Appalachian Land Academy Recruitment is Open!

Participants will:

• Meet in person as a cohort on November 7-8th at Breaks Interstate Park to co-design and kick off the academy
• Receive a stipend of approximately $3,000 (depending on final number of participants, additional funds may be available; we anticipate a cohort size of 10-12 people)
• Meet bi-weekly on Zoom and plan for 1-2 hours of work per week over six months
• Attend 2-3 in-person meetings (expenses will be covered) with the full cohort at the beginning, middle, and end of the program
• Learn how to navigate local government offices that manage land records, parcel/tax maps, and what resources exist in your area and beyond
• Get training on maps and spatial data about land ownership and land use
• Access and contribute to a custom map tool for verifying and improving parcel and land use records in your area
• Meet and collaborate with others from Central Appalachia with similar concerns
• Get support from your cohort and our project team to research land records related to an issue of concern to your community
• Get funding and support to plan a local event or town hall meeting to share your work with your community and increase dialogue and awareness about how land records impact our lives
• Good candidates for this opportunity are people who:
  • Have strong local relationships and are comfortable organizing a public meeting or event in your area
  • Are willing to learn how to use a web-based app on a computer, tablet, or phone (no special skills or tech background required!)
  • Have one or more specific concerns related to land that you want to work on in more depth (e.g. proposed industrial facilities, flood safe housing needs, mine land reclamation, accessing land for a specific project, known systemic issues with parcel records in your area, etc.)
  • Are passionate about the role of land in building sustainable and just Appalachian futures

  *No specific skills or background are necessary; the only requirement to apply is to care about the place you live and want to learn more about it! Link to the Appalachian Land Academy application: application for the program here