Charleston Area Youth Organize to End Mountaintop Removal

	Teens from throughout the area met in Charleston to strategize on ways to raise awareness about the horrors of mountaintop removal mining.

Last December, the Charleston Area Youth Environmental Network hosted "Leveling Appalachia" to raise awareness about the issue of mountaintop removal.

The evening featured guest speaker Chrystal Gunnoe, a Boone County teen who lives at the foot of a valley fill. The Unitarian Universalist Church provided the meeting space.

CAYEN continues to meet, educating area youth about mountaintop removal while motivating one another to take actions that will help end mountaintop removal.

If you are in high school or college in the Charleston area and want to get involved, please e-mail levelingappalachia@gmail.com, or check out the group’s MySpace page: groups.myspace.com/levelingappalachia.

The Student Environmental Action Coalition, a student and youth-run national network of progressive organizations and individuals whose aim is to uproot environmental injustices through action and education, has an office in Charleston, too.

To join the WV youth list serv and learn how you can get involved, contact Dana Kuhnline at dana@seac.org.