I Love Mountains Day
Voices of I Love Mountains Day
“Every time I do something with KFTC, it’s energizing and inspiring. It gives you energy. When you’re with a big group of people, you know you're in this together and are sharing this experience.” – Katie Pirotina, Perry County
People traveled from across Kentucky and beyond to I Love Mountains Day Thursday in Frankfort. Some came for the first time; others come every year.
Here are some quotes from the day:
“I’m here because I’m so frustrated with mountaintop removal, and it’s just got to stop. It’s destroying mountains we’ll never have again and people are getting sick and the water’s getting polluted, and it’s just got to stop.” – Jenny Neat, Frankfort
“I am 12 years old and I want my kids when I grow up to be able to see all the beautiful mountains and be healthy and not have orange water like I do. PLEASE HELP!” – Isaac Owens, Floyd County, in a note to Rep. Greg Stumbo
“I’m here because this means something to me. I care about my mountains. Once we lose them, we can’t get ’em back. This is all we have to give our young people. We need them to stay here and they have to have something to stay for.” – Bennie Massey, Harlan County
“I love the mountains where I live and the streams, and they’re being destroyed, simple as that. I know it creates jobs, but it seems to me a lot of people can’t see beyond their jobs to what they’re doing.” – Carter Castle, Magoffin County
“Mountaintop removal is a broad-spectrum injustice. It affects our water, air, and soil quality. It threatens our natural beauty and biodiversity; attacks our identity; endangers property and culture; divides communities; and negatively impacts health and safety of our people. And contrary to what the coal industry would say, it negatively impacts our economic future.” – Cari Moore, Knott County
Here are links to a few news articles about the day:
Take Action
Want to take action? Call the Legislative Message Line (800-372-7181) and leave a message to your Representative and Senator to express your support for the Clean Energy Opportunity Act (House Bill 170) and the Stream Saver Bill (House Bill 86 / Senate Bill 29).
Over 1,000 people turn out for I Love Mountains Day!
KFTC members and friends celebrated their hope for Appalachia’s Bright Future at the annual I Love Mountains Day march and rally in Frankfort today.
“I believe in Harlan County’s Bright Future, in Kentucky’s Bright Future, in Appalachia’s Bright Future,” KFTC member Carl Shoupe of Benham told the crowd on the capitol steps. “But we must do more than want it. We have to dream it. We have to build it and protect it, together. We have to demand it and work for it every day. We have to organize for it and we have to vote for it.”
Live streaming I Love Mountains Day
If you can't make it out to Frankfort tomorrow for I Love Mountains Day, you can still participate from the comfort of your own computer. We will be providing a live video feed from our Ustream account starting at around 12 p.m. EST. You'll be able to watch the feed on this page once we get started.
Pies and Dance for I Love Mountains Day
How does a KFTC member get in the spirit for I Love Mountains Day? In Berea, a contra dance and a pie auction can do the trick. On Friday the Madison County chapter partnered with the Oh Contraire contra dancers to host a dance and pie auction to raise awareness about mountaintop removal coal mining and to raise money, but most of all to give Bereans a chance to have fun on the dance floor. Around sixty chapter members, Berea residents and college students gathered at Berea’s Russell Acton Folk Center to dance and to write valentines to Governor Beshear, caller Joe Wilkie leading the dancers through a variety of traditional dances throughout the night.
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