Lost Mountain 86 - 162

In our second installment of Lost Mountain, Reece describes the strip-mining process and the devastation it causes the surrounding area. Each chapter in this section seemed to focus on one specific example of how the coal industry was destroying the area. Topics included clear cutting, contamination of the water supply, the extinction of local wildlife, and property damage. By looking at the problems one at a time, Reece not only paints a detailed picture of the destruction caused by the strip-mining but also makes the reader realize that everything is being affected, not just a few people or a few trees.

I feel like one of the strongest points that Reece makes in this section is that one in ten plant species contain anti cancer compounds, and we are destroying plant species on a daily basis. When he said, “if we kept our conservation efforts and deforestation rates at the same level s they are now, that a fifth of the plant and animal species would be gone or committed to extinction by 2030” (Reece 99)it really made me think. That is something that all of the people in our class might experience in our lifetimes. By making that kind of prediction, Reece connects the reader to the current problem by making it their concern.

Another key point that Reece makes is that reforestation can be cheaper than water filtration plants. He states, “In 1999, the EPA ordered the city to build a water-filtration plant that would cost $800 billion to build and $300 million a year to maintain. Instead, New York spent $2 billion reforesting a 2,000-square-mile watershed in the Catskill Mountains” (Reece 109). The trees resumed their ancient water purification duties, solving the problem for billions of dollars less. This example suggests that a wiser approach to mining and logging would not only be more environmentally friendly but cheaper as well.