Effects of Coal in Athens County

Being a Sierra Club member does have its perks! In the Appalachian Chapter of the Ohio Sierra Club newsletter, I found out about this tour to see the effects of coal mining in Athens County. I originally signed up just to take photos, but I ended up learning so much about the history and the environmental issues of the area. Being a Chicago-area native, I was completely in the dark about strip mining and the effects it can have on water, a uniquely Appalachian environmental problem. At the end of the day, however, I knew a lot more, and I got a complete tour of Athens County. You can't beat that with a stick!


We started out with a tour of the Sunday Creek Watershed - a system of streams and tributaries in Athens County - to see the effects of mining damage in the water. Some sights had been better cared for than others.




A retention pond helping to clear the water near glouster.


A wetland that has helped contaminated water deviate from its path in the creek.



Coal literally is lying all over the place in this corner of the world.

Disgusting aluminum contaminated water as a result of a strip mine.

This doser puts lime back in the water to balance the pH. Not very effective.

We stopped for lunch after the morning tour, and everyone enjoyed playing with the dog.

The second part of the day we traveled to a farm near Amesville that had strip mining damage.

Shale is the material that lies on top of the coal, and would normally be considered useless. However, the clever entrepreneurs of Appalachia used the Shale to make brick, thus creating more profit than just the coal, and being less wasteful.

These "high walls" that result from strip mining are not normal for the area. This particular one is over 100 ft. tall.



So then the most fun part of the trip:
Donnie Stevens, whose farm we visited, introduced us to his domesticated deer and his dogs, one of whom tried to run me over. The deer enjoy saltine crackers, even when I give them some.

Fall Foliage

Fall is beautiful in Athens County. I did my best to capture it, but it's just something you need to see in person.

Fall Quarter Favorites

Here are some of my personal favorite images from this past quarter. Some were shot for class, others weren't, but all were made between September and November 2008.

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Joe Krause, owner of 19 South in Athens, and his wife Kate had their son Jacob converted to Judaism by Rabbi Danielle of Leshaw of Hillel at Strouds Run. The small ceremony had a couple witnesses and the Rabbi's as well as the Krause's family present.




Dawn2Dusk
I was a bit lazy this time around, so all I did was shoot Green Edge Gardens






Portraits

Sports Singles

I had fun with the 300mm f/2.8

Formal Rush

Hip Hop Congress Game Night

This was the most intense game night I have ever been to. Another segment of the HHC story. More to be added Winter Quarter when my class load is lighter.

Hip Hop Congress story take 1

I shot this for a class assignment over the last two weeks. Although I turned in a final edit in class, I plan to continue following this group for the rest of the quarter, if not the rest of the year. So here is the first segment, with more to come!
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Hip Hop Congress nurtures Athens’ Rap, Hip Hop community

In an area typically associated with farmers and agriculture, Athens, Ohio seems the least likely place to inhabit anything Hip Hop related. However, a dynamic culture, led by the Ohio University branch of Hip Hop Congress, enriches the small town with a unique lifestyle that can be easily found if you look in the right places.