Calendar

"West Virginia Odyssey"- see outings schedule.

February 22 - 10:00-3:00 p.m. 13th Annual WVEC E-Day! at the State Capitol. Displays, speeches, awards, lobbying. For more information contact the WVEC office: 346-5905 or e-mail: deniseap@earthlink.net. The keynote speaker is columnist Dave Peyton.

February 22 - 5:00 till 9:00 p.m. Annual WVEC Fun(d)raiser at the Empty Glass (on Elizabeth St., north off Washington St., a block west of the Capitol). Join us for live music, dancing and spirits. Suggested donation $5.00 (or whatever you can afford).

February 23 (Sat.) - Volunteers for Kanawha State Forest trail maintenance. Meet at 10 AM at pool parking lot. Bring water and snacks. Questions? Call Jon at 558-3500. kanawhastateforest1@earthlink.net

February 25 - During the 11 PM newscast, Channel 13 will air a 3-minute segment (that’s a virtual eon for a 1/2 hour TV news show!) on coal sludge impoundments, with a focus on Massey Energy’s Brushy Fork impoundment. The segment marks the 30th anniversary of the Buffalo Creek disaster, looks back at the Oct. 11, 2000 Martin County disaster and examines whether another disaster could happen again. Representing our side will be hydrogeologist Rick Eades. Representing the coal company side will be the WV Department of Environmental Protection --oh no! sorry--I mean representing regulators who protect the citizens will be the DEP! Wonder if Massey will once again have Mr. No Comment representing their side? This length of coverage is really unusual for TV, so please, please, after the segment airs, take a moment to e-mail news@wowktv.com to let Channel 13 know you appreciated the segment. They’ll need the feedback, no doubt, because, 13 News has pledged to tell the story in a factual, fair manner. Just the facts, ma’am, ought to be damaging to the coal industry. 13 News will undoubtedly catch a lot of flak for daring to air the truth in King Coal land.

February 25 - 7 PM in the Don Morris Room, Marshall University Student Center, "The Last Great Wilderness Project," a multi-media slide presentation, which offers a close-up look at the fragile and beautiful Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. The free, 90-minute program focuses on the controversy over oil development vs. wilderness protection of the Refuge's coastal plain. Filmmaker Jeff Barrie introduces the show. Hosted by MU’s Student Activists for the Environment (SAFE) in conjunction with OVEC.

February 26 - The above program is shown in Charleston, hosted by WVHC. Details to come.

February 26 - 30th anniversary of Buffalo Creek coal waste dam disaster. Stay tuned for more details. (And see Couch Potato Calendar below for TV News segments on this.)

February 27 - Non-game day, Capitol Rotunda. See Three Rivers Avian Center exhibit of raptors from 10 AM to 2 PM. www.tracwv.org

March 20 - Forum On Water Quality of Cheat River & Cheat Lake at Mt. Chateau on Cheat Lake. Hosts: Cheat Lake Environmental & Recreation Association, Friends of Cheat, and West Virginia Geological Survey This forum on Cheat River and Cheat Lake is intended to (1) provide an update and status report on current efforts for water quality monitoring and improvement, (2) publicize plans for continuing and new projects, and (3) identify remaining issues and opportunities for the longer term future of the river and lake.

March 26 - 6:30 PM Erin Brockovich speaks at the University of Charleston.

April 1 - 11:30 AM MARK YOUR CALENDAR! PROTEST at the Army Corps of Engineers, Huntington.

April 17, 2002 (Wednesday) - "Journeying toward Ecological Conversion: Practical Steps toward Earth-Friendly Facilities." A conference describing ways to make church and parish facilities more ecologically friendly will be sponsored by Catholic Committee of Appalachia at John XXIII Pastoral Center, Charleston, WV, on Wednesday, April 17, 2002.Cost of the Conference is $25. For more information, contact: Todd Garland at the Catholic Committee of Appalachia (304) 847-7215 or e-mail appalachia@earthlink.net.

April 27 - E-Day at Shepherd College

May 10 thru 12, 2002 - Spring Review (Board meeting on the 12th)

July 13th, 2002 - Summer Board of Directors meeting

October 11 thru 13, 2002 - Fall Review (Board meeting on the 13th)