Huckleberry Ridge, KY
An Outlaw Industry
Wednesday, January 17th, 2007
Daymon Morgan
Huckleberry Ridge in Leslie County, KY
We made the biggest part of our living on that land. We planted vegetables, and we had apple orchards. And there was a lot of wild huckleberry back up on that mountain. Actually huckleberry is a wild blueberry. And wild berries, we picked them. And I’ve hunted in there, I’ve dug herbs. And now, that is all gone. It’s completely moved away.
Horizon Resources and International Coal Group, the coal companies that have worked near my home, have trespassed along one of my property lines. They have done damage to the land and to my personal property – trees, rock and dirt debris have been pushed onto my property and down the side of the mountain. This damage causes erosion and may even damage the creek at the bottom of the hollow.
The Coal Industry is an outlaw industry that does not consider the rights of its neighbors or the rights of the land and environment. The industry is out to make a profit and has no regard for the damages done to the citizens of this country.
This trespassing issue is just another example of the coal industry’s blatant disregard. Within the last five years two homes on my property have been damaged from the blasting. I believe that almost everyone up Bad Creek has sued the coal industry at least once for damages done to their property.
And my community is not the only community affected by this outlaw industry. Folks over in Raccoon Creek, in Greasy Creek, Viper and Vicco also are complaining.
This is not just a private property issue. It is everyone’s problem and something must be done. The coal industry and our state regulators need to have more respect for the mountains and people of this region.
The coal industry is leaving us destroyed, with no water, no trees, no wildlife habitats or any economic prospects for our future. This must stop.
You know, people have a tendency to not be interested in anything unless they are directly affected by it. Actually, what the coal industry does, it affects everybody. It affects air quality, the water quality, it affects the wildlife habitat, and certainly that’s everybody’s problem.
July 29th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
This is yet another tragedy of habitat destruction. How can this be stopped without simply pushing it onto another country? Perhaps there’s a more conscientious way to mine for the coal that is apparently necessary to supply the energy needs of this country until such ideas as wind energy transmission lines from N and S Dakota wind mills to other parts of the nation can be instituted. Articles such as this I hope will at least serve to create more momentum for the far less destructive options for living on earth such as wind, solar, geothermal, small organic farms, sustainable ecological communities perhaps involving greater self reliance to limit cross country cross nation transportation at the same time making use of resource saving microtechnology to stay connected socially with the rest of the world and thereby become models for living with our connectivity in mind rather than living as we do now with so called “productivity” (read:”selfish profit”) in mind.
December 29th, 2008 at 3:18 am
stripping in Ky mountains fills in our rivers and destroy the soil trees will not grow back and causes rivers to flood with streams full of dirt from mountain top removal, causing global warming to fill only few people with wealth.
December 29th, 2008 at 3:31 am
It is unbelieveable our politicans pass laws for script mining destroying the waters we drink and killing our animals and trees to make several human beings wealthy, it takes the life of our kids grandchildren and great grand children, our society is so corrupt to let this happen our WVA and Virgina and Ky mountains are a sight to the human eye after mountain top removal Will our Politicans stop this, I am a underground coal miner my self we do not destroy other peoples lives by filling rivers and streams and moving soil which trees will never grow back.Please everyone help stop this do not let the script mines mountain top mining destroy our lives and the wildlife and it contributes to global warming, this makes only a few wealthy and we are suffer our kids and familys.
August 24th, 2012 at 12:46 am
I want to know who dug coal out of my land left from my grandfather in Pike County KY and why everyone but me and my brothers and sisters have gotten letters? Most have settled for hardly anything but highway robbery, I want my land if there’s anything left, I’ve also been told today they the coal company demolished the two homes on my grandfathers land which I wouldn’t loved to keep one of them in our family. Does anyone know who I contact to see how to pursue this in a court of law? I sure think it’s terrible they trepass on our land and just take what they want without the family approving first, so I’m told. I know for a fact me and my six brothers and sisters didn’t get a letter, yet all our cousins have settled but a handfull..please help if you can, how do I get started with deed searching under my grandfather’s land, he had alot, sold some but kept the timber and mineral rights even back then in the 50’s…please help me get justice for our family worked years and very hard in the Kentucky Coal Mines, my father was trapped in one of them years ago…