On Friday, September 7th at 6:30 p.m. Jay Erskine Leutze will discuss his book, Stand Up That Mountain at City Lights Bookstore.  Leutze’s book tells of his role in defending a small mountain town on the Appalachian Trail from a large-scale gravel mine operation.  Once the company reveals its intention to remove the summit of Belview Mountain in Avery County, Leuze and other community activists lead the fight to protect the land they love so dearly.  Together, they face fiery public hearings and potentially crippling legal battles as they strive to save the mountain. As the mining company continues to scrape away the forested land, Leutze’s group searches for a way to stop the destruction. Stand up That Mountain demonstrates how a small community, united, can defend itself from an overbearing wrong. Trained as an attorney, Leutze, has become a leading voice for state and federal conservation
funding for investment in public lands. He is a Trustee for Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy, one of the nation’s most established land trusts.