The Appalachian
Mountains have stood for over 250 million years. They've seen
continents collide and split apart. They've seen dinosaurs emerge,
evolve, and go extinct. They've seen ice ages come and go.
Yet over the course of just the past few years, hundreds of these
ancient
mountaintops have been obliterated -- literally blown up for the sake
of the coal that lies beneath their slopes. What were
once lovely forest-covered Appalachian mountaintops are now
moonscapes. Nearby valleys and creeks are now buried under waste
rubble
hundreds of feet
deep.
The result? Wildlife habitat is destroyed, communities are flooded,
and nature is desecrated. These ancient
landscapes are being destroyed just for the sake of a few months'
electricity.
Please join us at the Sierra Club-Huron Valley Group's free public program this
Tuesday, January 16 in Ann Arbor. Kentuckian Dave Cooper will tell us
about Mountain Top Removal: The
Hidden Destruction of the Appalachian Mountains.
Newcomers
are
welcome to
this free,
family-friendly event, which
begins at 7:30 pm at the lovely Matthaei Botanical Gardens (map).
After the presentation, we invite you to stay for
refreshments and
mingle with friendly people who share your interest in
nature. You can learn about local Sierra Club activities like hiking,
skiing, and our conservation projects.
We'll have Sierra Club calendars,
coffee, and
tea, and EarthCash
shopping vouchers available for purchase by cash or check. With
EarthCash you can help
stop sprawl when you shop at many of your favorite stores -- at no
additional cost to you.
All are welcome; no membership is
required. Please feel free to forward this message to others who
might
be interested.
Doug Cowherd
Chair, Sierra Club-Huron Valley Group
P.S. Check out this terrific short video about mountain top
removal. Woody Harrelson narrates, and Willie Nelson sings a song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPixjCneseE
____________________________
The Sierra Club-Huron Valley Group's public programs are
normally held on the third Tuesday of each month at the Matthaei
Botanical Gardens, located at 1800
N. Dixboro Road (between Geddes and
Plymouth roads, just east of Ann Arbor and US-23), beginning
at 7:30 pm. Meetings are free and open to the public.
February
20 The
Death of
Nature: The Impending Great Extinction of the 21st Century?
Johannes Foufopoulos, Professor,
School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Michigan
For
more information: http://www.michigan.sierraclub.org/huron/