October 24, 2010
Hundreds Rally on Kayford Mountain; Dozens to March Onto “reclaimed” Site to Plant Trees
Contact:
Nick Martin 304.854.7306
Debbie Jarrell 304.854.7306
Editors Note: Information, Directions, Photographs, & Video will be updated on www.climategroundzero.org throughout the day.
Kayford, W.Va. – Hundreds of West Virginians and their allies will rally on Kayford Mountain and march from the Stanley Heirs Park onto the neighboring mountaintop removal site to plant trees on the surface mine. The rally begins at noon.
Lifelong Coal River Valley resident Junior Walk said, “Coal companies sure as hell aren’t going to take it upon themselves to do something about it – some one’s got to do it.”
Dozens of individuals intend to walk onto the mine site to plant trees on a “reclaimed” area of the site in an act of non-violent civil disobedience. They call for the abolition of mountaintop removal and thorough reclamation of the over 1 million acres flattened by surface mining in Appalachia. Standard reclamation involves regrading high walls into steep slopes and seeding the rocky soil with grass. The biodiverse mixed mesophytic forests of central Appalachia cannot regrow on reclaimed surface mines.
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John Johnson, forester and environmentalist said, “The coal industry does not attempt to return the landscape to its previous biodiversity – leaving it up to the citizens to reclaim it themselves. Fixing the ruined landscape will provide long term jobs for those put out of work by the abolition of mountaintop removal.”
The rally and action comes on the heels of the EPA’s recommendation to veto the Spruce No. 1 mine’s permit and Appalachia Rising, the largest national gathering of people in opposition to mountaintop removal coal mining to date. Appalachia Rising culminated with a march to the White House of over 2,000 people and 118 arrests for non-violent civil disobedience at the White House, PNC Bank, Department of Interior, and Army Corps of Engineers.
“It’s up to us to fix our community,” said Chuck Nelson, a retired deep miner from the Coal River Valley, “the coal industry’s not gonna fix it.”
Directions -
Kayford Mountain is located near Cabin Creek, approximately 35 miles south east of Charleston, West Virginia, and is accessible from Exit 79 on Interstates 64 & 77. Kayford Mountain is a 45 minute drive from Yeager Airport or the State Capitol in Charleston, West Virginia.
- From Charleston, WV Follow I-64/77 south (through the toll gate)
- Take exit 79, then turn Right at the bottom of the ramp
- Make immediate Left onto Cabin Creek Road
- Travel 7.5 miles, then bear right at the ‘Y’
- Travel 3.5 miles, and look for white church on right (Kayford Baptist church)
- Cross the one lane bridge and look for small numbered signs (1-15)
- At sign 15, bear right at the ‘Y’ and head up the mountain
- Bear right at the white rock with the American flag painted on it
- Travel 1/10th of mile then turn left into the parking area.
- Look for the Pavilion and stage area down the hill.
From Beckley
1. Head west on Route 3
2. Turn right after Glen Daniel (at the stoplight) to cont. on Route 3
3. Turn right onto Route 1 approx. 30 minute after previous turn
4. Turn left onto Kayford Mountain Rd in Dorothy after approx. 25 minutes
5. Travel up road til you see pavilion and stage area on right.
When is this going to be?
its happening right now