Date: December 18th 2009

(The regular Ground Zero Dispatch can be found after this little holiday appeal letter from us to you.)


Dear Friends,


Winter has come to Rock Creek, the leaves have fallen, and the days have been below freezing. After a very busy year in our campaign against mountaintop removal, things show no signs of easing up. Since February, Climate Ground Zero has organized 18 acts of civil resistance against mountaintop removal coal mining here in Southern West Virginia involving 130 arrests, including NASA climate scientist James 
Hanson, actress Daryl Hannah, 92-year-old Winnie Fox and ex-Senator Ken
 Hechler, who marched with Martin Luther King, Jr. We've locked ourselves to a dragline-- the largest earth moving machine in Appalachia, occupied the drilling rig which drills the holes for high explosives and blocked roads. We've even spent a week in the trees, halting blasting and making the front page of all the West Virginia newspapers. We will not let up until this barbaric practice is halted forever.

We believe our nonviolent campaign is working, the pressure is building 
and that the movement against mountaintop removal is growing -- as even the great Sen. Robert C. Byrd recently acknowledged. But a civil
 disobedience campaign cannot run on conviction alone-- our financial donors
 are a crucial part of us being able to take on the coal companies and the 
corrupt courts, and having the resources we need to conduct successful 
actions. 


Right now we are fighting on two fronts. First, we need to keep up the
 pressure and make sure that this story receives the attention from the news 
media that it deserves. We will continue to organize nonviolent 
demonstrations at the mine sites and at the offices of the decision makers who have the power to put an end to mountaintop removal. Second, we need to continue to defend our rights in court. Right now we are facing numerous 
criminal charges, two court injunctions and three civil lawsuits filed
 against us by Massey Energy. We have a good, pro bono legal team in place.

As the year wraps up, your donation will help us continue fighting 
mountaintop removal. You can donate to our Climate Ground Zero Action Fund,
 which allows us to continue to do outreach, fund our kitchen and keep the
 campaign running. You can also opt to contribute to our Legal Defense Fund, 
which helps us cover bail, court fees and fines.

 We are able to offer the following gifts as a thank you for your donation:



$30+ = Still Moving Mountains CD, a collection of Appalachian music

$50+ = Signed copy of the book Tree Spiker, written by Mike Roselle

$100+ = DVD of Coal Country, the recently released documentary film by Mari-Lynn Evans
 and Still Moving Mountains CD
$500+ = Plundering Appalachia, a full size, hard cover book of stunning 
photographs and commentary on mountaintop removal.

$1,000+ = Mounted print by photographer Antrim Caskey, who has captured many 
of the great moments in our campaign.

To donate money by check, make out and mail donations to Action Fund to:
Climate Ground Zero
PO Box 166
Rock Creek, WV 25174

Donations to the Legal Defense Fund to:
Mountain Justice Legal Defense
PO Box 86
Naoma, WV 25140


Please consider donating to Climate Ground Zero this holiday season so that 
we can stay on the front lines against climate change and the fight for
 environmental justice.



Happy Holidays,
Your friends at Climate Ground Zero


Greetings from the Coal River Valley!


Well, it has been quite a year us here in the valley and for everyone fighting mountaintop removal. Unprecedented action from the EPA let us know we were making a difference, but even we were blown away by Sen. Robert C. Byrd's recent statement on the future of coal mining. Not only does the elder statesman of the US Senate and WV politics acknowledge that "Most members of Congress, like most Americans, oppose the practice, and we may not yet fully understand the effects of mountaintop removal mining on the health of our citizens," but he castigates the coal industry for its hysterics, unwillingness to negotiate, and fear-mongering. All this from a man who a decade ago ferociously defended the practice. There is no way to explain the importance of such a statement to folks here in WV as well as other Senators looking for guidance on supporting the Appalachia Restoration A ct. It renews our determination and our hope to end this practice, not in some distant future, but now.

A year of action was capped off by a rally of about 250 proud Appalachians and their allies at the Department of "Environmental Protection" on December 7th. A spectacular set of speakers including local heroines and Goldman Award winners Judy Bonds and Maria Gunnoe and prominent environmental lawyer and activist Robert Kennedy Jr. kept the crowd's energy up on a cold December day. We were also pleasantly surprised to find the WV police doing their job for once and keeping our ever-present counter-protesters at a safe distance. It was quite a luxury to be able to talk with our friends and make our voices heard with relatively little fear of physical and verbal assault. You can hear some of the truly inspiring speeches of the day here, here, here, here, here, and here.

One speaker not captured in those clips was our dear friend Roland Micklem, 81-year old military veteran, self-described naturalist and hero to us all in the Coal River Valley. He spoke that day on what was the eighth day of a 13 day fast and witness at the Governor's Office in the WV State Capitol. Described by Roland as an extended act of mourning, the fast was another incredible act of dedication and courage from a man we have all come to love, and a challenge to all of those calling themselves Christians, environmentalists, or simply concerned citizens of this earth. He has informed us all that he has been called to take his struggle for the planet to Washington D.C. We wish him well. He will be deeply missed in Rock Creek.

Here in good old West Virginia, a man can't even FAST in peace however. On the second day his fast, Roland was arrested for failure to appear on a bogus trespassing charge stemming from the Oct. 10th banner drop at Walker/Cat during the Senior March to End Mountaintop Removal. Not only is the charge spurious (Roland merely spoke with the security guard in the parking lot of the Walker/Cat building), but he never received the summons he supposedly failed to appear for (apparently the police copied down the wrong address). We were informed that there are other similar warrants out stemming from the incident but not for whom. Roland was quickly released on his own recognizance and returned to the Capitol.

Roland wasn't the only one in court that day for his actions against mountaintop removal. Gabe Schwartzman and David German went to court for the aforementioned banner drop, argued a necessity defense and received their standard $100 fines. Kanawha County has also given us our first probations of the campaign as Laura Merner, Laura Steepleton and Mike Bowersox all received some form or another of a year's probation for their lockdown at DEP Headquarters in August. Andrew Munn, the fourth activist who locked down, had his charges dismissed when the arresting officer failed to appear, only to have the county refile them the next day. He is awaiting a new court date.

We remain undeterred as always and plan to hit 2010 running full speed as the campaign hosts its first formal action camp from January 4th to the 25th. Activists will be intensively trained to fill the entire gamut of roles necessary for direct action including media, legal support, blockades, scouting and more. Then they will put those skills to good use. We hope to end the camp on a splashy note with an event on the 25th. If you are interested in participating in that event, we strongly encourage it. Please email info@climategroundzero.org with the words "January 25th" in the subject line for more information as it becomes available. As always we thank you for all the support you have shown us this year. We'll see you in 2010.

For the mountains,
Climate Ground Zero

PS: We are proud to announce the publication of Dragline, a collection of photographs from our friend Antrim Caskey. The 74-page work is the first release from the CGZ press and a truly powerful set of images documenting the devastation of mountaintop removal and the power of the struggle against it. Look for a way to get your very own copy in a forthcoming Dispatch.