APRIL 15, 2010 ISSUE
Earth Day Fundraiser Celebrates Activist Larry Gibson
April 22 Events Support Anti-Mountaintop Removal Movement, Offer Chance To Win Vespa Scooter
Larry Gibson, known as the Keeper of the Mountains for his fight against mountaintop removal coal mining in his own backyard and across the country, will visit Boone on Earth Day—Thursday, April 22—providing a lecture at ASU, attending a meet-and-greet reception at The Greenhouse and taking part in an after party at Galileo’s Bar and Café.
In the High Country, our ‘earth’ is primarily our mountains, so it is only fitting that on Earth Day—Thursday, April 22—we focus on keeping them around for future generations.
To that end, Larry Gibson, known as the Keeper of the Mountains for his fight against mountaintop removal coal mining in his own backyard and across the country, will visit Boone on Earth Day, providing a lecture at ASU in Plemmons Student Union’s Linville Falls Room at 4:00 p.m., attending a meet-and-greet reception at The Greenhouse in Boone at 6:00 p.m. and taking part in an after party at Galileo’s Bar and Café in Boone from 8:00 p.m. until midnight. All events feature free admission and, during the reception at The Greenhouse, guests can donate money in return for a chance to win a Vespa scooter.
Matthew Hepler of the ASU Department of Geography arranged for Gibson’s visit to ASU, Appalachian Voices and AIRE (Appalachian Institute for Renewable Energy) sponsor the reception at The Greenhouse and ASUSES (ASU Sustainable Energy Society) sponsors the after party.
Gibson has dedicated his life to ending mountaintop removal coal mining and protecting the Appalachian Mountains. Mountaintop removal is a form of mining in which several hundred feet of a mountain are blown off and the waste is pushed into nearby valleys; to date, more than 500 mountains have been leveled because of the practice.
Gibson not only fights the fight against mountaintop removal, but he also lives it everyday.
Gibson, a 2007 CNN Hero, moved back to his native home on West Virginia’s Kayford Mountain, located about one hour south of Charleston, W.Va., in 1985. However, when he returned, the landscape was much different than when he was a child.
Interests from Massey Energy, Patriot Coal, Arch Coal and Horizon Natural Resources had taken control of roughly 7,000 acres of mountains surrounding Gibson’s boyhood home—all that was left was the Gibson family’s 50-acre homestead that had been in his family for more than 200 years, and he decided then and there that he would protect what little land was left.
Since Gibson moved back to “his island in the middle of a mountaintop removal site,” said Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition (OVEC) Organizer Patricia Feeney, he has made a “life commitment to stopping mountaintop removal,” and travels across the nation educating and empowering thousands each year to protect Appalachian land and heritage. Gibson has testified to the United Nations and U.S. Senate about ending the environmentally destructed practice, and publications such as National Geographic, movies and books have chronicled his fight.
Gibson managed to protect his 50-acre homestead, which is now called Stanley Heirs Park and is the site of educational tours and programs that show first hand the destruction that mountaintop removal can cause. At the highest point on Gibson’s property lies Hell’s Gate, a pinnacle that affords sweeping, 360-degree views of the 7,000-acre mountaintop removal site that surrounds Gibson’s home. The 7,000 acres now connect with other mining permits to make a total of 12,000 acres of mountaintop removal moonscape surrounding Gibson’s land.
“It’s overwhelming to visit,” said Feeney of Gibson’s 50 acres in West Virginia. “To see it first hand hits at a gut level.
“To know Larry personally,” she continued, “is inspiring and challenging because he always pushes people to be uncomfortable with what’s going on.”
Gibson has been offered “lots and lots of money” to give up his island among the moonscape, said Feeney, but he has declined, even despite death threats and drive-by shootings that have become commonplace on the property. “He just keeps doing what he’s doing—it’s an inspiration,” said Feeney.
Because of the threats and because Gibson’s land is an indispensable resource for educational programs and a symbol of environmental ethics, money raised through the Vespa scooter drawing will go toward purchasing security cameras for Gibson’s property that will assure guest safety during educational events. Any remaining donations will be credited toward hiring security guards that will work the educational events on Gibson’s 50 acres. The security cameras will operate using solar energy, as electricity is no longer available on Gibson’s acreage.
When asked how much Gibson and his efforts mean to her, Feeney replied, “it’s difficult to quantify—Larry is a hero, he’s my hero and he’s a hero of the movement.
“This [event] is an opportunity to meet a hero of the movement—a movement that started in Appalachia and now is in the national spotlight, all because people like Larry took action all by themselves when no one else understood or cared,” Feeney said.
The third event of the day for Gibson, the ASUSES-sponsored after party at Galileo’s Bar and Café, will feature live music from Here’s to the Long Haul, a band formed within the mountaintop removal movement. The band’s songs honor Appalachian heritage, said Feeney. According to the band’s website, “Playing both contemporary and traditional music, Here’s to the Long Haul is born of the historic and ongoing movements for justice in Appalachia and beyond. Their traditional arrangements celebrate the culture and life of the mountains, while their original songs tell stories of everyday people living everyday lives and trying to stand up for what’s right.”
To enter the drawing for the Vespa scooter, residents can make a donation of $5 or more at the following locations: Appalachian Voices, Foggy Mountain Gem Mine, Loretta’s Vendetta, BeansTalk Coffee House, Black Bear Books, Stick Boy Bread Company, Nelson’s Salon, Gladiola Girls, JBH Imports/DBH Inspirations, Dancing Moon, Glug, Green Mother Goods and The Bead Box. Residents can also enter the drawing online by clicking to www.appvoices.org. Feeney said organizers hope to raise $10,000 through donations and the raffle.
Vespa scooters feature an electric starting engine and will travel 60 mph while receiving 70 miles per gallon.
The Greenhouse, an environmentally-friendly office space, is located at the corner of Depot and Howard streets in downtown Boone. Galileo’s Bar and Café is located at 1087 West King Street in Boone. Appalachian Voices is located at 191 Howard Street in Boone.
For more information about the movement against mountaintop removal coal mining, click to www.appvoices.org. For more information about the events featuring and honoring Gibson, call 828-262-1500. To view more photos of Gibson and Kayford Mountain, click to www.ilovemountains.org/memorial/c251.
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