Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards

We are currently accepting applications for short term and long term interns to join the fight against mountain top removal mining in our area. The open positions are “SAMS Health Intern” and “SAMS Water Intern”.

For more information and application, please click here.

Volumes of scientific evidence and data illustrate the harm to human health from exposure to dust and numerous toxins released to the air and water by surface mining. In the last two years alone, peer-reviewed studies by Dr. Michael Hendryx and others have demonstrated that:

• people living near mountaintop mining have cancer rates of 14.4% compared to 9.4% for people elsewhere in Appalachia;
• the rate of children born with birth defects is 42% higher in mountaintop removal mining areas;

Please click here to read more at KFTC.org

At our insistent urging, EPA officials visited Appalachia Va on Tuesday (10/25) to see our home and hear our stories. We grow stronger with every demand!

SAMS Newsletter

Check out the newsletter from the Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards and find out what we’ve been up to! Click on the link above to read or download. Featured in this newsletter is the march on Appalachia, the launch of a new sustainable community workshops series, an account of the march on Blair, recent accomplishments, information about the health impacts of coal mining, among many other articles!