Judy Griffy (standing) with Bob Kiss (seated, in suit)

During the 1998 election campaign, Mr. Kiss visited the Ramp House at the head of Drew's Creek. Citizens voiced their concerns about mountaintop removal, enclosure of lands traditionally used for hunting, gathering, and recreation, and the contamination of the water supply due to blasting at mountaintop removal sites above the valley. Mr. Kiss had promoted legislation earlier in the year making it possible to affect wetlands through mining without mitigation, if fewer than four hundred acres were affected. At this meeting he promised to help the community by re-opening a road traditionally used by community members to travel to work in Wyoming County.

Event: Bob Kiss, Speaker of the House for the West Virginia Legislature, meeting constituents at the Ramp House.

community space ramp house spring political events ethnography drews creek judy griffy judy griffy suit coal river folklife collection tending the commons folklife and landscape in southern west virginia american folklife center judy turner griffy mary hufford bob kiss ultra high resolution high resolution west virginia wetlands elections politics and government political campaigns library of congress

01/01/1998

Library of Congress

http://www.loc.gov/

Public Domain