News
Earth Day Event Raises $10,000 for Keeper of the Mountain Larry Gibson
Tuesday, April 27th, 2010
Larry Gibson speaks to the crowd
John Ruth leads the impromptu auction for the Vespa
The coordinating committee for the Larry Gibson Earth Day event and fundraiser
View more pics from the event
By Tricia Feeney
On Earth Day in Boone, N.C., Keeper of the Mountains Larry Gibson spoke at Appalachian State University and to a downtown gathering at The Greenhouse about the destruction caused by mountaintop removal.
Appalachian Voices and the Appalachian Institute for Renewable Energy teamed up with local volunteers, student group ASU Sustainable Energy Society, and a West Virginia-based Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition for a truly grassroots effort to honor Larry on Earth Day. The coalition effort was a success! Together, we collected enough donations to install a security system at Larry’s homeplace on Kayford Mountain, W. Va.
Larry is a leader in the movement to end mountaintop removal. He started organizing to protect his homeplace in 1985 and successfully protected 50 acres, which now sit like an island in the middle of a 7,000-acre mountaintop removal site. Larry has dedicated his life to ending mountaintop removal and protecting Appalachian mountains. From his educational park, a rare spot where people can witness mountaintop removal first-hand, Larry has empowered thousands upon thousands of people to take action and defend Appalachian land and heritage. Because of his activism, Larry and his family have suffered escalating levels of violence.
To help raise funds, a drawing was held for a new Vespa Scooter. The winner of the Vespa was a local man, Ray Moltz of Blowing Rock, N.C., who immediately gave the keys to Larry. He then asked the crowd to participate in an auction for the new scooter, with the proceeds going to Larry’s cause. Another man, John Ruth, volunteered to be the auctioneer, and after a lively bidding “war,” over $800 more was raised from the highest bidder!
Appalachian Voices and AIRE – along with online donations, local volunteers, and ally organizations – successfully raised the needed $10,000 to keep Kayford Mountain and Larry Gibson safe! The Earth Day Spirit was definitely alive in Boone on April 22.
Thank you to everyone who came out to support Larry, and to those who contributed to make this grassroots effort a success!
If you are ever in Boone, Please Support the Restaurants that donated food for the event.
- The Bead Box
- Our Daily Bread
- Melanie’s
- Pepper’s
- Stick Boy Bakery
- Char
- Jimmy Johns
- Lynne Lear
Thank You to the Musicians:
Major Sevens
Jordan Okrend
April 27th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
Ray Moltz ROCKS for impromptu auction!
April 27th, 2010 at 10:22 pm
What a waste of time and money, Surface coal mining our past, present and will continue to our future for manny years to come.
April 28th, 2010 at 12:34 pm
@Leon: It’s our choice whether there is a future for coal. And yes, there is a future for West Virginia without coal. We just have to choose it.
It’s our choice. Yours and mine.
May 6th, 2010 at 4:08 pm
I think this is amazing! I didn’t understand what MTR really was until my first semester of college (I am a freshman). I then began doing all of my english papers on the fight against MTR and learned so much more than I found imaginable. I’m from the Northern part of WV, but still, it’s incredible how it affects everyone around it. Our college took a trip to Mr. Gibson’s home and viewed the site- not very pleasant to the aesthetics nor the environment. I’m so pleased to hear this has been accomplish and hope people continue with the support!