Dear members,

The beating heart of Appalachian Voices lies with its members, and on June 4th, we will hold our first ever annual membership meeting on the banks of the Watauga River at our 2nd annual RiverFest in Valle Crucis, N.C.

This year's celebration of our regional waterways will not only be a day to indulge in delicious local music, foods and family fun, but will also be a time for members like you to express their commitment to a clean and healthy Appalachia.

The day long event will feature everything from storytelling to fly-tying, face painting to river floats, regional bluegrass and blues, and a delicious BBQ lunch -- purchase your meal tickets in advance for a special discount!

I invite you to join us for RiverFest, and spend the day with your families and fellow river lovers in the beautiful western North Carolina mountains. With plenty of fun and educational activities for children, cakewalks, a pickin' parlor and a chance to float or play in the river, it'll be an event to remember.

The event is free and open to the public, so be sure to join us on June 4th from 11am to 4pm. I look forward to seeing you there!

Willa Mays
Executive Director

Congress Hosts A Dog
and Pony Show for Big Coal

Earlier this month, Big Coal's allies in Congress held a special two-part "hearing" on Appalachian coal mining issues. The obviously one-sided affair, titled "EPA Mining Policies: Assault on Appalachian Jobs," was a direct attack on the agency's attempts to regulate the practice and glaringly omitted any panelists that might be the most expert of all--Appalachian citizens directly impacted by mountaintop removal. [ Read more about the hearing on our blog ]

Big Court Appeal --
CWA Lawsuit Moves
To The Next Level

Appalachian Voices officially filed a federal lawsuit against Nally & Hamilton for over 12,000 violations of the Clean Water Act in eastern Kentucky. Why test the water when you can cut and paste the results? Maybe Big Coal is afraid of what the real reports would reveal... [ Read the latest on this legal action ]

Save Mountains,
Save Mountain History

Join us in southern West Virgina at a gathering in June to celebrate--and fight to protect--one of the most historic labor rights battlefields in America. Appalachia Rising's March on Blair Mountain and rally will emphasize how the historic mountain itself is a symbol of mountaintop removal's destruction not only of our peaks, but of our history as well. [ Join the March to Save Blair Mountain ]

Appalachian Roundup....

(More work Appalachian Voices is doing to save mountains)

COMING TO A THEATER NEAR YOU: The issue of mountaintop removal coal mining will hit national theaters at last when The Last Mountain--an Official Sundance Festival Selection--is released this June. Appalachian Voices will be at select screenings to encourage movie-goers to join the movement to save our mountains. [Find a screening in your area]

A TEST YOU WANT TO FAIL: High levels of mercury from coal-fired power plants can make you "as mad as a hatter" and cause issues for wee ones even before they're born. Appalachian Voices recently helped organize a mercury-testing event in Hampton Roads, Va. where there are coal power plants galore with yet another one being proposed. [Read more about Mercury exposure and find out how you can test your levels ].