Book Sources

Reece, Erik. (2006). Lost Mountain: A Year in the Vanishing Wilderness. New York: Penguin Group.

(See Expert Sources for bio on Erik Reece.)

Lost Mountain is a book that documents a year in the life and death of an Appalachian mountain called the Lost Mountain. The book has been a leading document in mountaintop removal, and is the first publication where the process of mountaintop removal has been detailed. The book also includes interviews and testimonies from Appalachian residents to how the practice has changed their lives. The book would be a useful source for a researcher because it was written by a man who has personally seen the devastation of mountaintop removal and has been trained in the environmental studies field. The book would provide a researcher with solid, accurate documentation of a mountain's fall and the coal mining process, as well as personal testimony by those who have seen the process day in and day out.

Goodell, Jeff. (2006). Big Coal. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company.

(See Expert Source for bio on Jeff Goodell.)

Big Coal is a book that debunks today's myth that coal is the best resource to generate power, and that is has become a clean method. From an investigative reporting style, Jeff illuminates America's economic imperatives and the collusion of businesses and politics that has lead us to a dependency on a resource that is continually heating up the planet. The book reveals the truth of what coal is actually doing to the environment in all aspects, including mountaintop removal, and proves the coal industry's "clean coal" promise to simply be an advertising slogan. This book would be a good source for a researcher because it gives an overview of coal in it's many different issues, not just mountaintop removal. Because mountaintop removal is a product of coal extraction, without limiting coal, there's not a solution to stopping mountaintop removal. If a researcher were to study mountaintop removal, he or she would have to do general research on coal's overall impacts, and Big Coal would give the researcher a fact-based proposal to coal's control over America.

Rasmussen, Barbara. (1994). Absentee Landowning & Exploitation in West Virginia. Kentucky: The University Press of Kentucky. 

Barbara Rasmussen, a professor at WVU with a graduate certificate in Cultural Resource Management, writes her thesis on land ownership in the land that she loves, West Virginia. Her thesis includes a detailed history tracing the maneuvers of various agencies and individuals from colonial times, demonstrating that the largest element of this abuse has been committed by land speculators and absentee owners. She includes land records and legal papers to support her argument that economic and environmental exploitation has occurred in West Virginia since the earliest settlement. This book would be a good source for a researcher because it would allow the researcher to observe the economic and environmental practices since the beginning of West Virginia's existence. A researcher may be able to see trends that have happened over a long period of time, and whether mountaintop removal has been practiced for longer than assumed. Knowing this, the researcher can then observe the long-lasting effects of the practice and whether some aspects are fixable over a long period of time.

Expert Sources

Dawson, Tyler. Senior Political Science Student, Ohio University. td332904@ohio.edu.

Tyler Dawson is a senior political science, environmental, and women's studies major at Ohio University. He has been an active crusader for the environment all throughout his college career, becoming involved in the Sierra Coalition and Green Network. He also lived for two years in Ohio University's Eco-House where he made drastic changes to his lifestyle to promote environmental sustainability and justice. More specifically, Tyler mainly worked with the mountaintop removal in his involvement in the Sierra Coalition, when he made his rounds to all of the major Appalachian locations where mountaintop removal was taking place. After his first-hand exposure to the death of these mountains and talking to the people who were being directly affected, Tyler knew he could never take a passive role with the issue of mountaintop removal ever again. With the Sierra Coalition, Tyler was able to work at the grassroots level in stopping mountaintop removal through protests, working with the Appalachian residents, and hosting informational panels/discussions for students on campus and Athens residents. Tyler would be a great resource for researchers because not only is he a very knowledgeable, friendly, and personable guy, but he has a true passion in what he has experienced and studied in college- mountaintop removal having a big part of his college life. Tyler has worked with very active and credible organizations dealing with mountaintop removal, and through his research and first-hand work, has gained a knowledge that surpasses the everyday activist in the topic.

Reece, Erik. Professor of Environmental Studies and Literature, University of Kentucky, Author of Lost Mountain: A Year in the Vanishing Wilderness Radical Strip Mining  and the Devastation of Appalachia.

Erik Reece is one of America's leading environmental journalists today covering the mountaintop removal issue. A professor at the University of Kentucky for environmental journalism classes, his career in reporting the destruction of mountaintop removal began after it moved to the mountains of Kentucky and started affecting his homeland. He decided to investigate one particular mountain in Kentucky, Lost Mountain, and chronicled the year he spent witnessing and researching the decimation and eventual death of this mountain. His testimony was published as "Lost Mountain: A Year in the Vanishing Wilderness Radical Strip Mining and the Devastation of Appalachia." Erik has also spent time traveling to universities within the Appalachian area, speaking about his experience in the strip mines and the devastation of mountaintop removal. Erik would be a first choice source for a researcher because he has had personal, professional, and academic training and experience in mountaintop removal. Because the practice devastated his homeland, he has experienced the emotional part of it, his career in journalism has allowed him to investigate the issue from both sides, and his school background in environmental studies has provided the knowledge needed to research in the field.

Lewis, Ronald. House of Representatives, Member, Author of Transforming the Appalachian Countryside: Railroads, Deforestation, and Social Change in West Virginia. 

Ronald Lewis has been a House of Representatives member for the state of Kentucky since 1994. He also wrote the book "Transforming the Appalachian Countryside: Railroads, Deforestation, and Social Change in West Virginia." The book examined the transformation of Appalachia from a rural agricultural society to a twentieth century society that lacks the forest's natural resources and is fully enmeshed in capitalism and the markets. Lewis details the development of the coal and lumber industries from small, local businesses to powerful industries that are now controlled from afar. The book features a chapter dedicated to the legal system in West Virginia and how industries, like the coal companies, have taken advantage of laws in place regarding the land. This book would be useful to a researcher because it's a very well-researched and very factual account of Appalachia's growth from it's original abundance in natural resources to it's exploitation by the coal industry today. The book looks at the mountaintop removal issue from more of a theoretical and analytical perspective of West Virginia's history as a whole.

Goodell, Jeff. Contributing Editor, Rolling Stones and New York Times, Author of "Big Coal."

Jeff Goodell is a contributing editor at the Rolling Stones and frequent contributor for the New York Times. His major accomplishment is writing his book "Big Coal." This book is Goodell's outraged account of the catastrophic 2002 flooding of a mine in Quecreek, Pennsylvania, run by PBS Coals. The story follows two of the nine mine workers that survived. The book also touches on all aspects of the coal industry's hunt for more coal. It includes discussion on mountaintop removal and covers mainly how the aftereffects of the practice devastates the people who live in the area through contaminated water and layers of dirt and dust. This book would be useful to a researcher because it relates mountaintop removal to even more drastic and fatal consequences. Not only does the practice lead to the death of mountains, but to the death of people as well. Mining for coal has lead to the death of mine workers, and the aftermath of mountaintop removal has lead to a diminished quality of life for residents. A researcher can see how the practice affects many different people and on different levels, and how realizing those effects can invite a whole other spectrum of issues with mountaintop removal. 

Montrie, Chad. Professor, University of Massachusetts Lowell History Dept, Author of To Save the Land and the People.

Chad Montrie teaches environmental history classes at the University of Massachusetts and published his first book, To Save the Land and the People after becoming heavily involved with research in mountaintop removal. The book reminds readers of the war waged by citizens of Appalachia in protecting their farms and communities from the coal industry. The book begins with an examination of the coal industry's force and influence in the region and then relays all of the technological developments that have taken place over the years to allow the coal industry's entrance into the land. The bulk of the book's information lies in the fight of local activists in banning strip mine operations at the state-wide level. The book divides its coverage of local opposition by location and how each state involved has participated in the battle. This book would be useful to a researcher because it shows how each level of campaigning/protesting works; from a grassroots level to the statewide level. A researcher might be interested to know how environmental issues have been addressed at each level and where progress most frequently happens. Knowing how response is delegated at every level of initiating change can reveal a lot about whether the issue is worth fighting for/deserves as much attention/is a problem the whole world should be concerned about/when or how change will be affected.

Multimedia Resources

Schmerling Documentary Photography. Mountaintop Removal Project and Photo Gallery. Retrieved June 5, 2008, from http://www.schmerlingdocumentary.com/mtr.htm

The Schmerling Documentary Photography website is produced by Mark Schmerling, a native of Pennsylvania and a member of the Guild of Professional Photographers. His purpose in doing documentary photography on mountaintop removal is to employ photography to help raise public awareness, create public outrage, and to pressure officials to act in the long-term interest of the public and environment. This website provides a wonderful display of Mark's photography in a slide show. His photography unveils the destruction mountaintop removals has produced in detail and through a personal, creative, and perspective eye. Many of his photos include the residents that live in these areas behind the backdrop of mountains that have been leveled. Mark's photography would be useful to a researcher because it visually allows the researcher to see how mountaintop removal is performed, and to see the aftermath of it. The photography also provides the researcher with a more personal perspective to the practice and how it affects the people who are surrounded by it on a daily basis.

Novack, David. Burning the Future: Coal in America. Retrieved June 5, 2008, from http://www.burningthefuture.org

David Novack is a Brooklyn filmmaker who directed and produced the Burning the Future: Coal in America documentary film. The film examines the explosive forces that have set in motion conflict between the coal industry and West Virginia residents. Confronted by the U.S.'s coal-based energy policy, local activists watch the nation praise coal without any regard to the devastation it causes. The film also documents the activists' fight for a cleaner, more environmentally-healthy way of life. The trailer for the film and more information about it can be found on the website. More information about David can be found on his Burning the Future blog. This film would be useful to a researcher because it provides an in-depth look at mountaintop removal from more of a political standpoint, and how much of a fight it really has been for both residents and activists to bring minor change to the issue. The film would allow the researcher to see the measures that can be taken and that have been taken to bring change, and also how responsive the government is to environmental and social issues. 

Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition. Reclamation Galleries. Retrieved June 5, 2008, from http://www.ohvec.org/galleries/reclamation/index.html

The Ohio Environmental Coalition is an organized group of all the Appalachia-region groups against mountaintop removal. The website is a compilation of news and links advertising for all mountaintop removal issues and organizations. The website's photo gallery section features photography from a number of different sources. Each link directs the researcher to a different mountain location and the photography that was taken for that area. The photography is more in-depth and focused on revealing the structural damage to the mountains when leveling occurs. The photography featured on this website would be useful to a researcher because it does allow for the researcher to investigate mountaintop removal from an up-close visual perspective. The photos truly reveal what damage is caused to the mountains, and how permanent the damage is. For a researcher, these photos may shed light on more of the technical aspect of mountaintop removal and may trigger more of a geological land search.

Online Blogs

Zickefoose, Julie. Mountaintop Removal Mining. Retrieved June 3, 2008, from http://www.juliezickefoose.com/blog/2008/05/going-to-new-river-birding-and-nature.html

Julie Zickefoose is a forty-year-old mother and writer. She is also an NPR commentator on environmental issues, with mountaintop removal issues as her expertise. Her blog contains an in-depth post entry on West Virginia's mountaintop removal, and how it has personally affected her good friends that live amidst it. She also provides an intermixed history and background on the fight against mountaintop removal, and the political battle that has prolonged throughout the past 10 years. Her blog has wonderful photography revealing Appalachia post-mountaintop removal, and even some images that capture the technique in practice. This blog would be useful to a researcher because it gives what no informational website or book can provide, and that is the personal aspect of mountaintop removal effects. Julie has seen the emotional ties to such a destructive practice, and relays that emotion to the public. As much as someone can learn about the technique and history of mountaintop removal, sometimes it's the personal aspect that is most informative.

Provisions Library (Signal Fire Blog). Green Screens: Mountaintop Removal. Retrieved June 3, 2008, from http://wiki.provisionslibrary.org/blog/index.php/2008/04/14/greens-screens-mountaintop-removal/

Provisions Library is a non-profit learning resource for arts and social change. Their Signal Blog features news items with a pop-culture spin. They also produce a monthly email newsletter. Provisions Library's Green Screen blog features news items dealing with today's environmental justice issues. The specified entry on mountaintop removal focuses on filmmaker Michael O'Connell, who documented the struggle between West Virginia activists and coal industries over mountaintop removal. The blog also provides two links, one to an in-depth article detailing the O'Connell's filming of mountaintop removal practices in West Virginia in helping to stop the practice, and the other link for more information about the screening of the documentary. The film is called Mountaintop Removal, and it documents the citizens of the region, and the activist group Appalachian Voices. The Signal blog, and more importantly the links it provides, would be useful to a researcher because it presents the mountaintop removal issue from more of a public sphere, and how the issue has begun to permeate certain areas of society, like the entertainment industry. The blog links allow the researcher to see how serious the issue has become, and how interested the public really is in it. If a movie is being made about the issue, then it obviously has had legitimate impact on society. 

Beetham, John. Help Stop Mountaintop Removal. Retrieved June 3, 2008, from http://dendroica.blogspot.com/2008/04/help-stop-mountaintop-removal-mining.html

John Beetham is an online blogger about birds and environmental issues within the Washington D.C. and New Jersey areas. His blog entry on mountaintop removal has an interesting angle because of the fact that he is a bird expert. After providing the general information on what mountaintop removal is and how it is destructive, John goes more into detail about how it affects the surrounding bird habitats and populations. I have not found any other site that addresses such a specific area that mountaintop removal affects, and it's interesting how his expert study in birds can be applied to this environmental issue. He also provides a link to a list of all the House Representatives in support of the bill to stop mountaintop removal, and advises that you check the list to see if your representative is on it. This online blog would be useful to a researcher because it pinpoints a very specific area that is affected by mountaintop removal and allows the researcher to go deeper than just general information on the issue. A researcher might use this information to further correlate bird populations and mountaintop removal, and produce another studied effect of the mountaintop removal practice. 

For-Profit Organizations

The Sierra Club. (2006-2008). Environmental Justice-Regional Projects: Central Appalachia. Retrieved May 31, 2008, from http://www.sierraclub.org/ej.projects/appalachia/mountaintop.asp

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.

Non-Profit Organizations

Appalachian Voices. (1999-2007). Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining. Retrieved April 15, 2008, from http://www.appvoices.org

The Appalachian Voices website is an information site created by a group of people who assembled to address and attempt to solve the environmental issues that have the greatest impact on central and southern Appalachia. The mission of the Appalachian Voices is to "empower people to defend our region's rich natural and cultural heritage by providing them with tools and strategies for successful grassroots campaigns." The Appalachian Voices website mainly addresses the problem of mountaintop removal within the Appalachian mountain region because of its drastic and immediate impact on the area. The site is designed to inform the visitor about the process of mountaintop removal, the destructive effects of it, and applicable steps to take in getting involved with programs that fight these negative environmental processes. The site also includes links to other sites that support and inform about environmental justices issues and includes some links to interactive multimedia stories and activities concerning mountaintop removal. The website would be useful to a researcher because it informs of what's going on to stop mountaintop removal, and what it is going to take to stop it. It provides an overview on the process of mountaintop removal, myths and facts about it, how it affects the economy, and how it affects the people and environment.

I Love Mountains Coalition. (2005-2008). End Mountaintop Removal Action and Resource Center. Retrieved April 15, 2008, from http://www.ilovemountains.org

The I Love Mountains website was created by the I Love Mountains Organization, which is a local, state and regional organization across the Appalachian region that formed to work together to end mountaintop removal. Through the organization, this website was created and banded together 7 grassroots organizations from 5 Appalachian states to experiment with cutting edge technology to inform the public about mountaintop removal processes. This website contains more of the informational aspect than any other website I have found so far about mountaintop removal. Its information is far and wide as it provides steps to how you can get involved in stopping mountaintop removal, why it is a problem, and what can be done to stop it. It provides an overabundance of multimedia to drive home the problem of mountaintop removal and also to educate the reader further through visual resources. This website would be useful to a researcher because while it does include credible and important information, I feel that the multimedia resources are what make it an excellent source. Not all websites provide the opportunity to actually view the removing of a mountain, but this website does just that with the video recordings and even provides informational maps so that you can see where mountaintop removal has devastated certain areas in Appalachia. 

Mountain Justice Summer. (2006-2008). Mountain Justice Summer and Mountaintop Removal. Retrieved June 3, 2008, from http://www.mountainjusticesummer.org

Mountain Justice Summer is an organized group of people from the Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia and Virginia regions that have responded to the request from residents in these areas concerning mountaintop removal practices. The group considers themselves a call to action in response to the people, the mountains, the streams, and the forests that are affected by mountaintop removal. Some of their goals include raising world-wide awareness of mountaintop removal, escalating resistance to from a regional to a national level, and to unify the regional groups that fight against mountaintop removal. The organization's website mainly features the group's goals, projects and influence in the "Stop Mountaintop Removal" campaign. However, under it's "Facts" section, the website features specific coal mining companies that are targeted in the practice, as well as certain government officials and governmental agencies that are targeted as perpetrators. There are also government officials listed that are against mountaintop removal. All of these people and agencies listed are provided with contact information. The website also focuses a lot on the legality issues involved in mountaintop removal and how it is an infringement on public and private property, which is something that most other websites do not mention. This website would be useful to a researcher because it does present hard facts about the mountaintop removal issue, but in an area that isn't widely covered in all websites. It gives the researcher the legal problems with the practice and why it qualifies as an issue on the judicial level. Also, the researcher is given contact information to some of the most important people involved in the mountaintop removal topic.