University of Virginia Library

New Lunar Landscape

Governor Linwood-Holton's
decision to go ahead with the
building of a prison in the
Green Springs area of Louisa
County will certainly
accentuate, not only the
atmosphere of antagonism
among the people of Louisa
Country but also the
increasingly more critical
controversy between those
who feel that preservation of
land for future generations is a
public responsibility, and those
who believe that if they pay
the entrance fee to a certain
number of acres, they ought to
be able to exploit it as they see
fit.

New and old neighbors alike
are obviously interested in the
future of the community, and
the location of public facilities
such as hospitals, prisons,
airports, etc., are likely to
arouse debate. There are
certain basic principles,
however, that usually guide
responsible public office
holders. Emergency hospitals
are not built in sparsely
populated areas that would be
difficult to reach in case of
emergency, noisy airports
should not be constructed in
the midst of heavily populated
regions, and large prison
complexes are seldom allowed
to destroy scenic areas of
historic landmarks, if it can be
avoided. Although there might
be other areas in the state as
entitled to the designation
historic as Green Springs, it is
the unanimous opinion of
experts in both the state and
federal government that Green
Springs is a unique rural area
well worth preserving.

In contrast to most other
historic areas, Green Springs is
an active farming community
where most of its people have
deep roots. A prison complex
would be the spark plug for the
exploitation of the surrounding
areas, and it would only take a
few years to ruin the
countryside. To suggest, as the
governor of Virginia has done,
that the correctional facility
would "serve as an anchor for
the preservation of
the neighborhood" is indeed
remarkable.

To be sure, one does not
need inside information to
realize that if the prison is
being built in an area where
vermiculite has been found,
there is little possibility to
prevent profit seeking
companies from exploiting the
land. There are many lessons to
be learned from strip mining
operations in other areas, and
it would indeed be tragic if we
sit idle by and let things
happen. One need only look at
the "lunar landscapes" created
by strip miners in Ohio,
Kentucky, Virginia, West
Virginia, and southeastern
United States, particularly the
Black Mesa area in New
Mexico, to realize that the
process usually results in ugly
scars which require many
generations to heal.

The aesthetic aspect,
however, is hardly the most
important reason for keeping
the strip miners out. Numerous
well documented studies have
shown that acid drainage and
erosion affect not only the
stripped areas, but regions far
removed from the active site. I
am well aware that strip mining
for vermiculite may differ in
some respects from the
contour stripping which has
devastated much of
Appalachia-

It is, nevertheless,
important to realize that once
the strip mining begins it is
difficult, if not impossible, to
restrain the miners. When the
strip miners have made their
fast profit and leave, what will
be left for the people of
Louisa? Every example to date
suggests that, even where good
reclamation laws have been
passed, the stripped areas will
never be the same.

An elaborate correctional
facility in the midst of an
historic area together with the
unavoidable exploitation of
surrounding acreage would be a
tragic monument over our
failure to face responsibility
for the future. Without
sympathy from public servants
the conservation agencies will
fight a losing battle against
human greed in spite of strong
support from a large segment
of the general public.

I strongly urge all elected
officials involved to join
federal and state
environmentalists as well as the
majority of the residents in
Green Springs in opposing the
location of the prison in this
truly unique historical area of
America. It would be well to
recall Thomas Jefferson's
prophetic statement: "They
have rights, who dare to
maintain them."