About iLoveMountains.org
Local, state, and regional organizations across Appalachia are working together to end mountaintop removal and create a prosperous future for the region. Through iLoveMountains.org, 7 grassroots organizations from 5 Appalachian states have come together to use cutting edge technology to inform and involve Americans in their efforts to save the mountains. These organizations are listed below, along with allied organizations that make critical contributions to the effort to end mountaintop removal.
This site was produced by Appalachian Voices and Mathew Gross, a pioneer in online organizing and former director of internet communications for the Howard Dean campaign. “I Love Mountains” has become the unofficial motto of the movement to end mountaintop removal, beginning with a bumper sticker produced by the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy that is commonly seen throughout the mountains. To buy “I Love Mountains” stickers, hats, and shirts, click here.
Website Partners
Appalachian Voices
Boone, North Carolina
www.appalachianvoices.org
Appalachian Voices brings people together to solve the environmental problems having the greatest impact on the central and southern Appalachian Mountains. Our mission 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.
Coal River Mountain Watch
Whitesville, West Virginia
www.crmw.net
The mission of Coal River Mountain Watch is to stop the destruction of our communities and environment by mountaintop removal mining, to improve the quality of life in our area and to help rebuild sustainable communities.
Keeper of the Mountains Foundation
Dawes, West Virginia
www.mountainkeeper.org
Keeper of the Mountains Foundation was created to fund Larry Gibson’s efforts to preserve and foster the values of mountain culture. Larry Gibson’s family has lived on or near Kayford Mountain since the late 1700’s. Since 1986, thousands of people have visited Larry to witness the continuous, slow motion destruction of Kayford Mountain by mountaintop removal.
Kentuckians for the Commonwealth
London, Kentucky
www.kftc.org
Kentuckians For The Commonwealth is a statewide citizens organization working for a new balance of power and a just society. As we work together we build our strength, individually and as a group, and we find solutions to real life problems. We use direct action to challenge—and change—unfair political, economic and social systems. Our membership is open to all people who are committed to equality, democracy and non-violent change.
Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition
Huntington, West Virginia
www.ohvec.org
Our mission is to organize and maintain a diverse grassroots organization dedicated to the improvement and preservation of the environment through education, grassroots organizing and coalition building, leadership development and media outreach.
Save Our Cumberland Mountains
Lake City, Tennessee
www.socm.org
The mission of SOCM is to assist Tennessee residents to protect, defend and improve the quality of life in their communities and across the state. From organizational roots in rural coal counties of the Cumberland Mountains and Cumberland Plateau, SOCM is working toward environmental, economic and social justice for all Tennessee residents.
Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards
Big Stone Gap, Virginia
www.samsva.org
Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards is a community organization in southwest Virginia working to address the impacts of mountaintop removal.
Allied Organizations
The Appalachian Center is a non-profit public interest law and policy organization dedicated to protecting the communities and natural resources of central Appalachia and advocating for a just and sustainable economy for the region.
Appalachian Citizens Law Center
Prestonsburg, Kentucky
www.appalachianlawcenter.org
The Appalachian Citizens Law Center is a non-profit law firm that provides free legal services to persons and citizens’ groups who have legal issues related to coal mining, logging, drilling, and other resource-related practices in Central Appalachia.
Chesapeake Climate Action Network
Takoma Park, Maryland
www.chesapeakeclimate.org
The Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) is the first grassroots, nonprofit organization dedicated exclusively to fighting global warming in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. Our mission is to educate and mobilize citizens of this region in a way that fosters a rapid societal switch to clean energy and energy-efficient products, thus joining similar efforts worldwide to slow and perhaps halt the dangerous trend of global warming.
Christians for the Mountains
Dunmore, West Virginia
www.christiansforthemountains.org
Christians For The Mountains is a network of persons committed to advocating that Christians and their churches recognize their God-given responsibility to live compatibly and sustainably upon this earth God has created.
Dave Cooper’s Mountaintop Removal Road Show
mountainroadshow.com
After 20 years working as a mechanical engineer in various industries, Mr. Cooper decided to devote his full attention to environmental issues after seeing a mountaintop removal mine on Kayford Mountain, WV. His road show includes a stunning 22-minute slide show about the impacts of mountaintop removal on coalfield residents, communities and the environment, and features traditional Appalachian mountain music and shocking aerial photos of decapitated Appalachian mountains.
The road show has been shown over 350 times in sixteen states since 2003 - including over 100 large and small universities such as Duke, Antioch, and Ohio State, plus many church, community and civic organizations. There is no charge for the presentation, all speakers are volunteers; however donations and honorariums to defray gas and travel expenses are gratefully accepted.
Friends of the Mountains
www.friendsofthemountains.org
Friends of the Mountains is a coalition of environmental and community groups working to end mountaintop removal.
Natural Resources Defense Council
New York, New York
www.nrdc.org
The Natural Resources Defense Council’s purpose is to safeguard the Earth: its people, its plants and animals and the natural systems on which all life depends. NRDC works to restore the integrity of the elements that sustain life — air, land and water — and to defend endangered natural places.
Sierra Club Environmental Justice Projects: Central Appalachia
www.sierraclub.org
Mining activists in Appalachia are some of the most dedicated people in the world. They live in fear of blasting, flooding, overweight coal trucks, and slurry releases and still they keep hope. There is an old hymn that says, “Just like a tree that’s planted by the waters, I shall not be moved.” In Appalachia, they have destroyed the trees, polluted our water, cut off the tops of our mountains, and blasted the foundations of our homes, but we will not be moved.
The goal of the Sierra Club’s Central Appalachia Environmental Justice site is to support the work of these activists in their struggles against the irresponsible practices of the mining industry. Working on behalf of the Sierra Club are environmental justice organizers Bill Price and Bill McCabe.
Skytruth
Shepherdstown, West Virginia
www.skytruth.org
Since 2001, SkyTruth has been producing satellite images that illustrate environmental concerns all over the planet: from gold mining in Indonesia, to gas drilling in the Rockies, to mountaintop removal in central Appalachia. A non-profit organization, SkyTruth envisions a world where all people can see and understand the consequences of human activity everywhere on earth, and are motivated to take action to protect the environment.
SouthWings
Asheville, North Carolina
www.southwings.org
Founded in 1996, SouthWings is a non-profit conservation organization that provides skilled pilots and aerial education to enhance conservation efforts across the Southeast. SouthWings flights are contributing significantly to increased public and media awareness of regional environmental issues, particularly mountaintop removal coal mining.
United Mountain Defense
Knoxville, Tennessee
www.unitedmountaindefense.org
United Mountain Defense is a nonprofit organization committed to halting mountaintop removal coal mining (otherwise referred to as cross ridge or contour mining) in Tennessee.
West Virginia Highlands Conservancy
Charleston, West Virginia
www.wvhighlands.org
Formed in 1967 to preserve the natural beauty of the West Virginia Highlands, the Conservancy is the state’s oldest environmental advocacy organization. For nearly four decades the Conservancy has been a leader in citizen efforts on a variety of mining issues critical to protecting the environment and life in West Virginia.
To purchase “I Love Mountains” bumper stickers, hats, and shirts, visit their website.
West Virginia Rivers Coalition
Elkins, West Virginia
www.wvrivers.org
The Coalition’s mission is to seek the conservation and restoration of West Virginia’s exceptional rivers and streams.
