The definition of contiguous according to www.merriam-webster.com is: touching or connected throughout in an unbroken sequence. Going by this definition, Eric Reece is constructing the idea that the Appalachian forests need to be kept whole. That each part of the forest is dependent on all the other parts in order to keep its integrity intact. He supports this idea by using the cerulean warbler canary as an example. This specific kind of canary requires a large, unbroken, contiguous forest in order to breed and live successfully. This canary does not just need forest, but old growth forest because they take residence in the top of canopy trees. By using this example the reader is able to understand how the demolition of Appalachian forests is not just unsightly and bothersome, but it has great impact on creators large and small. No matter how small an animal might be, within an ecosystem all animals are important. If the cerulean warbler were to become extinct it could have great effects on many other animals in that ecosystem.
The cerulean warbler is not the only example that Reece uses when trying to convey the idea of the contiguous forest. The examples that echo loudest in my mind are the examples he gives involving people and families such as, Teri Blanton and Daymon Morgan. These are people living in the thick of the Appalachian forest. These are people that have seen the dramatic change in their surroundings and these are the people that have suffered the most. In a lot of the arguments for mountain top removal mining, there are a certain amount of economic issues that seems to carry the arguments. People state that these kinds of jobs help the people of Appalachia. Appalachia being a notorious part of the country that is stricken with poverty, this argument may seem strong, but upon Reece's conversations with people like Blanton and Morgan, the reader begins to see that this argument is full of holes. This type of mining is so effective, that it actually takes very few people to perform the duties required to successfully mine these areas. Through the eyes of Reece, there is no denying that mountain top removal mining is causing far more hard than good in Appalachia. Some may read this book and think that these problems are so very far away from us. We are living in Appalachia, but we aren't living in the thick of the woods on the side of a mountain. I urge people of this point of view to take a drive around some of the back roads of Nelsonville, Ohio. It is on these roads that I have passed pieces of land that appear to be swamps. These pieces of land are nearly completely devoid of plant life and look sickly and black. This is acid mine drainage, a topic discussed in Reece's book. These topics and arguments are not far away at all, in fact they effect people like Blanton and Morgan and you and I.
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I agree that this matter effects everyone. Although it may not effect my life right this second, the environment is important to life and its existence. We need to find a different way to use coal otherwise our wildlife and forests will be destroyed. I enjoyed reading your post.
ReplyDeleteYou make some great points. I like how you used Nelsonville as an example. Driving through Nelsonville, the devastation is immediately evident. While this area is not in the core of mining and mountain top removal, you can't ignore the apparent poverty. There's a reason why Appalachia is so impoverished, and it does in fact correlate with mountain top removal. It's easy to blow off the situation when we live inside our bubble in Athens, only leaving town 90% of the time to go home. With areas like Nelsonville and Chauncey around, the effects of coal mining can really begin to hit home if you just open up your eyes.
ReplyDeleteI really like the fact that you related this book back to personal experience and gave facts relating to Nelsonville. More people have probably seen the devastation in Nealsonville then they have in the Appalachian mountains themselves.
ReplyDeleteThank you for pointing out that coal jobs have gone way down, by at leads 60%, since MMR began. I also am glad you mentioned the local mining pollution. Leads me to think that coal mining in general is polluting and dangerous not just MMR.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post! In fact I think it helped me to better understand the metaphor of the contiguous forest. He really does link one part of the forest to another showing that (the people included) all parts are needed and affected by this grand process of removing coal.
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