U.S. Department of the Interior
Office of Surface Mining
News Release
June 18, 2003					Contact:   Keith Harrison	
For immediate release					                (202) 208-2565

OSM Partnership Places 28 VISTA Volunteers
The US Office of Surface Mining has filled twenty-eight AmeriCorps/VISTA 
positions in five participating states located in Appalachian coal country.
The Office of Surface Mining and AmeriCorps/VISTA formed a partnership in 
2000, starting with two states and eight positions.  Since then, recognition of the 
need to address the broad environmental problems left by pre-regulatory coal 
mining and acid mine drainage resulted in expansion to watersheds located in 
Kentucky, Maryland, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.
For OSM, partnerships with volunteer watershed associations are essential for 
developing and implementing cooperative strategies throughout the coal region.  
These twenty-eight OSM/VISTAs work with non-profit Watershed Development 
Coordinators to identify and solve the environmental impacts caused by 
abandoned mine lands, acid mine drainage, and other impacts by collecting data, 
building partnerships, and expanding public awareness.  
OSM/VISTAs are involved in developing and implementing water monitoring 
programs, particularly for AMD discharges and training watershed volunteers.  
Other responsibilities include researching funding sources for proposed projects, 
writing grant proposals, providing quarterly reports, creating and distributing 
newsletters, coordinating public meetings, and assisting in the development of 
educational materials to inform and engage local residents.
These combined efforts result in interdisciplinary projects that target areas within 
each community's watershed, and instill a sense of ownership by the 
communities.  The projects will directly impact low-income communities by 
working to create a safer and healthier environment that is more attractive for 
business and future economic development.
Beyond the value of their full-time position, these twenty-eight OSM/VISTA 
positions bring an additional estimated $560,000 in in-kind partnerships per year 
to economically distraught areas that have received little assistance in the past 
By working to build sustainable watershed groups in coal impacted watersheds, 
they help create viable models for acid mine drainage impacted communities in 
the Appalachian coal region.                                                                                                                                             

-OSM-

For information about the OSM/VISTA Program, contact :
OSM/VISTA Coordinator - T. Allan Comp, Ph.D (202)-208-2836 / 
tcomp@osmre.gov
OSM Program Analyst- Marykatherine F. Gonzalez (202)-208-2585 / 
mgonzale@osmre.gov
OSM/VISTA Leader- Amy Stout (304)-345-7663