Whitesville MTR Trip Sparks Talk of Student Activism

I recently took a group of students from the Mid Ohio Valley Center (MOVC) to Whitesville, WV, to learn more about mountaintop removal mining and sludge impoundments.

	Almost level, West Virginia, no more mountains, clogged up, lifeless rivers ...

We met Bo Webb at the Coal River Mountain Watch office, where he told us about some of the problems that mountaintop removal mining is causing at Marshfork Elementary School. MOVC students were horrified to learn that a toxic coal sludge impoundment is located right above the elementary school, and that elementary students are being exposed to harmful chemicals from the preparation plant located adjacent to the school. Bo showed us film of the area behind the school, where a huge area of downed trees looked to be an area of expansion for the impoundment.

We then drove to Marshfork Elementary School, where students saw the coal silo that looms over the school, only a few hundred feet from the air filtration systems located on the school roof.

Our caravan of six vehicles drew some attention from local residents. During a stop at a local convenience store, two people approached individual students and asked why they were in town. After learning that the students were there to learn about mountaintop removal, both of these individuals expressed their opposition to the mining practice, but also expressed hesitation to speak out about it, fearing retaliation.

Our next stop was Kayford Mountain for a picnic lunch at the shelter and a meeting with Larry Gibson, who spoke to students about his mountain and his fight against mountaintop removal.

We then drove to the Stanley cemetery for a firsthand look at the mountaintop removal site. This was a sobering moment for many of the students, and by the time we left, a couple of them were ready for action. "Why can’t we just chain ourselves to trees or something?" asked Cassandra Stanley. The trip to Kayford turned out to be somewhat of a family reunion for Miss Stanley. Talking with Larry, she realized that they are actually distant cousins.

After our trip, several students said they were spreading the word about mountaintop removal to family and friends. One student wrote a letter to her Congressperson, Shelley Moore Capito. Another student confided that she would pay much closer attention to the platforms of political candidates now.

Some students have even expressed an interest in returning to Whitesville to talk with other residents.