The Sierra Club organization, one of the oldest environmental agencies, has been working to preserve all aspects of the earth since 1892. The organization does accept donations and encourages members to subscribe to their publications in which all proceeds go towards current cause projects and in keeping the organization alive. As a resource, the Sierra Club website features the mountaintop removal issue in Appalachia within its environmental justice issues section. There are two pages that discuss the issue, one providing news feature articles about current progress/problems in Appalachia, and the other page gives a history on how mountaintop removal came into existence, and the politics behind Bush's decision to allow the practice. The bottom of this page gives the reader a chance to sign a petition against the practice. The Sierra Club website in general encourages readers to make a contribution to the organization to stop all environmental injustices. This website would be useful to a researcher because it provides a different perspective on the information it gives about mountaintop removal. While the other websites concentrate on giving a general overview and hard facts about the topic, the Sierra Club presents its information from more of a political stance, hitting all of the hot decision-making aspects of the issue. It doesn't just give a history of mountaintop removal itself, but of the whole political process that birthed it as well.
National Geographic. (1996-2008). National Geographic Magazine: When Mountains Move by John G. Mitchell. Retrieved June 3, 2008, from http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/earth/surface-of-the-earth/when-mountains-move.html
National Geographic began as a society that formed in 1890 that researched and explored the world in many different areas. It has over the years funded more than 8,300 projects and expeditions and is one of the world's founding exploration groups. Today, they mainly focus on animal and environmental exploration and research through investigative journalism and photography. The organization is obviously funded through their primary project, the National Geographic Magazine, which funds the society's exploration and research costs. The National Geographic website is designed to display the magazine's feature articles and photography. Under the Science and Space section of the website, National Geographic hosts a number of articles printed within the last few years concerning Appalachia's mountaintop removal issue. One of the best articles is written by John G. Mitchell and is entitled, "When Mountains Move." The article features one West Virginia town and it's battle against the coal industry for environmental and humanitarian rights, and in stopping the mountaintop removal madness. The article provides great statistical data on exactly how much the practice has affected the area. It also traces the legal process involving the town and the coal industry, which sheds light on how the mountaintop removal has been addressed in the White House.
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