OVEC Works! Thanks!

Congratulations to Catherine Pancake! Her documentary, Black Diamonds: The Fight for Coalfield Justice, won the 2007 Jack Spadaro Award at the 2007 Appalachian Studies Association conference.

	Larry Gibson, left, and Julian Martin hold the Friends of the Mountains banner made by John Doyle.

There are too many of you to thank individually, but here are examples of the people power that makes OVEC effective.

Donations and memberships: Thanks so much to everyone who renewed their membership or recently joined OVEC. Your financial support helps keep us in action.

Sludge Safety Project and WV Clean Elections: Dozens of amazingly dedicated volunteers across the state who contacted their legislators and came to the State Capitol during the 2007 Legislative Session. Special shout out to West Virginia Environmental Council.

House Parties and Solidarity Network Groups: Beth Raps, Daniel Chiotos, Chuck Nelson, Rod Snyder, Jen Willett, Jesse Mills, John Taylor.

Writing a wonderful membership letter: Donetta Blankenship.

Mailings:  Tom Jones, Michael Morrison; Ronda Harper, Celia Callahan, Barbara Ladner.

Mountain Justice Spring Breakers: College students who came to West Virginia from all over the United States - thanks to Coal River Mountain Watch.

Hooking us up with students in for Service Spring Break: Jeannie Kirkhope.

Friends of the Mountains banner: John Doyle, Julian Martin.

Global warming watchdog: Mel Tyree, who had six opinion pieces printed in West Virginia newspapers over the past few months.

Blair Mountain work: Dr. Harvard Ayers,  Dr. Barbara Rasmussen, Wess Harris, Bill Blizzard, Kenny King, Regina Hendrix, Bill Price, Steve Fesenmaier.

Attending Hearings: Cindy Ellis, Sheila McOwen, Winnie Fox, Mel Tyree, Michael Morrison, John Taylor, Vickie Wolfe, Robin Blakeman, Kathryn Stone, Regina Hendrix, and many others.

Volunteer organizers: Michael Morrison, Chuck Nelson, Larry Gibson.

OVEC volunteers at two-day MTR working group meeting: Donetta Blankenship and Chuck Nelson.

Christians for the Mountains Night: Christians for the Mountains members,  filmmaker B.J. Gudmundsson, John Kuhn; special thanks to Allen Johnson, Bob Marshall, Carol Warren and Mary Ellen OFarrell for their work on the steering committee of Christians for the Mountains.

Clean Elections leadership: Kathy Stoltz, Larry Matheney, Kenny Perdue, Susan Sobkoviak, Perry Bryant, Steve White, Richie Robb, Kathryn Stone, Rev. Dennis Sparks, Gary Zuckett, Norm Steenstra, Linda Frame, John Welbourn and Carol Warren.

Helping with OVECs board meeting in Boone County: Jim Foster, Joan Linville and Chuck Nelson.

Organizing a "Step It Up" event at West Virginia State: Sally Shepherd and others who highlighted the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to promote clean, renewable energy to help slow global warming.

Editing: Mary Wildfire and Greg Wood.

For work together with our Boone County organizer: Boone County Commission and Office of Emergency Services, Chuck and Linda Nelson, Jim and Jean Foster, CB, Denver Pinson, Delano Gibson, Thomas Nichols, Gary Workman, Richard Linville, Chrystal Gunnoe, Jessie Gunnoe, Richard Pitzer, Jean Nelson, Paul Workman, Antrim Caskey, Mary Miller, Pauline Canterbury, Ronald Nelson, Steven Burns, Versie Simms, Robin Blakeman, Bob and Brenda Farris, Cindy Rank, Margaret Janes, Sue and Lester Cook, Mark Schmerling, Rick Stevens, Joan Linville, Tom Jarrell, Coal River Mountain Watch, Sam Cook at VT, Larry Gibson, Audrey Fisher, Shannon Roth-Gormley, BJ Guddmundsson, SouthWings, Allan Kuhn, Verlin Burgess, David Price, Bobby Mitchell, Sandy Brady, Fannie Mason, Lynn Keyough, Clara Carol, Willie Huddieston, David Dingess, Deloris Gibson, Chelsea Browder, Lisa Smith, Marvin and Ann Sanders. And all the other groups, small and big, working to end mountaintop removal.