Larry Gibson is a short, simple man with a dog named 'dog.' But that's not all. He also represents the biggest resistance to mountaintop removal that I've come across so far. His home on Kayford Mountain in WV used to reside on the lowest peak, but after some 20 years of mountaintop removal on the surrounding mountains it is now the highest. There he stands off against the mining company that, after nearly exhausting all the surrounding land, seeks the $450 billion in coal underneath his home as well. Instead of giving in as so many have done, he started the Keeper of the Mountains Foundation, setting up a public park and informing the country of what is happening to Kayford and hundreds of mountains across the Appalachia. Along with giving lectures and tours to anyone that stops by, he also travels around the country to speak at colleges and universities. The picture to the right shows him speaking to a group of students in front of "Hell's Gate," or where his property ends and the coal company's begins. Travel just up the road and you can witness first-hand one of the most tragic examples of environmental destruction ever hosted by our country. On the map, the site easily appears to be one of the largest out of all of them.
Without plumbing or electricity, Gibson along with a small community of friends and family are holding off the advances made by the mining company. He's had dogs killed, sheds burned to the ground, drive-by shootings, and death threats to try to scare him off the mountain, but still prevails. Seeing this site and hearing Gibson talk about all that has happened, a childhood full of experiences in a wilderness that is now gone forever and the hardships of preserving his family's land and promoting his cause, has really motivated me more than ever.
< taking a small group to see the site
< the desecration extends for miles
< Some of the other friendly Kayford Mtn dwellers.
< If the mountain is lost, Gibson's family graveyard will be stripped and bulldozed.
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