THANKS! so much to Rev. Mary Ramsey for her extraordinary, ongoing support. She conceived of the "Fiddlers in Concert for the Mountains." The concert, held Nov. 6 in Bridgeport, CT, raised over $1,500 for Coal River Mountain Watch and OVEC, and featured Klezmer fiddler, filmmaker, photographer and author Yale Strom, internationally-acclaimed author, composer, fiddler and improvising violinist Julie Lyonn Lieberman and other musicians. The audience learned more about mountaintop removal as Coal River’s Judy Bonds and Janice Nease presented Appalachian Treasures.

THANKS! so much to folks in Mingo County and those at Coal River Mountain Watch for their continued partnership in the Sludge Safety Project.

THANKS! Forever Wild! Walkin’ Jim Stoltz Benefit to Stop Mountaintop Removal. Thanks to Sharon Roon for taking tickets at the door, Eric Fout and Mike Forman for all the heavy lifting, Connie Chojnacki for watching Walkin’ Jim’s table and helping with his sales, John Giacalone for his incredible generosity (bought 26 tickets to give his friends and came all the way from Anchorage, AK, to see Walkin’ Jim Stoltz). John Giacalone is a person of rare courage and profound generosity who donated a kidney to Walkin’ Jim for a transplant in 2004! Julie Archer for presenting Si Galperin with the Laura Forman Passion for Justice Award. Mike Forman for taking photos at the event. All the folks who bought and sold tickets – members and OVEC board members – who made this a successful fundraiser.

THANK YOU!, Walkin’ Jim for sharing your inspirational songs and photographs of wilderness with us all!

THANKS! Steve White, Mayor Richie Robb, Susan Sobkoviak, Conni Graptop Lewis, Perry Bryant, Rev. Dennis Sparks, Si Galperin, Julie Archer, Norm Steenstra, Winnie Strezrlecki (The Reform Institute, Alexandria, VA), Mary McClelland (Public Campaign, Washington, D.C.), John Welbourn, Sue Price, Carol Warren, Gary Zuckett, Kathryn Stone, Helaine Rotkin and Tim McClung for attending legislative interim sessions on campaign finance reform, working on a proposed pilot project and just being faithful to campaign finance reform work!

THANKS! to Debbie Wills for volunteering to work on the postcard campaign to promote Clean Elections, and to Margie McInerney for the kind words.