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Re-Envisioning Reclamation: A Strip Mine's Biography, Bethany Margaret Morris

Masters Theses

ABSTRACT

This proposal is a study of coal-mining in Southern West Virginia; its impact on the landscape; local economy and culture; and presents an alternative land use to address the loss of a major industry in a rural county.

The study began with understanding the process of mining; from the actual extraction to the end product, electricity. Looking at the past provided a historical metric for the Coal Company - Mine Worker dynamic. Case studies created benchmarks for both appreciating and improving upon the issue. Constructing a timeline that tracked political, social and natural occurrences gave scope to the interrelationships …