Rural Economic Development
Growing an Outdoor Generation
People of color are still significantly underrepresented in environmental and natural-based careers and activities. Our Growing an Outdoor Generational...

Diversity Nurtures Achievements Community Youth Center
Located in Duplin County, an economically- and environmentally-distressed rural area, Diversity Nurtures Achievements Community Youth Center (DNA) provides year-round,...

Balancing Nature and Commerce in the Pennsylvania Wilds
The Pennsylvania Wilds (PA Wilds) has a lot to offer. With more than two million acres of public land—as...

Valley Verde Community Food Systems
Santa Clara County, California, is the epicenter of the tech industry. Home to Silicon Valley, it is also one...

West Virginia Elk Habitat
In the heart of West Virginia's southern coal fields, there is a long history of environmental conservation and economic...

Community Food Sovereignty
Conservation of our land and water resources is inextricably tied to food production and the health of people. If...

Grand Lake Federal Lands Livability Initiative
What makes a community livable? Most agree it’s the quality of transportation options, range of affordable housing choices, potential...

River's Edge Treehouse Resort
When Laila and Doug Mortimer retired to Robbinsville, North Carolina, they did not expect to be building treehouses.
But the...

Swift Level Farm
Swift Level Farm, a 152-acre historic landmark located in West Virginia’s Greenbrier Valley, has been in Jennifer “Tootie” Jones’...

Earthseed Land Cooperative
The eight co-founders of Earthseed Land Cooperative (ELC) have a vision: to use land to support the collective health,...

Moving to Mainstreet and Conserving Energy: The Custard Stand
Since first opening in 1991, The Custard Stand, owned by Dee and Angie Cowger, has opened locations across West...

Sickler Farm
When Lisa and Jeff Sickler moved to their new Moatsville, West Virginia, farm in 2009, they started off simply: ...

Tackling Food Deserts in Michigan
What are you having for dinner? Imagine trying to answer that question if you couldn’t get to a grocery...

Young Loggers Buck the Trend
Entrepreneurs Will and Wes Coleman are doubling harvesting capacity in an industry seeing fewer young workers. Logging crews are...

Hawk Knob Hard Cider and Mead
Many great ideas are hatched over drinks. For Josh Bennett and Will Lewis, their great idea was the drinks...

Roanoke River Partners
Celebrating Ecotourism and Regional Heritage
Roanoke River Partners is a nonprofit dedicated to preserving and promoting the natural, cultural and...

Green Rural Redevelopment Organization
Henry Crews and Ardis Crews are taking a smart approach to revitalizing blighted neighborhoods in their small town of...

Reclaiming the Coharie River
The Coharie River has long served as the lifeblood of the Coharie tribal community and its ancestors. The river...

Freedom Riders National Monument
Nonviolent protests and acts of civil disobedience powered the civil rights movement, making activists out of ordinary people wanting...
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Striving for Thriving: Balancing Nature and Commerce in Transylvania County
Tucked among the rolling hills and waterfalls of Pisgah National Forest, Dupont State Forest, and many other recreational destinations,...

Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the former mill town of Orange, Massachusetts is a “food desert”—a community...

CSX: West Virginia
Healthy Food Distribution Initiative
In West Virginia, one in five children has limited or no access to fresh fruits, vegetables,...

Appalachian Gateway Communities Initiative
Since 2007, The Conservation Fund’s Conservation Leadership Network, with generous support from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) and National Endowment for the...

Hoke Community Forest
Hoke Community Forest, the first community forest in the Southeastern United States, serves as an innovative model for communities...

Food and Farm Initiative
Though the region is surrounded by large agricultural lands, half of North Carolina’s “food deserts” are located in the...

McIntosh SEED Community Forest
In the coastal flatwoods of Georgia, a project that demonstrates our focus on community and the environment is unfolding....

Clay County Community Revitalization Association
These days, when we talk about rural America, we hear a lot about the scarcity of opportunities and optimism....

Balancing Nature and Commerce in the New River Gorge Region
In October 2010, the Fund’s Conservation Leadership Network brought together local business leaders, elected officials and public land managers...

Balancing Nature And Commerce In Unicoi County
Known as “The Valley Beautiful,” this rural Appalachian community is prime for development, but it is also home to...

Economic Analysis for Big Bend Region of Florida
In Spring 2015, The Conservation Fund compiled a comprehensive analysis of the economy of the Big Bend region of...