The Hidden Destruction of the Mountains of Appalachia

In West Virginia and eastern Kentucky, coal companies blast as much as 600 feet off the top of the mountains, then dump the rock and debris into the mountain streams. Over 300,000 acres of the most beautiful and productive hardwood forests in America have already been turned into barren grasslands. Mountaintop removal mining increases flooding, contaminates drinking water supplies, cracks home and building foundations, and showers nearby towns with dust and noise from blasting.

Dave Cooper, an environmental activist from Lexington, Kentucky, will present a beautiful and stunning 20 minute slide show featuring Appalachian culture and music, and a short video about the devastation and flooding. Discussion to follow.

Wednesday, June 23 7:30 p.m.

Eliot Unitarian Chapel

214 East Argonne in Kirkwood

Free and Open to the Public

Brief Biography of Dave Cooper

Dave Cooper is a resident of Lexington, Kentucky. After 20 years working as a mechanical engineer in various industries, most recently at the 3M plant in Cynthiana, Kentucky that makes Post-it notes, he decided to devote his full attention to environmental issues after seeing a mountaintop removal mine on Kayford Mountain, West Virginia.

He is a member of the Sierra Club and Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, and worked for a year as a coalfield organizer for the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition (OVEC). He is currently organizing a national speaking tour to educate communities across America about Mountaintop Removal.