Press Release

Dec. 6, 2002 

Contact: Janet Fout, Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, 304-522-0246
Photo: For hi resolution photo for reproduction click here. 

Hope for the Wood Thrush and Jack-in-the-Pulpit
Ornaments Raise Both Funds and Awareness about Habitat Loss

HUNTINGTON, W.VA. – Although spring is months away, the Wood Thrush and the Jack-in-the Pulpit are already here, attesting to West Virginia’s spectacular natural beauty and abundant natural diversity.

The melodious Wood Thrush and the whimsical Jack-in-the-Pulpit are the featured species on the 2002 limited-edition etched-glass ornaments offered by the Huntington-based Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition (OVEC).

The Wood Thrush, known for its flute-like call that emanates from within the forested, mountain valleys, is depicted on a topaz-colored bulb. The Jack-in-the-Pulpit, which thrives on rich, moist forest floors, is etched onto an amethyst-colored bulb.

With the 2002 edition, OVEC continues a four-year-old holiday tradition of offering ornaments to the public as both a fund-raiser for the group and an awareness-raiser about mountaintop removal.

“Every ornament in this exclusive, collectible series features West Virginia plants and animals whose habitat is destroyed by mountaintop removal,” said Janet Fout, OVEC co-director.

OVEC is calling for a ban on mountaintop removal, a coal-mining technique in which coal companies raze huge swaths of the Southern West Virginia’s mixed mesophytic forest (the most biologically diverse deciduous forest on earth), then blast the tops off the deforested-mountains to get to thin seams of coal. The coal operators push the resulting hundreds of millions of tons of rubble into adjacent valleys, burying streams.

“We hope these ornaments help to save the species by increasing awareness about what mountaintop removal is doing to our state,” Fout said. “As more and more people learn about this extremely destructive coal-mining method, public outrage will build. The public must insist on an end to mountaintop removal.”

Each year, master glass artist Kelsey Murphy has created and donated the exclusive ornament designs to OVEC. The first three years, Murphy produced the ornaments at Pilgrim Glass in Ceredo, which closed its doors last year.

This year, her partner Bob Bombkamp, joined her in producing the ornaments at GlassWorks of Weston. GlassWorks, which specializes in fine, hand-made, mouth-blown glass, has been operating since 1926. They feature stemware, giftware, candle accessories and, now, OVEC’s ornaments.

Ordering Information

The ornaments are $45, plus postage and handling. To order the 2002 limited-edition holiday ornaments, call GlassWorks at 304-269-4700. Major credit cards are accepted. Some of the glass bulbs are available for pick-up at the OVEC office. A few of the 2001 edition ornaments, featuring the Cerulean Warbler and Blood Root, are also still available at the OVEC office. Call 304-522-0246 for information.

All proceeds (above costs) support OVEC's efforts to protect West Virginia's mountains, streams and mountain communities.