Appalachia’s gateway communities — communities that border publicly owned lands such as national and state parks and forests — often struggle to balance the need for economic growth with the desire to protect their natural ecosystems, landscapes and cultural heritage.

Since 2007, The Conservation Fund’s Conservation Leadership Network, with generous support from the Appalachian Regional Commission and National Endowment for the Arts, has led the Appalachian Gateway Communities Initiative (AGCI) to expand tourism, the arts and other economic development opportunities for Appalachia’s gateway communities.

For decades, local industry has relied on extracting Appalachia’s rich natural resources such as coal, timber and gas. Although these industries have historically provided a local job base, poverty has been a pervasive challenge in many Appalachian communities. In recent years the Appalachian region’s economy has become more diversified; yet, even with infusions of new types of industry, the region still does not reflect the economic status of the rest of the nation.

AGCI consists of a multi-day workshop, supporting webinars, and seed grant opportunity. Through these mechanisms, AGCI provides community teams with the skills to revitalize main streets, promote arts and culture, build cultural heritage and natural resource tourism, create lasting economic opportunity, and leverage natural, cultural, and recreation assets. In addition to content from national and regional subject matter experts, community teams benefit from facilitated exercises on asset identification, strengths and gaps assessment, and action planning.

Learn More

• Appalachian Gateway Communities “Survival Toolkit”