Since the advent of mountaintop removal in the 1970s, literally hundreds of mountains in West Virginia have been decimated with explosives, leaving behind an ashy, treeless wasteland that is estimated to span 1.4 million acres by 2010. Despite the enormity of this activity, mountaintop removal has somehow remained below the radar as an ecological crisis.  This video is the first of a five part series which explores the issue from the perspective of locals, coal miners, and mining companies.