One tree-sitter arrested at ex-Massey mine

One protesters associated with the Radical Action for Mountain People’s Survival Campaign has been arrested after climbing down from a tree platform he has been occupying at Coal River Mountain West Virginia since July 20.

Becks Kolins (pictured on the left) was arrested by state police. Kolins and Catherine-Ann MacDougal climbed the trees to protest operations at the Bee Tree surface mine owned by Alpha Natural Resources, the company that bought Massey Energy following a deadly blast at one of its coal mines. McDougal says she’s staying put.

BusinessWeek reports Kolins, a 21-year-old resident of Ardmore, Pa., says he’ll take his fight over strip mining to court. He says trespassing is necessary to save a place that is otherwise doomed.

The RAMPS Campaign is calling for an end to strip mining in the Coal River watershed because of the devastating cumulative effects of mining on drinking water, residents’ health, cultural resources, and air quality. Here is the group’s video: