What Happens In Valleys Is As Important As What Happens On Mountain Peaks

The fate of the peaks has drawn international attention, but what goes on in the valleys is in many ways more significant. These streams, often no more than a foot wide, teem with microscopic, insect and animal life that is the foundation of the forest and river food chains. Plug up those streams with mining debris, and the ecological fallout extends far beyond the edge of the valley fill, into the surrounding forest and the larger perennial streams down the mountain. John McQuaid in The Razing of Appalachia: Mountaintop Removal Revisited.