The West Virginia Organizing Project is looking for a staff person. It seeks someone with enthusiasm, energy, and experience in grassroots organizing.

The West Virginia Organizing Project is a non-profit, membership-based citizens’ organization working to solve pressing problems in the southern West Virginia coal fields. It provides education, training, and organizing assistance to people faced with economic, environmental, or social injustices in their own communities. The issues it works on are determined by the members. While working toward solutions to community problems, WVOP is building a broad-based, multi-issue organization with the power to change the way state and local institutions impact the lives of ordinary people.

Funded in 1991 in Logan, West Virginia, WVOP now has more than 400 dues-paying members in a multi-county region. WVOP is governed by a Steering Committee of active members. It currently has two staff people: an Organizer and a half-time Administrative Assistant. It is seeking a full time coordinator to help strengthen the organizing work and help the continued growth.

The job requires enthusiasm, energy, and experience in grass roots community organizing. WVOP seeks someone who can help it grow and help its members become more effective. An ability to coordinate fundraising would be a plus. Salary will be commensurate with experience and documented skill; health benefits and pension plan offered.

Qualified applicants should send a resume and a 1-2 page autobiographical essay, describing experience and explaining their interest in working in community organizing in southern West Virginia. The deadline for applications is August 24, 1998. Contact Pearl Short, WVOP, P.O. Box 1921, Logan, WV 25601.

Bob Jones reports on WISe that "...I found it pleasing to note that the Monongalia County Commission voted unanimously (which they do very infrequently) to send a letter to the state objecting to mountaintop removal."

Dave Saville found this titbit to share with us. An article in "Cooperative Farmer" had results of a Northern Illinois University study of property owners in 42 states reporting what they see as "fair." Two-thirds of those questioned said they believe they should share the costs of environmental protection; seventy-one percent say their property has not been "taken" by environmental regulations; seventy to ninety-five percent say they favor a governmental role, not just in the marketplace but in natural resource conservation; sixty-five percent favor zoning to protect farm land from development; seventy-five percent reject legislation aimed at compensating landowners when regulations lower property values.

The Joint Committee on Government Organization of the West Virginia Legislature is studying the effects of blasting, including blasting from coal mining, on nearby property. This item is on the Committee agenda in response to a resolution passed by the West Virginia Legislature during the 1998 legislative session.

So far the committee has heard from experts and taken a tour of one area afflicted by blasting. Because of the importance of this issue to all West Virginians, it is important that anyone who is concerned about blasting contact the committee or its members to express concern. Although it has no meeting scheduled for August, the Committee will take up the matter again at its September 13-15 meeting.