www.thelonetones.com/home.html) a popular Knoxville, Tennessee band, have garnered regional and national attention for their unique style, literate songwriting, inspiring live shows.

Stanley Heirs Park is located near Dawes, WV, which is about 35 minutes south of Charleston off of Interstate 64.

There will be free camping available Saturday night. Please bring camping supplies, water, and snacks if you plan on staying. Attendees are encouraged to bring a covered dish.

For more information about the concert: www.myspace.com/mtkeepersfest

For more information on the effects of mountaintop removal, please visit www.crmw.net, www.ohvec.org, or www.seac.org.

This is a drug and alcohol free event. This is a free concert, but donations are welcome and appreciated.

This event is sponsored by the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, Student Environmental Action Coalition and Coal River Mountain Watch.

MTR Awareness Festival

2007-10-03T17:38:00.000-07:00

The MTR Awareness Festival was held in Athens, OH at the Ohio University Campus on the weekend of September 28th & 29th. It was organized by the Sierra Student Coalition.

Saturday was a beautiful day and the event was held outside.

The Aurora Lights' table.

Old time fiddle.

Julian Martin explained the destruction of MTR.

Old time ballads.

Elisa Young explained the necessity of alternative energy and the devastation of coal fired power plants.

Mike Morningstar played some good dancin' songs.

Jen Osha sang and spoke about the issues surrounding MTR.

Aurora Lights would like to thank the Appalachian Community Fund for the financial support to get us from Morgantown, WV to Athens, OH to record and participate in this event. We would also like to thank Becky, Cory, and all of the members of the Sierra Student Coalition at Ohio University. You guys did an awesome job putting this together!!!!

photos and text by Sam

Call for Musicians!!!!!!

2007-09-06T10:01:00.000-07:00

This is a call for musicians!!!!!!!!!

Jen Osha and Sam McCreery are putting out a CD and are looking for songs about the Coal River Valley and the effects of Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining. The final product will have roughly 12-15 songs and 5-7 interviews as well as an interactive map. This is the first part of larger cultural mapping project based around the Coal River Mountain area in Boone and Raleigh Counties in southern West Virginia. This project will spread awareness of MTR and show people that there is a rich culture in this area.

We are looking for songs that are place based around the Coal River Mountain area. We would like to connect the songs directly to the map.

Some song topics we are looking for:

-overloaded coal trucks

-community empowerment

-streams and rivers being affected

-King Coal politics

-Ed Wiley’s walk from Charleston, WV to Washington D.C.

-Ed Wiley’s month in New York City

-Stover Cemetery

-Wildlife impact

-connecting MTR to other environmental/social struggles

We are also looking for suggestions for the CD’s title.

Tell your friends!!!

We would like all song submissions with a copy of the lyrics in by December 30^th. You can send them to:

Sam McCreery

200 Cherry St

Morgantown, WV

26501

E-mail any questions or concerns to sam.mccreery@gmail.com

"We almost lost our lives that day."

2007-08-01T08:59:00.000-07:00

Community members gather in Dorothy to remember the 2001 flood and get ready for Thursday's hearing on the Eagle 2 mountaintop removal mine.

Bobby, Sam and I met at Mike Maynor's house in Dorothy to have an informal meeting to prepare for this Thursday's hearing regarding the Eagle 2 surface mine permit. As we settled down comfortably into Mike and Lessie's hospitality to wait for other community members, the conversation turned to the current state of Stover cemetery. Family members believe that at least 16 of their ancestors' graves have been bulldozed. Mike believes the skeletons are in the spoil that has been pushed over.

“We won’t even be safe from the coal company when we’re dead,” Mike says.

Mike and Lessie's home, Dorothy, was hit hard in the 2001 flood (see pictures of flooding in Dorothy). “It was a little tsunami,” Mike said, “or a series of them.” It was early Sunday morning when Mike and his wife Leslie ran from their home of 29 years. “When we stepped outside, the water was up to our knees. When we got in our truck, the water came in the door. By the time we got to the other side of the house, about 45 seconds from walking out the door, the water was over the hood of our truck.”

The 2001 flood water level on the side of Maynors' old house.

A neighbor pointing to the high ground Mike and his wife ran to in the flood of 2001.

“We almost lost our lives that day. Good thing it was daylight,” Lessie said. “That’s the only reason we didn’t both die. Bad as it is to lose everything from 36 years of marriage, you can replace that eventually, but you can’t replace a life.” ”

Mike remembers, “we’ve had rain like that before, and we experienced what we’ve always experienced: low curbs get flooded, water in the road. We didn’t have 5 feet of water in the house. Great, huge trees floating by the house with the branches scraping everything as they went by, tearing out bridges.”

The floor of the Maynors' new home is higher that the ceiling of their old house.

Mike built their new home after their home was destroyed by the 2001 flood. Although he was told he should build it 6 cement blocks high, he built it 14 cement blocks high. Although they are six years into this new project, the Maynors still can not grow anything in their garden. Coal continues to surface in his yard from the rock, gravel, and coal that the floods brought onto his yard.

Coal in the Maynors' driveway

Despite all of his hard work, Mike is certainly not satisfied. If anything, he is much more concerned. "All this work that I’ve done, raising my house up 7 feet, is just false security. My neighbor said to me, ‘all that means, Mike, is that you’ll be the last one to drown.”

It is Mike and Lessie's concern over future flooding that has caused them to invite community members to their house this evening to talk about the Eagle 2 surface permit. In the 2001 flood, three sediment ponds failed in Buger hollow. There are 23 additional ponds slated for the Eagle 2 permit.

Lessie talks about the Eagle No. 2 permit that will affect everyone in the Dorothy, Colcord, and Sycamore area.

For the Maynors, it's not a question of if a flood will occur, it is a question of when. Like many residents of Dorothy, fear of flooding is part of their daily life. "I break down the weeds so that I can shine my spotlight across the steet and see how high the river is," Mike says.

The view from Mike's new porch. Notice the mowed area across the road. He did this so he can look from his front porch and see the level of the water in the river.

In addition to the fear of losing their lives in the next flood, they also are worried about the toxins in the water itself. Mike, a trucker for 30 years, has seen tankers without placards (legal requirement to state the contents of the truck) pass his house full and return empty. Knowing the mountains so well, Mike knows there are only a few places that tanker could be emptying. All of the options end up in the stream in front of his house, or in the floodwaters.

The foundation for the swinging bridge that used to cross the river. The water has been higher than the foundation multiple times since they started mining on Kayford.

The maple tree in his front yard that died after the flood of 2001. To the right of the telephone pole and just above the fence is the clearing Mike made so he could see the level of the river.

Text by Jen Osha
Pictures by Sam McCreery

Kayford Mountain as viewed from Rock House

2007-07-31T08:11:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday Allen took Sam and I up Rock House to see Kayford mountain and the MTR sites surrounding it from an entirely different angle. What follows are the pictures we have so far. Video will be up in a few days.

Allen and Jen standing on a drill bench site in Rock House facing East towards Kayford.

Looking at a haul road on the Red Warrior strip owned by Catanary Coal. The hump on the ridge to the right is where the Stanley Heirs cabins are. When they are finished, the entire area between where we are standing and the cabins will be flat.

A valley fill on the Seng Creek side of Catanary mines. The green area has been hydro-seeded. A massive flood in 2002 originated from this area.

Pictures from Kayford Mountain

for more photos visit OHVEC's website at

http://www.ohvec.org/

photos taken by Sam McCreery and David Bennett

Reforestation Project

2007-07-30T12:56:00.000-07:00

These past two weeks, Tony Ervolina donated 50 hours of his time to create a nursery in Harrison county and transplant seedling trees for a future reforestation project here in Coal River. He planted Sugar Maples, White Ash, Hornbeam, Serviceberry, Dogwood, Hickory, Beech, Hawthorn, and Black Spruce. We will be able to use many of these trees next spring for a community reforestation program! Thanks Tony!

Kennedy's Speech

2007-07-24T06:48:00.000-07:00

On July 17th, Robert Kennedy, Jr, came to the church in Rock Creek, West Virginia to give a speech. The campaign house cooked a dinner for him and the church house was packed with local people interested in what he had to say.

The speech started around 6pm and Kennedy spoke for about an hour and then spent a long time answering questions from the audience.

“He did a good job connecting environmental destruction and pollution as criminal acts. If you pollute the air and child gets asthma it should be considered child abuse. If you pollute the water and people get sick, it should be considered human rights abuse. It’s a pretty simple statement, but it’s not being done.”
-Bobby Mitchell

"Kennedy is a man who speaks truth to power. He doesn't pull any punches. I really respect how he truly uses his voice in our society to speak for the land and the people who usually aren't heard. It's inspiring to see a man with such speaking power who doesn't just use it for himself."
-Jen Osha

“Mr. Kennedy’s visit was a great moral booster. Good to know that there are people who care about what’s happening here and aren’t ready to sacrifice the people and the region for coal.”
-Vernon Haltom

“I was glad to here Kennedy address the issue of jobs in the area and how it’s the government’s responsibility to provide transitional funds for families who depend on surface mining for a living when mountaintop removal is phased out.”
-Sarah Haltom

"Thanks Mr. Kennedy for telling it like it is and not leaving anyone out.
He really hit home when he says a journalist isn't supposed to write about sides, its about the truth and not a balanced story."
Patty Sebok

Preparing food before the speech.

The parking lot filled up quickly. Bobby was in charge of organizing the cars.

Gathering in front of the church before the speech.

Debbie Wiley gave the introduction.

Kennedy speaking...he got some good shouts and hollers from the community!

Thank you, Bobby!

A link to an article about Kennedy's book "Crimes Against Nature"

http://www.wvgazette.com/section/News/2007071820

The Campaign House - Where Everyday is an Adventure

2007-07-16T20:26:00.000-07:00

Today, many people put a lot of energy towards getting ready for Kennedy's visit to Rock Creek tomorrow. We wanted to prepare a meal for him and his crew that came directly from the land that he was helping us to stand up for.

Becky picking Basil in the garden.

Nathan's fudge in the cool down stage.

Nathan is the resident fudge expert. This is an action shot of him putting it into the pan.

Rhubarb and raspberries from...

Ed and Debbie's garden!

Rhurbarb and rapsberry pies.

The finished pies.

The beginning stages of lasagna.

This is how more lasagna ingredients arrived. Thanks, Dustin!

Becky and her potato salad.

Community effort in the clean-up stage of cooking. Thanks, Julia!

Nathan and Dustin doing more dishes.

Bobby and his new haircut!

Kathy Mattea Visits

2007-07-16T10:09:00.000-07:00

Watch the video of Kathy Mattea's visit:
http://media.cnpapers.com/mattea/

Read an article and see pictures of the visit:
http://www.ohvec.org/galleries/people_in_action/2007/07_10/index.html

Black Bears Bulldozed in West Virginia

2007-07-12T08:53:00.000-07:00

When Ed Wiley’s granddaughter, Kayla, first started getting sick at Marshfork elementary school, Ed started spending more time at the strip mine behind the school. An avid hunter and woodsman, Ed knew the site of a black bear den where the overburden (all the earth, trees, and creatures living above the coal seam) was being shoved over. It was springtime, and he knew that the mother would still be inside nursing her cubs, so he hiked up behind the school to take a look.

“They had done cut all the timber off of the site,” Ed remembers. “I got to sit there lookin. Dozers were pushing the soil off. I saw that the momma bear had poked out her head, heard the dozer, and then gone back inside. They kept gouging her way… and then I watched them doze her in.” As Ed watched, the momma bear was buried alive with her cubs at her side.

“Now I’ve heard a bear die, and it depends how they’re shot. But there ain’t nothing like hearin that momma bawl, knowin her babies are dying as she gets dozed in. Those cubs don’t even have their eyes open. They might have been old enough to crawl, but they weren’t old enough to escape. What it witnessed that spring, it bothered me. It hurt me. I feel something needs to be done.”

Watch a video of Ed behind Marshfork

Watch a video of a bear running on an active Mountaintop Removal site.

More about the Black Bear

The Black Bear, Ursus americanas, is the state animal of West Virginia. It is the smallest bear in North America, with females typically weighing 100-200 lbs and males weighing 150-400 lbs. They may have a light brown or tan muzzle and some bears may have white chest markings. Black Bears are usually about 3 ft high and 4-6 ft in length. They are solitary animals except when a mother has cubs. Females usually give birth to 2 or 3 cubs and the cubs stay with their mother for about a year. Black bears eat all types of vegetation as well as fish, small mammals and carrion. Black bears have territory that can range up to 200 square miles for males and anywhere from one to 35 square miles for females. Usually males’ territories will overlap with other bear’s territories while females’ territories do not. Bear hunting is allowed in West Virginia and in 2006, between both the archery and gun seasons, 1,705 bears were taken.
Currently the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources is studying bear populations using radio tracking devices, so the sites of many of the dens are already known. Ed hopes that if more people learn about the bears being killed at the mountaintop removal sites, perhaps the state DNR and conservation groups can work with the coal companies to remove the bears from their dens before they are crushed.

Some useful links:

http://www.bear.org/Black/BB_Home.html

http://www.wvdnr.gov/Hunting/BBear.shtm

http://www.shgresources.com/wv/symbols/animal/

Text by Jen Osha and Sam McCreery

Photos by Sam McCreery

Video by Ed Wiley and Jen Osha

March to June 2007

2007-07-12T08:20:00.000-07:00

On March 17th, Aurora Lights worked with lots of great folks to organize the Mountain Justice Concert in Charleston, West Virginia. The day before, there was a mass musical sit-in in Governor Manchin’s office in protest of the situation at Marsh Fork Elementary in Sundial, West Virginia. Articles and pictures of the protest can be found at http://www.ohvec.org/galleries/people_in_action/2007/03_16/index.html .
This is a picture of the Capitol Center in Charleston where the concert took place.

Sound Storm: Adam Chase, Jen Osha, Kate Jaworski, Abram Racine, Corey Bonasso, Dan Israel, Cory Chase, Daniel Facemire

In May, we traveled to New York as part of the coal-field delegation to the United Nations conference on sustainable development, during which residents presented their stories about Mountain Top Removal coal mining. This is a picture of the press conference that was held after the MTR summit. Larry Gibson is speaking.

We also worked hard to help organize a concert to benefit the fight against Mountain Top Removal at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church on 126th Street in Harlem. The church was packed with people listening to music. Jean Ritchie graced us with her music, and Robert Kennedy, Jr., came to speak as well.

The Hillkeepers: Abram Racine, Daniel Facemire,
Ross Bishop, and Jen Osha.

Director of Aurora Lights, Jen Osha, summer intern, Sam McCreery, and Coal River Mountain Watch intern, Bobby Mitchell, have started work in the Coal River Valley on a PGIS mapping project. Work on the mapping project includes taking interviews,
pictures, and collecting stories about areas and people affected by mountaintop removal mining. We are also hard at work on the second Moving Mountains CD. Jen Osha is shown in the photograph taking footage of a MTR site behind Marshfork elementary school.

Text by Jen Osha and Sam McCreery
Pictures by Sam McCreery