The Memorial shows the locations and tells the stories of the over 400 mountains that have been lost in 4 states -- allowing anyone to lift the cloak of secrecy and see for themselves the magnitude of the destruction being done to our mountains by the mountaintop removal coal mining industry.

-Mary Ann Hitt, Appalachian Voices

A new website developed by Appalachian Voices features the stories of KFTC members in Eastern Kentucky directly impacted by Mountaintop Removal (MTR).   The website includes stories, audio, photographs and videos from community members and amazing satellite photographs that show what MTR looks like from space thanks to  Google Earth. 

Google Earth is a 3-D online mapping technology that utilizes satellite photography to view Earth from space.  For the launch of the updated version, Google chose Memorial for the Mountains to be “Featured Content” that will automatically be downloaded along with the program.  

According to Matt Wasson, project manager of the Memorial site that was launched in 2006 by Appalachian Voices, Google technicians were impressed with the way Memorial was using Google Earth to serve communities.

The Memorial for the Mountains site uses Google Earth technology to counter Big Coal claims that the destruction and scope of MTR is minimal.  It also provides visitors with the ability to view MTR sites before and after with archived satellite photos. 

4 communities in Eastern Kentucky that work with KFTC are featured prominently on the site: