By Jesse Wood
When a mining company planned to operate an open-pit gravel mine in Avery County in 1999, Jay Leutze, an outdoorsman, writer and non-practicing attorney, and his neighbors fought back to save the surrounding environment – and the view from the nearby Appalachian Trail.
On Tuesday, June 21, at 6:30 p.m., the High Country Audubon Society will host Leutz at the Holiday Inn Express in Boone to learn more about the legal battle in Avery County and about future conservation in the High Country in a talk titled, “Stand Up That Mountain: The Challenge Continues.”
Leutz is the author of Stand Up That Mountain, a 2012 book that chronicles the legal battle against the proposed mine. The book won the SELC Reed Environmental Writing Award in 2012.
Leutz is a long-time trustee for Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy and a national spokesman for the Land and Water Fund Coalition. According to a brief about the upcoming presentation for the Audubon Society, “He has testified before Congress on the need for increased federal investment in public land and lectures around the country on conservation policy and the challenges facing wildlife in a rapidly developing world.”
The High Country Audubon Society meets at 6:30 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month from March through October. See the organization’s calendar for location and meeting topic.
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