Shoutin' for the Mountain

By Leanna Stitt

Through faith we experience the world; through action we give the world meaning. - Leo Baeck

“This has been one of the most eye-opening trips of my life,” said Karah Leibovich of Calvin University, “I have experienced poverty abroad in underdeveloped countries, but that did not compare to the responsibility I felt viewing these atrocities right here in my own country.”

From November 6^th to 9^th, Restoring Eden hosted Shoutin’ for the Mountain, a witness road trip to see the impact of mountaintop removal coal mining (MTR) on the land and people of southern West Virginia. From as far north as Michigan and as far south as Texas, thirty-one students and concerned Christians gathered together, united under their conviction that we are called to be stewards of the environment by protecting, and not destroying, God’s creation. Participants intended to take the experiences and knowledge gained from Shoutin’ for the Mountain back to their campuses and towns to spread the word about MTR to their friends and family. Right now, students are lobbying their legislators against MTR coal mining, planning energy conservation campaigns and enacting other ways to creatively engage students on their on the issue.

“Before going on this trip, I knew nothing of the destruction of the mountains. I now have knowledge concerning the effects of this practice on the environment and on the communities in WV, and a passion to do something about it,” said Lindsey Bouma, a Calvin University (MI) student who went on Shoutin’ for the Mountain.

After meeting up in Charleston with Sage Russo and Bekah Eppling of the ministry Christians for the Mountains, we made our first stop 2 hours south at Kayford Mountain to hear the story of Larry Gibson. As we listened, we stood on the edge of Larry’s family land, looking over the mountain range which used to boast trees, vegetation and wildlife and now only displayed a series of blasting sites and earthmoving draglines, 20-story high machines used to push the tops of mountains into nearby valleys in order to extract the coal. Little did we know at the time that an adjacent mountain, Coal River Mountain, would soon be slated for the same fate. However, this mountain holds promise because it is the site of the Coal River Wind Project which proposes the construction of wind turbines as a source of renewable energy in place of mountain destruction (Read more about this mountain in “Coal River Mountain Shall Not be Destroyed.” ) Because of the visual impact, along with the passion behind Larry’s story, this stop proved to be the most powerful to many of the students.

Throughout the day, we met with several other activists in the anti-MTR community, many of which shared their connection to their endless work against the coal companies to their Christian faith. Maria Lambert is working actively in her community to get clean water and stop the flow of tap water laden with arsenic and mercury into her home. Pauline Canterburry and Mary Miller, also known as the “Dustbuster Sisters of Sylvester,” have been fighting for years to protect their community of Sylvester from the devastating impacts of coal dust created by coal mining. Our day concluded at the Coal River Mountain Watch office in Whitesville where we listened to Judy Bonds and Lorelai Scarbro speak passionately about the Coal River Wind Project, which proposes constructing wind turbines atop of Coal River Mountain instead of using MTR to extract non-renewable energy. As Stephanie Porter, a Spring Arbor University (MI) student on the trip, said, “Each person added his or her unique story or their experiences living in Southern West Virginia and the hardships they have (are) facing with the coal industries, environmental destruction, and health hazards.”

On Saturday, we began the day by stopping at Marsh Fork Elementary school, where we saw a coal sludge impoundment built right next to the school and an coal processing site located directly behind the school, both causing the students several health and security-related problems. In fact, two school buses are kept at the school for emergency evacuations if the dams begin to breach.

“ I learned how to spread the word of mountain top removal in addition to the harm coal brings to people,” said Tonya Lewis of Waynesburg University (PA) who went on the trip. “Being environmental stewards is extremely important, and caring for creation is a necessary action.”

From there, we traveled to Blair Mountain to learn about the history of the 1921 mine wars between the coal miners and coal companies. This shed light on the current issues faced by miners and the historic importance of unionizing in order to gain rights in the workplace. After spending some time hiking and eating lunch on Blair Mountain, we met up with Rev. Larry Browne, and Carmelita and Ernie Browne at the Rawl Church of God in Jesus’ Name. There, we heard about the sludge injections by Massey energy into several underground reservoirs in Rawl where residents are dealing with the residual effects of toxic tap water in their homes.

Our last stop of the day was at the Steele’s home in Red Jacket, where we celebrated with a potluck dinner, attended by members of the community active in the fight against MTR. The evening was spent brainstorming and planning ways in which we could bring the stories of the people we heard back to our towns and college campuses. Shoutin’ for the Mountain wrapped up on Sunday morning with a visit to Matewan, the historic battle site for the 1921 mine wars which was the greatest armed battle in America since the Civil War.

Because of the experiences on Shoutin’ for the Mountain, students are actively working on their campuses to bring other students into awareness and action on the issue of mountaintop removal coal mining in southern West Virginia. Restoring Eden’s efforts to expose more Christian college students to the issues will happen in the spring with another Shoutin’ for the Mountain trip, along with a week of lobbying to legislators in Washington D.C. Thank you to the many people who made this trip possible. Without you, students and participants could not have learned what they did, which will enable awareness on such an important issue to spread even more.