NOTES – 2001

Pine Mountain Settlement School
Series 17: PUBLICATIONS PMSS
Spring and Summer

NOTES – 2001

“Notes from the Pine Mountain Settlement School”
Spring and Summer 2001

GALLERY: NOTES – 2001 Spring

Pine Mountain Settlement School filed a petition asking the state of Kentucky to declare “unsuitable for surface mining” 5,226 acres around the School in which surface mining activities could be harmful to the School’s property and mission. – Robin Lambert

TAGS: NOTES – 2001 Spring, petition, surface mining, strip mining, General James E. Bickford, Kentucky Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Cabinet, Governor Paul Patton, Kentucky House of Representatives, Environmental Education, campus-wide open house, Intervention program, Alpha Sigma Tau National Foundation, Nativity Play, Chapel, organ, Little School, Community Program, folk-dancing, Homemakers Club, woodcarving

TRANSCRIPTION: NOTES – 2001 Spring

P. 1

NOTES FROM THE
PINE MOUNTAIN
SETTLEMENT SCHOOL
PINE MOUNTAIN * HARLAN COUNTY * KENTUCKY
 Telephone/Fax: 606-558-3571

SPRING  2001

[Cover photograph: Young boy, smiling and leaning against a boulder.]

P. 2

Dear Friends of Pine Mountain,

As many of you know, the Settlement School has been engaged in an historic effort to protect its property, its program, and its future. On November 13, 2000, Pine Mountain Settlement School filed a petition asking the state of Kentucky to declare “unsuitable for surface mining” 5,226 acres around the School in which surface mining activities could be harmful to the School’s property and mission. The Pine Mountain Board took this action after learning that a preliminary application had been filed to extend a mountaintop removal strip mining operation to the School’s property line. General James Bickford, Secretary of the Kentucky Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Cabinet, will decide whether or not to approve the petition and must issue his ruling on or before April 30, 2001. At the time of this printing no ruling has been issued.

For all of you who wrote letters to General Bickford and Governor Patton, we express our heartfelt thanks. By late March almost 3000 citizen letters from across Kentucky and the nation had been filed with the State. All but 76 of those letters urge approval of the Pine Mountain Lands Unsuitable petition. Overwhelming public support was echoed in the strong editorial positions of both the Lexington Herald-Leader and the Louisville Courier-Journal. In a particularly clear expression of public and political will, the Kentucky House of Representatives approved a resolution (H. R. 133) to support the Pine Mountain petition 95-0. The outpouring of public concern complements the powerful technical and legal concerns raised in the petition and its supporting documentation.

We hope and trust that the state of Kentucky will recognize the irreplaceable resource and ongoing contributions of Pine Mountain Settlement School and will take the action necessary to protect the School by approving the lands unsuitable petition.

In filing the petition the School appealed to provisions of existing state and federal mining laws which provide that certain areas should be declared unsuitable for mining when surface mine operations would cause harm to lands with unique historic, aesthetic, or environmental values or to renewable resource lands.

An unsuitability ruling prohibits future permitting of mining with surface operations within the petition boundary. It does not ban underground mining or stop mining operations which are already permitted and does not affect property values, uses, or ownership.

Pine Mountain filed the petition as a defensive action to protect the School from the serious potential threats associated with nearby mountaintop removal mining. These threats include possible damage to the School’s historic sandstone buildings caused by ground vibrations associated with heavy mountaintop blasting; flyrock — debris which escapes a blast and falls outside the permit — which could force the School to curtail some of its programming to ensure student safety; degradation of water quality in campus creeks; and potential damage to the School’s drinking water supply, ecological environs, and scenic views.

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Soon after filing the petition, the Settlement School entered negotiations to explore alternative mine plans that would allow the proposed surface mining to go forward while protecting School property and programs. Those negotiations have not been successful.

Dealing with mining always raises difficult issues, and these issues have confronted Pine Mountain. The School has worked hard to express our concerns with honesty, clarity, and compassion and has sought avenues through which to accommodate the interests of all involved. The testimonials of the thousands of people who wrote support letters stand witness to the many, many ways Pine Mountain has and continues to inspire, shape, inform, and direct lives. As Director, I have been touched at the depth of esteem in which so many people hold this institution. I am overwhelmed by the number of individuals who wrote to express how experience at Pine Mountain — in the Environmental Education program, the community program, the community school, the boarding school, and through special Pine Mountain events — changed for the better who they became and how they are living their lives. Almost every letter noted the beauty of the School and the surrounding natural environment.

Pine Mountain Settlement School is a rare treasure which deserves diligent and full protection. Moreover, Kentucky, the region and the local community need a place where beauty lies in every direction, where appropriate human interaction with the natural world is demonstrated in buildings and fields and educational approaches, and where possibilities of the human spirit are inspired. Pine Mountain is such a place.

The tremendous show of support for the Settlement School and its many programs has confirmed the vitality, value, and appropriateness of Pine Mountain.

You have been an important part of Pine Mountain. I am asking you to reaffirm your commitment to the School’s work and legacy by making a financial contribution. The School needs your support to continue our vital work. Pine Mountain always transforms a spare budget into tremendous programming, but this year that budget has been especially strained. The School has been forced to spend tens of thousands of dollars on technical assistance and engineering to protect the School’s buildings and program from nearby mining. In addition, the School has spent thousands in support of the Lands Unsuitable petition and on good faith efforts to negotiate a settlement. Your investment in Pine Mountain Settlement School is as an investment in education, in beauty, in hope, in children, in the region, in the future. Such investments bring tremendous returns.

In the spirit of Pine Mountain,
[Signed] Robin Lambert
Robin Lambert
Executive Director

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Environmental Education
An unusually cold winter has not limited the activities of students in the environmental education program. This year we are proud to serve a large number of students from our own Harlan County in addition to young people from across the southeastern United States. Students participate in hands-on learning activities related to the local ecology, water, plants, animal life. In addition students learn about the rich cultural heritage of eastern Kentucky and enjoy hikes, crafts, folk dancing and storytelling. The Pine Mountain staff was joined in the fall by three hard-working interns, one of which returned this spring along with three new interns. The fall season of Pine Mountain environmental education served some 1700 school children as well as 700+ adults and families in activities like Fall Color Weekend, retreats, and special programs.

[Photograph: Intern surrounded by children in outdoor setting.]

Pine Mountain Open House
On Saturday, February 24th Pine Mountain hosted a campus-wide Open House. The event showcased the variety of programs at Pine Mountain and included mini environmental education activities, campus tours, short hikes, a historic photograph display, and viewings of historic films and current slides. Artists and crafts people from around the area displayed their work in a beautiful and varied array of woodcarving, water color, oil painting, chair-making, quilting, spinning, pottery, antler art and cornshuck flowers. Elementary students from Wallins School here in Harlan County took digital photographs and projected them in Laurel House. Randy Wilson and the Cat Hollers led folk dancing. And, a concert in the chapel celebrated the breadth of musical tradition at Pine Mountain with organ music, a harp performance, ballads, and contemporary gospel music. Several hundred people enjoyed the event.

[Photograph: Two visitors view crafts on a table.]

Intervention Program Serves 100 Children
One of Pine Mountain’s most important education programs is the Intervention Program which provides tutoring and enrichment to 100 local children. The program provides a tutor to work in the four public schools nearest Pine Mountain and on the Pine Mountain campus. These tutors, retired school teacher with extraordinary commitment and interest, work with students several hours each week. The tutors provide academic assistance and enrichment. In addition to in-school tutoring, the Intervention program provides several “Saturday Schools” and a week-long summer day camp at Pine Mountain Settlement School. A contribution in 2000 from the Alpha Sigma Tau National Foundation established a restricted endowment account for the Intervention program which helps offset some of its expenses.

[Photograph: Students in the library standing at computers.]

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Pine Mountain Nativity Play One of Loveliest in Years
On December 17th, Pine Mountain celebrated the birth of our Lord with the beautiful Nativity Play. Compiled by Pine Mountain co-founder Ethel de Long in 1917, the Nativity Play has been an annual Settlement School tradition ever since. Performed in the chapel by community residents and accompanied by a choir of local singers and the School’s remarkable Holtkamp organ, the Nativity Play attracts hundreds of guests. The 2000 Nativity Play was no exception and proved to be an especially reverent and worshipful occasion.

[Photograph: Scene from the 2000 Nativity Play, featuring shepherds.]

Little School
Little School provides learning and social activities and school readiness for community preschoolers. Six children, aged three and four, have participated in Little School this year. The mother of two “graduates” says “They were always ready to come out. They enjoyed it.” And, one of those “graduates” recently asked her granny to phone the teacher and tell her she loves her.

[Photograph: Four small children sitting in a row.]

Community Program
The long-standing community tradition of folk-dancing was celebrated through the winter months with lively dances in Laurel House. Young and not-so-young joined in the fun and learned new dances and practiced old favorites. The Pine Mountain Homemakers Club participated in the Celebration of Mountain Women at Southeast Community College in January and displayed a quilt they made using print-making techniques and family images. Woodcarving classes meet weekly and engage many community residents in both hand carving and wood working.

[Photograph: Three women working on a quilt with a pine tree pattern.]

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Calendar of Events

Wildflower Weekend    April 20-22, 2001
Black Mountain Weekend    May 4-6, 2001
Intergenerational Elderhostel    July 29-Aug 4, 2001
Homecoming     August 11, 2001
Fair Day    August 25, 2001
Fair Day (rain date)    September 1, 2001
Intergenerational Elderhostel    August 19-25, 2001
Community School Reunion    October 6, 2001
Fall Color Weekend    October 19-21, 200
Nativity Play    December 16, 2001
____________________________

PINE MOUNTAIN SETTLEMENT SCHOOL
36 HIGHWAY 510
PINE MOUNTAIN, KENTUCKY 40810-8289

Robin Lambert
Executive Director

Telephone/Fax: 606/558-3571 or 3542
E-mail: pinemountain@kih.net
Website address: www.kih.net/pinemountain
____________________________

Pine Mountain Settlement School is a National Historic Landmark, the highest designation for American historic sites. Since its founding in 1913, the School has served a mission of providing innovation educational opportunities and community programming and of creating and maintaining a place of beauty which respects and protects nature and the surrounding mountains. The School employs some 25 local residents in its mission of education and service. Pine Mountain Settlement School is a 501(c)3 private, non-profit educational institution. The School and its programs are supported through contributions, an endowment, earned income, and private and public grants.

GALLERY: NOTES – 2001 Summer

I am extremely happy that 2,364 acres around Pine Mountain Settlement School have been declared “unsuitable for surface mining.”

…[I]t is with deep sadness that I made the decision to tender my resignation effective this June…. Pine Mountain Trustee, Bill Caudill of Letcher County, will serve as Interim Director. – Robin Lambert

TAGS: NOTES 2001 Summer, interns, Trustees, day campers, lands unsuitable for surface mining, Secretary James Bickford, expansion of PMSS programs, Intergenerational Elderhostel, Symposium, recital dinner, Oral History Project, campus improvements, awards to PMSS, resignation of Director Robin Lambert, Interim Director Bill Caudill, planned giving, Milly Mahoney, Bill Shultz, Heirloom Seed Bank, Environmental Education, Community Program, Artist-in-Residence Steve Roenker, Intervention

TRANSCRIPTION: NOTES – 2001 Summer

P. 1

PINE MOUNTAIN
SETTLEMENT SCHOOL
PINE MOUNTAIN * HARLAN COUNTY * KENTUCKY
 Telephone: 606-558-3571

Summer 2001

[Cover photograph: “Day Campers enjoy ‘Fat Man’s Squeeze’ on Split Rock Trail”]

P. 2

Dear Friends of Pine Mountain,                          Summer 2001

This issue of the Pine Mountain Notes marks a time both happy and sad for me as Director. I am extremely happy that 2364 acres around Pine Mountain Settlement School have been declared “unsuitable for surface mining.” This means there can be no new permits issued for surface mines or for the surface operations of underground mines within the area ruled unsuitable. Pine Mountain will have a measure of protection from the impacts of adjacent surface mining as a result of this ruling.

In November, the Settlement School asked the state to declare the area around the campus unsuitable for mining after a coal company filed a preliminary application to ex- tend a mountaintop removal mining operation to the School property line. The unsuitability provision is an aspect of existing state and federal law intended to protect lands with unique values. Thousands of Pine Mountain supporters expressed their concern that the Settlement School be protected. On April 27th, after extensive state review, Secretary James Bickford of the Kentucky Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Cabinet, issued a ruling approving the Pine Mountain petition. The ruling removed 2862 from the petitioned area which were found, through the review process, to have no recoverable coal. The ruling will not affect mining operations that were already permitted when the petition was filed.

The ruling is a testament to Pine Mountain Settlement School and to its unique value in Kentucky and in the region. We are indebted to the Kentucky Resources Council for legal counsel throughout the process and to the many people who worked to support Pine Mountain.

The ruling caps a busy four years of growth for Pine Mountain. We’ve expanded our community program, adding a children’s baseball league, crafts classes, and an additional week to day camp. Environmental Education grew to include Intergenerational Elderhostel. Last year’s Symposium brought community residents, artists, scholars, and regional leaders together to consider how settlement work might address issues in the region today and to enjoy a performance of traditional and contemporary regional music. A recital dinner featuring an organ concert, a partnership to support an artist-in-residence at our local elementary school and the addition of an artist-in-residence to community day camp extends the School’s arts programs. An Oral History project is capturing more of Pine Mountain’s remarkable history. The Homemakers Club, woodcarving classes, Little School, Nativity Play, and Fair Day are all going strong. Campus improvements include renovation of our wetlands system, expansion of our gardens, renovations to several historic campus buildings, and more plans on the drawing board. Pine Mountain received the East Kentucky Leadership Conference Award for Organizational Leadership and the Al Smith Award from Forward in the Fifth.

When I reflect on these four years I am filled with gratitude. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with the staff of Pine Mountain, making so many new friends in our local community, and getting to know the people who visit the Settlement School. Pine Mountain is poised for exciting new possibilities. So, it was with deep sadness that I made the decision to tender my resignation effective this June. It was the finalization of a decision I had made last year, which the School’s Board asked me to reconsider. The School is beginning the search process for a new Executive Director. Pine Mountain Trustee, Bill Caudill of Letcher County, will serve as Interim Director.

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Pine Mountain is a treasure. Established on the vision, hopes, and commitments of its remarkable founders and nurtured with the love and devotion of scores of people since, Pine Mountain has worked to stay true to the settlement goal of living with and responding to its immediate community by providing service and opportunities especially in education. It has also sought to serve a broader mission of education and service for people who would might not otherwise have a chance to learn from and about our wonderful region. In the words of William Creech who donated the original tract of land for Pine Mountain, “I don’t want it to be a benefit just for my own grandchildren and the neighbors, but for the whole county, and the state, and the nation — and the people across the sea too, if they can get any benefit out of it.”

Pine Mountain has a rich past to underpin its work. Its current program provides opportunities that no other organization offers and fills needs that would go unmet without the School’s efforts. Pine Mountain’s future is rich with possibility. The School’s beauty, its adaptability, and its potential all promise a new century of productive and essential work.

Pine Mountain Settlement School is and will always look to supporters like you to help fulfill its mission and make the most of the opportunities ahead. Please make a direct contribution to Pine Mountain; you will help ensure that the School’s programs flourish. Add Pine Mountain to your will or as a beneficiary on your life insurance policy. Consider one of the many vehicles for planned giving which will leave a personal legacy for you, provide substantial ongoing support for this remarkable institution, and help protect and preserve the wealth you are able to pass along to your family. Call Pine Mountain for more information about how you can do this. Your contributions are tax-exempt to the fullest extent allowed by law. Pine Mountain is a worthy investment and your support can make a world of difference.

If you have never been to Pine Mountain Settlement School, or if it has been a while since you have spent time here, please treat yourself to a visit. Pine Mountain is one of those memorable places that stays in the heart and mind. It will always remain in mine.

In the spirit of Pine Mountain,

Robin Lambert
Executive Director

NEWS FROM PINE MOUNTAIN

Milly Mahoney Day at Pine Mountain
May 20, 2001 was designated Mildred Mahoney Day at Pine Mountain Settlement School. A community pot luck dinner and gospel singing in the chapel celebrated the contributions Milly has made to the School and community. Her work, dedication, intelligence, quiet spirit, and genuine love for the School and community have made Milly one of the most beloved individuals associated with Pine Mountain.

Milly came to Pine Mountain as a teacher in the community elementary school in…

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…1953, and worked until the school was consolidated in 1971. After several years teaching primary grades she helped to establish the “Little School,” which became a model for Harlan County Head Start and kindergarten programs. Milly is also remembered for her work in Pine Mountain’s folk dancing tradition. Milly served as secretary to Burton Rogers at various times and assisted with other administrative duties. In 1973 she was elected to the Board of Trustees where she has served many roles, including Recording Secretary. In 1993 Milly returned to PMSS as a general volunteer and Westwind hostess.

[Photograph: Mildred Mahoney.]

Milly took on additional responsibility when she served as Interim Director in 1996-97. Since 1997, she has been a full-time volunteer, serving as Coordinator for the Intervention Program, tutor, and archives manager, as well as dorm hostess. In addition, she helped reorganize the Pine Mountain library, computerized the card catalog, worked with the Oral History project, and provided ongoing assistance and support to the Executive Director. It would be hard to overestimate the value of Milly’s involvement in Pine Mountain through the years.

Milly has now retired to Richmond, Indiana. She will continue as a Pine Mountain Trustee. Her influence and the example of her life will shine a light our way for years to come. We look forward to her visits back to Pine Mountain.

Bill Caudill appointed Interim Director
Bill Caudill, a Pine Mountain Trustee who lives in neighboring Letcher County, will serve as Interim Director. Bill states that, “Pine Mountain is a very special place, a national treasure, where the proud history of Kentucky mountain people is always on display and where visitors to our region can learn to appreciate that history. Pine Mountain continues to reflect the vision of William Creech whose Christian faith, belief in the potential of mountain youth, and reverence for our Constitution gave this institution its special place in history and prepared it for service in the 21st century.” Bill has worked with the Harlan County Extension Service and the Letcher County school system. Most recently he served as Superintendent of Jenkins Independent Schools. Pine Mountain welcomes Bill and appreciates his commitment to the region and the skill he brings to the School.

[Photograph: William Caudill.]

Oral History Project
The oral history project is an attempt to create a systematic collection of interviews with people involved with the School throughout its history. Pine Mountain completed the first phase this spring, interviewing people who knew the School’s founders as well as people whose significant long-term involvement with Pine Mountain has given them unique insight and memory for the…

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…School’s history. Copies of the oral histories will be kept on file here at Pine Mountain Settlement School and with the Kentucky Oral History Commission’s collection at the Kentucky Historical Society. These records will offer much to those interested in learning more about Pine Mountain as well as the history of settlement work in the region. Many thanks to those who gave interviews, to Milly Mahoney and Bill Schultz who conducted the interviews, and to the Kentucky Oral History Commission which provided grant support for the project.

Heirloom Seed Bank
In another new project, Pine Mountain Settlement School has become a seed repository for the Sustainable Mountain Agricultural Center. The loss of traditional seeds and means of food production has serious implications for local economies, regional cultures, and the health and well-being of individuals, communities, and the earth itself. Pine Mountain is proud to be a partner in revitalizing the supply of high-quality traditional seeds and food plants. Pine Mountain’s farm will grow 13 varieties of beans and will harvest and preserve the seeds for sharing and replanting. The Heirloom Seed project demonstrates the importance of the farm for the future of Pine Mountain as it links sustainable agriculture to environmental education, cultural preservation and celebration, and community development.

Environmental Education
The significance of Pine Mountain’s Environmental Education program proved itself again this spring. Our two family oriented special weekends, Wildflower Weekend and Black Mountain Weekend, showcase the rare beauty of the Settlement School and its environs. These great weekends were filled to capacity with people on a waiting list. In our regular Environmental Education program thousands of school students came to Pine Mountain from Harlan County and other parts of Kentucky, as well as from other states in the southern mountain region to study the complex interactions of the natural world and learn more about the rich history and culture of our local region. The School appreciated the efforts and contributions of four spring interns.

Community Program
The Pine Mountain Community program continues to flourish. New students joined Little School this spring which provides school readiness and lots of fun for community three and four year olds. Seventy-five young people ages 4-18 joined the Pine Mountain Children’s Baseball League. Thanks to community members who have supported the baseball league by working with teams and providing refreshments. June saw the return of Pine Mountain Community Day Camp with two and a half weeks of programming for community children and teenagers. This year’s artist-in-residence is Steve Roenker who is working with students in circus arts. A community circus performance starred our talented young people.

[Photograph: A group of children cheering with arms raised.]

P. 6

Intervention
Pine Mountain Intervention program enjoyed another successful school year and is planning for summer camp in July. The Intervention program provides tutoring and enrichment to some 100 young people in our local area. Many thanks to the Intervention teachers whose work and dedication make the program an ongoing success. With the departure of Milly Mahoney, the new coordinator will be Billie Jo Caudill, a retired school teacher known for her commitment, imagination, and competence. Pine Mountain is glad for Intervention to be in such capable hands.

æ Calendar of Events æ

Intergenerational Elderhostel    July 29-Aug. 4, 2001
Homecoming    August 11, 2001
Fair Day    August 25, 2001
Fair Day (rain date)    September 1, 2001
Elderhostel    August 19-25, 2001
Community School Reunion     October 6, 2001
Fall Color Weekend    October 19-21, 2001
Nativity Play    December 16, 2001

_________________________________________________
PINE MOUNTAIN SETTLEMENT SCHOOL
36 HIGHWAY 510
PINE MOUNTAIN, KENTUCKY 40810-8289
Bill Caudill, Interim Director
Telephone/Fax: 606/558-3571 or 3542

Please note the new address to access our website.
Our main email address is the same, check out our website to obtain
specific employee mailbox addresses.

E-mail: pinemountain@kih.net
Website: www.pinemountainsettlementschool.com
_________________________________________________

Pine Mountain Settlement School is a National Historic Landmark, the highest designation for American historic sites. The School was founded in 1913, by William Creech, who donated the original tract of land, Katherine Pettit and Ethel de Long. Since then, Pine Mountain Settlement School has served a mission of providing innovative educational opportunities and community programming and of creating and maintaining a place of beauty which respects and protects nature and the surrounding mountains. The School employs some 25 local residents in its mission of education and service. Pine Mountain Settlement School is a 501(c)3 private, non-profit educational institution. The School and its programs are supported through contributions, an endowment, earned income, and private and public grants. Please be reminded that any contributions of stock must be reported to the School so the appropriate paperwork can be completed.

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NOTES – 2004

See Also:
LAND USE Lands Unsuitable for Mining Petition
MILDRED MAHONEY Staff Trustee Interim Director
WILLIAM CAUDILL Trustee Interim Director

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