Fighting for a mountain

Jay Leutze talks about his book Stand up that mountain: the battle to save one small community in the wilderness along the Appalachian Trail, that tells the story of how his neighbors formed a coalition to save a treasured mountain peak from destruction by a mining company. (Recorded March 20, 2013)

One day the author got a call from fourteen-year-old Ashley and her Aunt Ollie. Ashley and Ollie said they had evidence that Clark Stone Company was violating the Mining Act of 1971 up on Belview Mountain, one of the most remote and wildest places in the eastern United States. They wanted Jay, a non-practicing attorney, to sue the company to put a stop to their mining operation. Upon meeting Ashley and Ollie, he knew he was embarking on a course that would change his life. He formed a plaintiff group and sued the state of North Carolina for violations of its own mining laws. He and Ashley's family were eventually joined by several national conservation groups seeking to save Belview Mountain and protect the Appalachian Trail in one of its most scenic and fragile stretches. This is an underdog David vs. Goliath story with lots of good guys you love, and bad guys you love to hate, told by one of the good guys.