April 28, 2025
Ecology Apprenticeship Program
Entrepreneurship & Economic Development in Appalachia
Alongside community partners in Southeast Ohio, the OEC is reimagining land use as a pathway to long-term, equitable wellness. In 2024, we supported the Rising Appalachia Community Ecology Apprenticeship Program, which was made possible through U.S. Forest Service funding. Through hands-on projects and immersion in the study of Ecological Design Principles, the program trained 16 young adults in sustainable land management practices with the goal of creating a replicable model for entrepreneurship and economic development rooted in ecological restoration and stewardship of our forests.
The program’s accomplishments included thousands of native fruit and nut trees planted in Athens County, a 1.3-mile interpretive trail built on former coal-mined land, and a timber-frame farmstand built from sustainably harvested trees and salvaged slate-roofing. At two public visioning sessions, participants showcased their work and attendees discussed ways to strengthen our economy by investing in people and our environment. As a result, the community created the Partnership for Sugar Creek Community Forest.
As a result of new funding, ODNR recently announced that this former coal-mining community will be the home of a native fruit and nut processing facility and an expanded ecological education and recreation center at Solid Ground Farm. The incredible $1.7 million Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation award will further increase community programming, workforce development, and business opportunities.
Through the Partnership for Sugar Creek Community Forest, we ultimately aim to create a community-owned 900-acre biodiversity and recreation corridor that will connect 75,000 acres of state, federal, and private conservation lands. It will serve as the basis for a growing regenerative, land-based economy, a replicable model for increasing thriving economies rooted in tending to the well-being of communities and ecosystems.
At a time when the pressure to sacrifice Ohio’s public lands for development and extraction continues to build, these efforts are important, tangible alternatives.
Historically, we’ve seen the negative impacts of degrading Ohio’s ecosystems. We’re witnessing the incredible comeback of the water and forests that humans have worked to protect and restore. And we are co-creating a future in which human ingenuity supports and uplifts generative systems of ecological abundance that nourish and sustain us all.
