Please Donate to the UMD Volunteer House on Facebook

2011-07-18T13:23:00.000-07:00

Donate on the UMD Volunteer House Facebook page at the DONATE tab in the left hand column below the profile picture.
Donate Here to the UMD Volunteer House
Please donate to help support the United Mountain Defense Volunteer House

United Mountain Defense has been working in East Tennessee and across Appalachia on coal related issues since 2005 and oil and gas issues since January 2011. We've had the volunteer house since November 2007 and have had nearly 300 visitors and interns come through since that time. The United Mountain Defense Volunteer House provides an office space, a storage space, a meeting space and a living space for people to come to East Tennessee to help fulfill the mission of United Mountain Defense, which is to protect the communities, environment and animals of Tennessee. Since this house is operated as both a place to house interns and an office, there are bills that need to be paid. These bills include phone, electricity, water, internet, and general house repairs. We are working to raise $3,300 per year to cover the expenses of running the volunteer house/office. Can you please help?

Telephone--$720 per year, Water--$420 per year, Electric-- $1,200 per year, Internet-- $840 per year.

United Mountain Defense Volunteer House

Donate on the UMD Volunteer House Facebook page at the DONATE tab in the left hand column below the profile picture.

Contact-- 865 689 2778 Email—umdvolunteerhouse@gmail.com www.unitedmountaindefense.org

United Mountain Defense.org is a 3 ye...

2008-11-12T18:36:00.001-08:00

United Mountain Defense.org is a 3 year old Knoxville based 501c3 that does outreach and education about the issue of mountain top removal coal mining which is occurring just north of Knoxville and all over Appalachia. We are part of a larger grassroots campaign called Mountain Justice Summer.org. If this sounds like something you would be interested in please contact me personally at mattlandon2001@yahoo.com Thanks, Matt Landon

Aquatic Science

We need help with our chemical and biological water monitoring program. We need help generating the baseline data for pre mined streams. We need folks who can gather field samples of water exiting mine sites, test the water using our hot kits or campus facilities, and enter data into databases. We need site specific written statements generated about the water quality to submit to TDEC and OSM at public hearings and for our newspapers.

Art

We need help creating fresh 2D and 3D artworks/ public outreach pamphlets about mountains or mountain top removal coal mining. We would like to co-sponsor a Mountain themed art show at a local gallery where pieces would be auctioned. Also we are beginning a collaborative project with a famous artist named Francesco di Santis who created the Post Katrina Portrait Project. Basically we would like to digitally record the drawing of the people and speed up the drawing, condense a bunch of these together and put them online as outreach about the project. We would also like to record the folks holding their portraits and reading them and adding some other info for an oral history project that we will be submitting to the Library of Congress.

Cinema Studies

We would like to create videos about Appalachian stereotypes and how they compare to other historical inaccuracies. We would like to document our group’s actions and post them to online sites including YouTube. We want to create and show what life in Appalachia is like today.

Computer Science

We need website help including training volunteers and adding updated content. We need to create an online store to help market goods and services provided by coalfield residents. We need to increase our hits on Google. We need a program that allows us to send one email to all the IndyMedia websites in the world at once. We need a simple database and training to help keep track of incoming volunteers.

Cultural Anthropology/ Sociology

We need help conducting our Listening Projects where you go door to door using active listening to gauge coal field resident’s community and mining concerns. We need folks to revisit supporters we have met through past Listening Projects. We would also like to start a recorded oral history project to be submitted to the Library of Congress and posted on our website. We need articles about your experiences in the coalfields for our newspapers.

English

We need help creating original stories about mountain top removal coal mining and converting them into shadow theatre productions. We could also use help writing letters to the editor of various newspapers and posting your updated content onto websites including IndyMedia, local media outlets, and other independent media sources.

Forestry

We would like help identifying tree species on a 100 acre outdoor classroom in Eagan, TN and creating classroom maps. We need help identifying logging operations that are not following rules and regulations. We would also like to offer tree identification classes in coalfield communities.

Geology

We need help updating our maps of present and future coal mines. We want to map, visit, and sample all the drinking water springs within a 50 mile radius of Knoxville. We need help surveying sites before mining occurs to make sure that permit maps are correct. We need to visit mine sites and generate site specific written statements about slope stability to submit to TDEC and OSM at public hearings and for our newspapers. GIS work?

History

We need help researching the history of coal mining in TN and Appalachia and writing articles for our newspapers the Tennessee Mountain Defender and the Pan Appalachian Defender.

Journalism

We need help copy editing and producing content for our newspapers. We need recording and distribution of radio PSA’s, help creating MP3’s of our existing print media, updating our website, and creating a media blitz on YouTube.

Law School

You will work with UTK Law School grads, Gena Lewis and Chris Irwin and other nationally recognized lawyers to help stop surface coal mining in TN and Appalachia. We need help monitoring TDEC and OSM for any new coal mining permit requests or changes. We need help requesting public hearings on these permits. We need to visit mine sites and generate site specific written statements to submit to TDEC and OSM at public hearings and for our newspapers.

Marketing

We need a better business plan for our non-profit because our shoestring budget is broken. We need to find better ways to sell our non profit. We need bigger fundraisers and some paying investments. We also know some self employed coalfield residents who could use a good business plan.

Music

We need help creating songs about the mountains and coalfield communities to be sung around our campfires. We would like to post your songs on our website and create a CD as a fundraiser. We would like help setting up concert benefits at local music venues. We would also like to offer music classes in coalfield communities.

Mycology

We need help with our mycoremediation flagship project. It is a 100 acre recovering coal mine site/outdoor ridgeline classroom located in Eagan, TN. We need help collecting and identifying existing mushroom species, culturing, spawning, and mycoremediating with local species in the manner of Paul Stamets. Everything Mushrooms has offered use of their clean room and culture library to keep species site specific. We want to identify ANY species that will eat coal slurry and acid mine drainage.

Theatre

We need help creating original stories about mountain top removal coal mining and converting them into shadow theatre productions. We would also like to create, document, and film scripted/ unscripted guerilla theatre as protest to be performed at various locations in Knoxville.

List of Internships and volunteer opportunities

2008-07-12T18:52:00.001-07:00

Dear friends and supporters,
Many of these projects are available throughout the year and can be done from where you live. We are taking interns for fall 2008, spring 2009 and summer 2009. You can come and live in the volunteer house Summer 2009 and help out on the frontlines. We will hope to meet you, till then Matt Landon
Here is the list of internships.
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=ddtgk4hx_8hnc3hmcv

UMD Volunteer House Application

2008-02-17T09:26:00.000-08:00

United Mountain Defense is happy to announce that we are now taking applications for 2008. Out of town interns and volunteers who want to live in the UMD volunteer house should fill out this form and email it to umdvolunteerhouse@yahoo.com or mail it to
United Mountain DefensePOB 20363 Knoxville, Tennessee 37920

The application is available at http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=ddtgk4hx_6cg5tvmdx

Thanks for your interest.