Gauley Mountain, WV: the town of Ansted

America's Most Endangered Mountains - Gauley Mountain, WV

Pledge to Help End Mountaintop Removal. Visit:
www.iLoveMountains.org


- - - COMMUNITY STORY - - -

Until the mid-twentieth century, Ansted, West Virginia was a bustling coal camp. In 1950, the coal company that operated the local mine pulled out, leaving the community with a sense of economic depression. In the years that followed, residents banded together and reinspired a pride in their mountain region, eventually rebounding the local economy through a thriving tourism industry.

The town of Ansted and surrounding Fayette County possess an abundance of natural and historical resources. The region boasts the stunning confluence of the New and Gauley Rivers at the head of the New River Gorge, one of the most beautiful sights on the Eastern seaboard. The county also hosts the watershed of these rivers, as well as stunning views of the New River Gorge and Kanawha County. Visitors from all over visit Fayette County to paddle and fish the local rivers and hike mountain trails. Bald eagles and Peregrine falcons soar across regions of hardwood forest rich with fauna and flora. And prime farmland and natural springs still provide food and water to the local communities.

Father Roy Crist, the missioner of the New River Episcopal Ministry, became involved with efforts to save mountains when the county received an application for a mining permit on the backside of Gauley Mountain near the Gauley River and New River National Parks. Since mining began, the National Park Service noted no less than 16 violations of water quality. As mining continued, trout populations 'coincidentally' dwindled in Rich Creek, which drains the new mine sites on Gauley Mountain.

Local residents, including Father Crist and Cary Huffman, a retired coal miner, formed the Ansted Historic Preservation Council to protect the local mountains and streams from potential mountaintop removal. Signs of exploration and road construction have residents concerned about plans for more mountaintop removal.

As Father Crist explains, "People say coal mining is a part of our history, and yes, it is. But destroying the mountains by blowing the tops off of them is not a part of our history."

To support Father Crist, Cary Huffman and their community, contact:
Ansted Historical Preservation Council
SaveGauleyMtn@gmail.com

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

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• appalachian
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• ansted
• historic
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• huffman
• father
• roy
• crist
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• schimick

[AppalachianVoices]

The best whitewater river in the East getting trashed by mountaintop removal. This madness has to stop!!!

[dopezra]

save the gauley river! I have rafted the new river and the gauley dozens of times we cant destroy it!

[joelthetroll2]

@warth7 they could....if republicans weren't spending money on the " war on terror;)

[lrwwolf]

Almost Heaven, West Virginia... Not if the Coal Companies have their way!

[lrwwolf]

Almost Heaven, West Virginia... Not if the Coal Companies have anything to do with it!

[jmg1957]

well done..

[MusicinOurBlood02]

My father's family comes from, and a few still live in Danese, WV. We would drive through Ansted on our way to visit our relatives before the new highway was built on the other side of Gauley Mountain. We despise the idea of strip mining, or mountain top removal.  It's destroying what God created for us to enjoy.

[Pokey4mySue]

Someday, someway, we MUST put a stop to the rape of our mountains. Homesteads, farms, cemetaries and historical (both recent and paleolithic) are being destroyed in a wholesale manner. IF anyone has any doubt of the impact of these mines, use "Google Earth" to zoom in on the southwestern part of WV satellite views. You'll see how BIG these operations are.

[funkster22657]

fuck them mountains level them hills right on out.i need my lights on in dc

[Thinkaboutet]

Sometimes there are more important things than the all mighty dollar. This is what they used to call strip mining. I guess its like everything else, they had to give it a less egressive name so the people would not make the connection. For those that care about the environment, coal mining is dead! Its only hope is the Chinese, who care nothing about the environment or human lives. Its time the coal miners find another job. Like most have already had to do.

[warth7]

what will you use for your electric when the coal mines are shut down.. you think they have all the windmills and solar panels just waiting for everyone in west virginina think again..

[LibertyTreeBud]

jodygirl45 said:  "...my brother in law helped stock it this past spring, you people need to get ur facts straight."

It is a good thing your brother in law helped stock Rich creek because it needs to be stocked now, doesn't it? The fish no longer breed well enough, do they? The area is under attack. It will be destroyed by those who will force others to follow environmental laws that they can ignore.