Mountain Justice Summer Training Camp

Since Saturday, I have been at Mountain Justice Summer Training Camp, a gathering of all the folks interested in stopping mountaintop removal coal mining (MTR).

Since I've been here, I've learned tons about Appalachian culture (a huge, important, and fascinating subject I will delve into another time), and attended workshops on a variety of MTR-related subjects that are preparing me well for the work I'll be doing for the next 6 weeks. I've learned how to read a mining permit, learned a bit about the native and rare plants of the Appalachian Mountains, started to get to know the host of different environmental, religious, and community organizations working to stop MTR, and heard many very heartbreaking but often inspiring stories of people affected by MTR. I've also been learning about the projects that the particular community organization I'm working with, Coal River Mountain Watch, is doing, including the Sludge Safety Project, a listening project to document the community's experiences with MTR, and the development of sustainable, appropriate economic alternatives to coal.

It hasn't been all business, though- I've been meeting and hanging out with great people from all over Appalachia and the country, learning to square dance (trust me- it's a lot cooler than it was when they made you do it in gym class), and getting to know mountain music (bluegrass, old time, different styles of banjo playing, etc.), and helping cook and eat fantastic meals.

I'm also living in a tent, which has been fun and challenging (we had a big thunderstorm here yesterday that soaked all my stuff, and I get to use composting toilets, since the whole camp of 100+ people is off the grid). I get to wake up to thousands of birds singing and mist over (what's left of) the mountains, and go to sleep with whippoorwills singing and countless stars in the sky.

I'm working on putting up some photos:

Here's the view outside my tent flap.




On the drive down, we (Dad and I) stopped at a scenic overlook- this photo hardly captures the breathtaking beauty that is these mountains.

It just started pouring again- the weather here is more temperamental than that in Michigan, if you can believe it- I hope my tent is holding up. Gotta go. I'll probably be back online next week.