Coal River Mountain Treesitter Pens Letter from Jail

The following is from Eric Blevins, one of the recent Coal River Mountain treesitters. His hearing is currently scheduled for Feb. 23. I wrote this letter to the editor to the Beckley paper while in jail and told it to someone over the phone who sent it to them for me. They didn’t print it [...]

Treesitters Come Down

The treesit on Coal River Mountain, which was Climate Ground Zero’s most sustained intervention in mountaintop removal mining operations since its campaign of nonviolent direct action began last February, ended over the weekend after nine days. In a final communication from her tree, one of the two remaining protesters, Amber Nitchman, 19, captured the group’s [...]

West Virginia Treesitters Still in Trees

Two protesters remain in the trees on Coal River Mountain, blocking Massey Energy from continuing to blow up the mountaintop. The company has been attempting to dislodge them by blasting air horns and shining floodlights on them at night. Earlier this week, a man attempting to bring supplies to the protesters was arrested. Yesterday, West [...]

Protesters Halt Mountaintop Blasting In West Virginia

Armed with banners reading “Save Coal River Mountain” and EPA Stop the Blasting,” protestors halted blasting on Coal River Mountain today with a five-person tree-sit. The protesters, associated with Climate Ground Zero and Mountain Justice, are on platforms approximately 60 feet up two tulip poplar trees and one oak tree next to where Massey Energy [...]