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High School Students from LA View A Massacre, WV Style
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Twenty-five students from Loyola High School in Los Angeles and their five adult group leaders visited the Mud River Road site in June for a view of the Hobet 21 mountaintop removal mine. The students were taking part in an Appalachian Study program sponsored by the Appalachian Institute at Wheeling Jesuit University.
The students learned about mountaintop removal during the program and wanted to see for themselves. OVEC staff member Carol Warren accompanied the group to the site, along with Jill Kriesky of WJU.
The students were amazed at the size of the equipment and asked a number of questions about how such massive pieces of metal could be brought to such an isolated location. They were also quite inquisitive and interested in the effects on the community from blasting, coal dust, water pollution and possible intimidation.
But the overwhelming reaction was one of horror at the size and scope of the horizon-to-horizon destruction they were seeing. Student Kyle Moran describes his reaction to the experience:
"I believe that being allowed the opportunity to go to Appalachia has been a great experience that I will keep with me for the rest of my life. One of the most shocking and disturbing parts of the immersion trip was seeing the mountaintop removal site. On the way up to the site we traveled along beautiful, lush greenery. The hillsides were full of vegetation and the atmosphere was peaceful.
"After traveling for roughly 30 minutes or so, we came upon our final destination, the mountaintop removal site. It looked as though a bomb had been dropped on the mountaintop! The land that stood in front of me was colorless and reflected a lifeless disrespect for our environment. The site expanded beyond what I could see.
"An example of the vast expansion of the site was a crane that looked like a small toy from where we were. The crane was actually 10-stories tall, although it only looked like a little toy compared to the rest of the mine.
"I was not prepared for what I saw that day.
"We sat in on presentations that educated us to what mountaintop removal sites were and how they affect the community and the environment. Take it from me, it doesnt come close to being there to truly take in the destruction of these actions."
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