(Kuhre, 1998)

Kuhre, C. (1998). What's behind healthy communities? In Rural Action. Retrieved January 19, 2002 from the World Wide Web: http://www.ruralaction.org/build_indicators.html

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, itís the only thing that ever has." ....Margaret Mead

What's Behind Building Healthy Communities

By Carol Kuhre

Building Healthy Communities is the result of three years of conferences and research. It just begins to tell an important story of the relationships among people, communities, economy and environment in our region. 

The heart of this publication, the indicators themselves, is unlike anything you've seen in a newspaper before. You will be reading research documents, the kind of writing few people care to read, or to write.

Research has the power to bring about policy that affects everyone. In Seattle, Washington, a document similar to this brought about changes that have made Seattle a leader in sustainable development. We have borrowed from Seattle s work in writing Building Healthy Communities. We hope our humble attempt to begin this research brings more of you into a process that will help us choose a viable path for our region's future.

In 1994 Rural Action, the Corporation for National Service, and the Stanley Foundation brought together 75 people at Lake Hope Lodge in Vinton County. Since then people have gathered in small groups, at conferences, luncheons, and in action research teams, to understand the impact of human activity on our region. Our inquiry is part of a worldwide sustainability movement.

Our region, rich in natural resources and hard-working people, has long been used as a seedbed to profit outside development interests. Those interests have brought more than a century of economic boom and bust, and the resulting environmental degradation. Today there is evidence of uneven development. Larger towns and cities thrive while smaller farm and mining communities barely survive; superhighways move people and goods through the region but local citizens have little or no public transportation; new superstores and malls ring our towns while downtown merchants struggle to survive.

To move away from that cycle, we've asked one another what can we do to ensure that our children and grandchildren are able to have satisfying lives while staying in this region. We need a longrange plan if there is to be enough good, affordable housing, transportation, and medical care. We need to meet the educational needs of future generations and ensure safe water, adequate sewer systems, and healthy recreational activities. These are inadequacies even now, so it s clear that we must work hard to turn in the right direction. Answers and solutions to these questions must come from you local residents who are most concerned about the quality of community life.

At the first conference at Lake Hope, participants decided to gather information under the themes of land use, basic human needs, environmental health, sustainable economic development and the local/global connection. VISTAs assigned to Rural Action organized grassroots citizens committees in five counties for information gathering and planning. Those committees sponsored four conferences titled Sustainable Land Use, Meeting Basic Human Needs, Sustainable Economic Development Alternatives, and Environmental Health and our Bioregion. They also organized luncheons to discuss Agenda 21 (the United Nations sustainable development plan) and linked with local universities for survey and library research.

To help us measure our work in the global context, the Stanley Foundation supported participation of several Rural Action staff and VISTAs in the Citizens Network for Sustainable Development Conference held in conjunction with the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in April 1997. Rural Action has since been selected as a regional representative to the national Citizens Network for Sustainable Development.

This report, Building Healthy Communities, was conceived last fall by Mary Steinmaus, Program Officer for the Stanley Foundation, with Rural Action Program Director Michelle Decker and Michelle Ajamian, Director of MediaMorphosis. Their collective vision of a publication distributed through our local newspapers represents a leap of imagination; its realization has required enormous energy and organization. 

As a sustainability indicators document, Building Healthy Communities is just a beginning. It describes the steps local citizens and organizations have taken towards building sustainable communities in southern Ohio. We are pleased to share our initial findings with you.

Understanding Sustainability Indicators

Adapted from What Is Sustainability? by Maureen Hart

It s not hard to tell if your community is not sustainable. Just consider a few questions about your community: Is it economically worse off than it was 20 years ago? Are there fewer good-paying jobs, so people are working more and earning less? Is there more poverty and homelessness? Is there more crime?

These are traditional measures of communities in trouble, communities that can no longer sustain the quality of life they previously enjoyed. We use numbers to show how bad these problems are: "Unemployment rose .4 percent in January." However, the numbers only show changes in one part of the community without showing the complex links between the community s economy, environment and society. Solutions that target one area, such as the economy, often cause more problems in other areas because the links are neglected.

In a sustainable community, solutions to problems take into account the links between economy, environment and society. In fact, the very questions asked about problems in a "sustainable" community include references to these links. For example, the question "Are there fewer jobs that match the skills of the available work force?" looks at the link between economy and education.

Indicators measure whether a community is getting better or worse at creating solutions that provide its members with a productive, enjoyable life, both now and in the future.

What Is a Sustainable Community?

"To sustain" is to continue an activity without lessening it in any way. It implies that the activity could go on forever. A human "community" is a group of people who live and interact in a certain place or around a certain interest. A "sustainable community" maintains and improves the economic, environmental and social characteristics of a place so its members can continue to lead healthy, productive, enjoyable lives there.

"Development" means making change that improves a place or makes better some condition in a place. Sustainable development, therefore, improves the economy without undermining the society or the environment. Sustainable development is not an economic theory or an environmental movement. Instead, sustainable development requires the understanding that a healthy environment and a healthy economy are both necessary for a healthy society. These three parts of a community economy, environment, and society are linked in complex ways. A sustainable community takes these links into account when planning for the future.

Sustainable development focuses on improving our lives without continually increasing the amount of energy and material goods that we consume. A sustainable community does not consume resources energy and raw materials faster than the natural systems they come from can regenerate them. We are currently living unsustainable lives. If we are not careful how we use and dispose of resources, our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren will have a poorer, more polluted world to live in.

A sustainable community is one where development is not unlimited growth; rather it is the enhancement of what already exists in the community. A sustainable community is not stagnant; sustainability does not mean things never change. On the contrary, it means always looking for ways to improve a community by strengthening the links between its economy, environment and society. A sustainable community is also not a utopia. It is not a community where nothing ever goes wrong. Sustainability does not mean that businesses never fail or that people never go hungry or that pollution never happens. Sustainable means that when problems arise, we look for solutions that take into account all three parts of the community instead of applying a quick fix in one area that causes problems in another.

The primary goal of a sustainable local community is to meet its basic resource needs in ways that can be continued in the future. To do this, we need to figure out what our basic needs are and how to meet those needs most effectively. Do we really need one television set for every room in the house? Do we each really need to use 188 gallons of water every single day? Or can we develop more effective, efficient ways to create a way of life that is not only equally or more satisfying, but can also continue indefinitely into the future?

Some communities have already started to work toward this goal. The most successful projects have three characteristics in common: First, the community created a vision of its future that balances economic, environmental and social needs. The community viewed its future in the long term: not on the order of years, but on the order of decades or generations. Second, the vision incorporated the views of a wide crosssection of the community. Third, the community figured out how to keep track of its progress in reaching that vision.

It is important for the community itself to become involved in the project. 
A sustainable community needs to be developed by the people who make up the community. It cannot be designed by a consultant. It cannot be implemented by experts hired specifically for the project. It needs to be implemented every day by the people who live and work in the community.

A sustainable community means many things to the different people who live there. To business owners it means a healthy economy so that their businesses have a place in which to create and sell their products. To parents it means a safe environment in which to bring up their children. Everyone wants a secure, productive job to support themselves. Everyone needs clean air to breathe and clean water to drink.

Discovering the needs of the community and finding ways to meet those needs is not difficult, but it does require some effort. It begins by deciding what your sustainable community would look like. There are as many different ways to create a vision as there are communities that have done so. What is most important is that the vision be created by the entire community: the well-to-do and those living in poverty, business owners and union workers, young and old.

Just as important as knowing what a community wants to become is knowing how to reach that goal. We need ways to tell whether the decisions we make are increasing or decreasing the overall community health of our communities. Indicators of sustainability give us a practical way to measure our progress toward sustainable communities.

Environmental Indicators

An Athens County environmentalist once said, "If you eat the food, drink the water, and breathe the air, then you re an environmentalist." 

The common environmental wisdom is that over time, whatever happens to our environment will affect us. If we replenish our soils and keep our water clean, then our communities will benefit for generations to come. While we have hundreds of examples of how we are connected to our environment, by the plants we use for medicines or the fuels we use to propel us, we have very little research to tell us if those connections are currently healthy if they are benefiting both the people and the land. At Rural Action s final indicators meeting on May 31, 1997, at the Carpenter Inn in Meigs County, we asked the question: What can we measure that will tell us if the Appalachian environment is healthy? Watershed Restoration and Agricultural Land Use are two indicators from an original list of 17 discussed by community members.

Agricultural Land Use

Background
"Traditional farming is in danger mainly because the value of land is beyond the means of most new farmers to purchase and get into the business. The increase in land value is due in part to rural water development."
Chris Penrose, OSU Extension
Agent, Athens County

How we grow our food can have a vast impact on the land, the environment, and our communities. Agricultural practices that are sustainable improve the environment and distribute wealth among a number of farmers. Enough food to support the local population is produced in the area, which keeps the region s best land for farming and keeps farming alive as a profession. Sustainable agriculture also produces food in a manner that retains the quality of the soil and protects groundwater for future generations. This means controlling the use of harmful pesticides and the removal of nutrients from the soil by over-farming.

Family farms and rural life are most affected by the trends in farming and development. From one side, the development of huge corporate farms has led to fewer family farms, a smaller demand for farm labor, groundwater contamination, and the decline of positive economic and social conditions in rural areas. From the other side, expansion of urban and residential areas is driving up the value of ideal farmland as it is taken over by shopping centers, housing developments, and highways that lay their pavement down on our best croplands.

The Focus of the Indicator
Using data from the U.S. Census of Agriculture for 1982, 1987, and 1992, we reviewed the statistics on numbers of farms and their acreage for Athens, Perry, and Vinton counties.

What We Found

Number of Farms in
Three Southern Ohio Counties

Acres in Farmland in
Three Southern Ohio Counties

Athens, Perry and Vinton counties lost 37,554 acres or 14.7 percent of their farmland between 1982 and 1992. In 1996, Ohio Agricultural Statistics ranked Athens County third in Ohio in decline of farmland acres, with a 22 percent loss from 1980 to 1990. Perry County was number 61, with a 5 percent loss, and Vinton County number 9, with an 18 percent loss of farmland in the 10-year period. 

As farmland decreased, acres of urban and built-up land increased. According to the National Resources Conservation Service s Ohio Resources Assessment of June 1997, Athens County gained 5,800 acres of urban and built-up land between 1982 and 1992, Perry County added 7,100 acres, and the change in Vinton County was 4,400 acres. 
 
Working Conclusions
There is a decrease in farmland and an increase in urban and built-up land in all three counties. For Athens and Vinton counties, between one-fourth and one-half of lost farmland is from residential and urban development. We assumed, without further data, that the rest of the acreage is reverting to woodlands. Perry County created more residential or urbanized acres than farmland lost, indicating that woodlands were impacted by development. 

The decrease in agricultural acreage and farms means that fewer young people are choosing to become farmers. According to the 1987 Census of Agriculture, more than 44 percent of farm operators are over 55 years of age, and approximately 48 percent of farm operators work off the farm more than 200 days per year to earn money.

The decrease in agricultural acreage and farms can also be linked to residential development. Water and sewer development makes land valuable for subdivisions and lots, which increases property taxes for farmers. In turn, farmers subdivide farms for sale to commercial interests. Current trends in agricultural loss affect the rural character of our communities, making farming an inaccessible profession for young farmers. 

Wisconsin and Maryland are among a growing number of states that have passed agricultural land preservation acts to help farms and farmers continue their work. Ohio is looking at such legislation.

Connections
A community s agricultural practices affect the health of its citizens, environment, and economy. Productive farming in a region will boost the local economy rather than sending hardearned dollars out of the community.

Suggestions for Additional Research
Development of indicators that monitor sustainable development could include more research on local markets; on crops that have less overhead and cost involved, making them more profitable to farmers; and on studies of the impacts of farmland loss, urbanization, and pesticide use. Studies of states that have passed agricultural land preservation acts could help Ohio ensure the future of farming here. The significant data already at OSU Extension is available over the Internet and from local extension agents.

Watershed Restoration

Background
According to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, a watershed is "an area of land from which surface water drains into a common outlet, such as a river, lake or wetland." Watershed restoration is the longterm effort by communities, government agencies and industry to restore watersheds to their former diversity of life and human activities while striving to eliminate pollution sent downstream.

As early as the mid-nineteenth century settlers began to notice that unchecked timber practices and mining spoil piles were pouring sulfur and sediment into the streams. Pollution control from point sources, like industrial discharges and antiquated sewage systems, has improved. Today s pollution, from non-point sources, includes acid mine drainage; agricultural runoff; sedimentation from roads, development, and improper timbering practices; and inadequate water treatment systems, including direct household sewage drainage into the watershed. 

Although the 1977 Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) addresses sedimentation from abandoned and currently permitted mining operations, it does not address water quality problems from acid mine drainage, the worst and most persistent form of pollution in our region. An interagency program called the Clean Streams Initiative, spearheaded in 1994 by the U.S. Office of Surface Mining, is promoting the cleanup of streams impacted by acid mine drainage. Monitoring efforts in watersheds are beginning to tell us the real extent of the damage from past mining practices.

There are 14 watersheds within the counties of Athens, Perry and Vinton. Out of these, four are severely polluted by acid mine drainage (AMD). These are the Raccoon Creek, Monday Creek, Sunday Creek and Moxahala Creek watersheds. Two of these, Monday Creek and Raccoon Creek, with funding through the US EPA 319 Program, have community groups working on restoration. Early efforts are beginning to sprout in other area watersheds. The Monday Creek Restoration Project (MCRP) is coordinated by Rural Action, with 20 partners that include Ohio University and Hocking College, coal and lumber companies, natural resource agencies, and local officials and residents. 

Because of acid mine drainage, portions of Monday Creek have the acidity of vinegar, which together with the presence of heavy metals kills all aquatic life. Fish and other macroinvertebrate species (insect larvae, crayfish, etc.) require a pH of 6.5 or greater in order to reproduce. Restoring Monday Creek to a pH greater than 6.5 is the goal of the MCRP partners.

The Focus of the Indicator
We looked at studies carried out by MCRP partners that gathered preliminary data on acidity and reviewed the study of quality and stability of fish and macroinvertebrate populations carried out by Ohio University students and faculty in the Biology and Geology Departments.

What We Found
The preliminary studies of acidity conducted for Monday Creek provide a baseline to monitor future changes in the watershed. Using this data, project partners will also determine the effectiveness and cost efficiency of specific construction and reclamation projects. Projects to be evaluated include the Rock Run gob pile, Brush Fork, Sycamore Hollow, and the Majestic Mine site. Most restoration will be carried out by cutting off the source of the mine drainage or by some form of alkaline addition like limestone or sodium hydroxide.

Working Conclusions
We make an assumption that acid mine drainage conditions are improving because of the SMCRA laws mandating mine reclamation. Recent monitoring indicates that there are more fish in the headwaters and tributaries of AMD-affected streams than previously thought. 

The Ohio University study for Monday Creek states a number of interesting and important points for water quality and fish health.

• Some of the small headwater streams (sources of the water that flows into Monday Creek) that are isolated by acid water downstream have good water quality and good habitat. 
• Having healthy headwaters matters, because they can re-populate downstream areas once they are cleaned up. 
• Because fish and insects "drift" downstream, they are dependent on good habitat over the length of the stream for their survival. 
• Most insect populations thriving in isolated headwaters have a flight phase in their life cycle that enables them to avoid acidic waters. 
• Using Federal Creek (a much cleaner watershed) as a benchmark, streams of the same size and water quality near Federal Creek support 12 fish species, compared to four in Monday Creek. 

Connections
A watershed damaged by AMD cannot support aquatic life, linking AMD to animal, fish and human health. Economically, clean water full of healthy fish brings tourism and increased recreational opportunities, which expands local jobs. A variety of restoration efforts, ranging from highly technical to those geared to watershed residents, contribute to watershed cleanup. Community volunteers support and coordinate the work and ultimately restore the watershed, including stream cleanups and log jam removals and also participation in watershed management planning.

Specifically, the overall health of the Monday Creek watershed has been improved by volunteers who stabilized 300 feet of eroding stream bank in Carbon Hill. Efforts also diverted good-quality surface water from entering the underground Essex Mine complex, removed tons of trash along highways and roadways, and eliminated log jams in the Snow Fork tributary. Over the last two years, 17,000 trees were planted in the Monday Creek Watershed. All of these activities make a difference in the appearance and health of the watershed.

Suggestions for Additional Research
Monitoring efforts in our region are just beginning and should be strongly encouraged to continue. We are only now setting the baseline from which to evaluate future improvements. Additional studies should include how groundwater is affected by surface water contamination, and the effect of interbasin flow (water flows from one watershed to another through underground mines).

Other indicators for a healthy watershed could be tracked to tell us if we are moving towards sustainability, like numbers of stream banks with full tree cover, size and activity levels of community watershed groups, and numbers and types of fish species in the watershed. Watershed restoration indicators should also include measures that show the connection between people and the watershed and people s feelings toward the watershed, including the persistent problem of flooding. 

Human Needs Indicators

A family s ability to meet basic human needs has a tremendous impact on community life and viability. As a society we have created public and private institutions to guarantee individuals the right to opportunities the opportunity to learn and better oneself, the opportunity to be safe in one s community, the opportunity to have a job. 

Our religious, social service, government, and educational institutions are struggling to maintain these opportunities in a world of rapidly changing policy. Welfare is very different today from what we knew only a year ago. What do the changes mean for people who become ill and can t work, or people who live in an area where jobs are hard to come by? What does a quality education mean for our young people? Are we content with the systems we have 
created to take care of each other?

Food, shelter, healthcare, transportation and education were some of the core human needs listed at the 1996 Meeting Basic Human Needs workshop held in Corning. We asked: What would determine a basic quality of life within our region? From a list of 11 potential indicators, we selected two to share with you.

Available and Affordable Housing

Background
Every person needs shelter to survive. In a sustainable community each family would have affordable and adequate housing in which to live. Community members would make sure that rent is reasonable and homes are in good shape. Substandard homes that need repairs and renovation would receive attention immediately. No one would be homeless, because the area would apply available resources to provide decent shelter for all.

The Focus of the Indicator
There are dozens of ways to track housing stock in the region, and each county produces a Community Housing Improvement Strategy (CHIS) that details the housing needs and conditions of the county. Using available, easily accessible data, we contacted the Metropolitan Housing Authorities (MHA) in each county to discover the numbers of people waiting to receive housing from them. The MHAs maintain rolling lists of, among other indexes, families waiting for adequate homes and those who currently live in substandard conditions or have no housing at all. The lists are not fully accurate and fluctuate because they are based on how many people return MHA surveys and how many people even know the MHAs exist, but they still offer a glimpse into the needs of the region.

What We Found
Athens County MHA reported approximately 540-550 families on its housing waiting list in the fall of 1997. Due to this high number, families stayed on the waiting list an average of two years. In Athens County, 420 families were living in substandard housing, were homeless, or were about to be homeless. In Perry County, the MHA had 52 families on its public housing waiting list, and an additional 53 families that needed financial help were waiting for assisted housing. In Vinton County, 55 families were on the MHA waiting list, and 18 of those families lacked homes or lived in substandard housing. Lower numbers in Perry and Vinton Counties reflect the much lower populations of those counties, not necessarily a reduced need.

Another measure of affordable housing in our area is the "housing cost burden," which measures the cost of housing as a proportion of household income. In 1990, according to the Athens County CHIS study (Tri-County Community Action and the Institute for Local Government Administration and Rural Development, October 1993), 44 percent of households with incomes below $10,000 paid more than 35 percent of their income for housing, up from 32 percent in 1980. Similarly, 12 percent of all households with incomes ranging from $10,000-$19,999 paid more than 35 percent of their income for housing, up from 2 percent in 1980.

Working Conclusions 
The federal government has recently reorganized the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) program, resulting in significant losses in construction funding along with a failure to renew Section 8 vouchers, certificates, or project-based subsidies. Section 8 vouchers provide renters a subsidy that is paid to their landlords, making their housing affordable. As funding for subsidized housing has been squeezed at the federal level, local housing providers have a difficult time keeping up with the need. For example, Rural Action s Housing Team, which performs emergency housing repairs, served 30 houses in 1996-97, with roughly 100 other households on the waiting list. The following year, the program served 36 houses, but the waiting list expanded to over 150. For 1998-99, the waiting list has again grown, now past 200; but funding has been cut, and the program will probably be able to serve only 25 houses this year.

The county MHAs also lack the means to immediately serve the housing needs of our region, at least partially because of the decreasing availability of funds from the federal government. Concurrently, according to Tim Foran, one of Athens County s five Federal Public Housing Commissioners, our area is plagued by an underdeveloped infrastructure for housing needs. Because access to sewer and water are very limited, even when agencies are ready to build it is often difficult to find an appropriate spot. Other agencies, such as Habitat for Humanity, Tri-County Community Action, Rural Action Housing, and Three Rivers Housing Corporation try to fill in some of the gaps and provide help in housing and emergency home repairs throughout the area; but their resources are scant compared to the need, and their waiting lists are long as well.

Connections
The quality of housing in a community is a reflection of many other aspects of a community s life. When a local economy doesn t offer enough jobs to keep families out of poverty, people will not live in adequate, affordable homes. Poor housing can affect the health of residents and the property values of surrounding homes. Good housing stock invites families to settle in an area, makes a community attractive, and keeps families healthy and intact. 

Housing development also impacts the environment. While new housing construction is made more difficult because water and sewer lines are not in place, the extension of these utilities is diminishing our region s farmlands. Where we place our homes, out of what materials we build them, and who can afford them are several questions that link housing to the environment and to social and economic development.

Suggestions for Additional Research
The County Housing Improvement Strategies are excellent collections of information. For sustainable development, studies of alternative forms of housing and of housing policies that make implementing alternatives difficult, and studies in alternative technologies, like biological wastewater treatment, would be valuable. Rural Action produced a literature review and analysis of such water treatment systems, especially geared towards the Appalachian region. This study is available from the Rural Action office for the cost of copying.

Health Care

Background
The quality of a region s health care depends on the health system s ability to meet the needs of the population. Sustainable health care would provide services that promote health as well as prevent, cure, and rehabilitate health problems. All citizens would have equal access to affordable, quality care. To achieve that we must understand the social and economic causes of poor health and find adequate numbers of skilled and caring health care professionals to serve the basic health care needs of the area. Ideally, comprehensive health care would include family practice, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, optometry, dentistry, podiatry, nutrition, and social work services, along with transportation to make these services accessible. Heart disease, cancer, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (emphysema, asthma, etc.), and nonvehicular accidents are Ohio s five leading causes of death. In Southeast Ohio problems like lack of insurance, poverty, unhealthy lifestyles, and shortage of physicians increase these premature causes of death.

The Focus of the Indicator
We reviewed a study published by the Corporation for Ohio Appalachian Development (COAD), the Health Care Position Statement (1994). This study compares the health of people in Appalachian Ohio with the rest of the state and describes the ratio of health care professionals to the population.

What We Found
COAD s study reveals that citizens in Appalachian Ohio have poor health relative to the rest of the state (t should be noted that neither mental and behavioral health nor substance abuse and addictions were included). The study found that 24 of the 60 Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) in Ohio are in the Appalachian region. An HPSA is an area in which there is fewer than one physician for every 3,000 persons in need of basic medical care and coverage. 

The COAD study adopted a lower ratio of 1,500 persons per doctor to reflect the higher health care needs of the region and rural barriers to care such as transportation. The lower ratio has also been adopted by the American Medical Association and is now the industry standard for a population s medical coverage. However, this indicator continues to use the HPSA ratio of 3000:1 because that is what is required to become or remain a federally designated HPSA. Even at this higher ratio, a clear need is evident in our region. The data is now five years old and is presently being updated.

In Athens County, the population of medically indigent persons (determined by counting the number of people in the population with incomes below 200% of the poverty level and subtracting those who are eligible for Medicaid enrollment) is 16,187, with only 0.2 full-time physicians (eight physician-hours per week). This means a maximum of only 600 people can be adequately served, leaving 15,587 people without adequate care. The suggested minimum number of additional physicians needed is 5.2, with each professional caring for 3,000 people. 

The entire population of Perry County (31,557 people) falls into the HPSA classification. There are 8.8 physician FTEs (full-time equivalent) in the county. Based on 3,000 patients per doctor, 5,157 people go un-served unless 1.7 more physicians are added. Vinton County s population (11,098 people) has only 0.7 of a full-time health care professional present (one person working 70% of the time to meet the needs of the population). With only 2,100 people able to receive sufficient care, the other 8,998 need 3 additional doctors if enough health care for all is desired within the county.

Working Conclusions 
There is a shortage of health care available to low-income residents in Appalachian Ohio. In each county, more full-time physicians are required to adequately serve the health care needs 
of the population. Private physicians who try to help are not subsidized for their work and face a financial burden. Providing treatment to the uninsured is also a burden on rural hospitals that do not refuse care through their emergency rooms.

Prevention of life-threatening diseases or afflictions through early detection, monitoring, management, treatment, and healthy lifestyles are impossible when the majority of people in Athens, Vinton, and Perry counties do not have access to medical care. People have little chance to live healthy lives when they are torn between either paying a physician and buying medication or purchasing food and clothing, because they cannot afford to do both.

Connections
The well-being of a community is directly linked to the health of its residents. Better health allows people to have more energy, more general happiness, and more ability to be involved in their community. In order for a community to be sustainable, parents must be confident that their children will grow up healthy, with doctors and medical facilities available to help them along the way. People in good health can work more productively, with fewer days absent from their jobs. Health care provides economic benefits directly in the form of new, good-paying jobs, and indirectly by creating a healthier workforce with less absenteeism.

Suggestions for Additional Research
Studying the number and quality of medical outreach programs in the area can tell us how people in need are being reached, as could surveys by consumers in locations that are underserved. Studies and community discussions about wellness and prevention are also needed so that individuals and families can take charge of their health and find ways to reduce the chances of disease. Continued feasibility studies for free or reduced-fee clinics finding ways to make health  care accessible and affordable are desperately needed.

Suggested Basic Human Needs Indicators

Affordable Housing
Community-Centered Media
Comprehensive Health Care Accessibility
Community Celebrations
Community Internet Access
Democratic Classrooms
Recreation Activities
Education Options
Environmental Education Program
Environmental Organizations
Watershed Improvement Projects

Economic Indicators

Not long ago, rural communities were much more self-sufficient. Today, local economies are involved in international economic activity that has created wealth for our communities but has also led to downsizing and flight of U.S. capital and labor to overseas markets. 

The national economy is regularly measured by looking at unemployment figures, new housing starts, and the activity of the stock markets. They don't measure whether we have a healthy environment or healthy communities. Nor do these measurements account for different kinds of economic activity, like the informal economy of road side stands or barter, or how specific market niches like dairying or heritage tourism could affect our region s wealth. 

Predicting the future of the global or local economy is difficult perhaps impossible to do, but good indicators should tell us if our local economy is being built on principles of sustainability. At our second conference in McArthur, Vinton County, we asked the question: What would a healthy economy look like in southern Ohio? Three of the 18 indicators suggested were Agricultural Marketing, Forest Health and Wealth, and Employment and Poverty.

Agricultural Marketing 

Background
One indication of a sustainable local economy is a strong agricultural base, which can be measured by looking at the agricultural markets in the area. Local agricultural markets include Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs); farmers markets; storefronts that feature local products like Farms-A-Plenty and The MarketPlace; and training and outreach work like that of Community Food Initiatives (CFI) and Appalachian Center for Economic Networks (ACEnet)

The Focus of the Indicator
This indicator describes new agricultural market activities and the amount of money being made from them, using information collected from the Appalachian Center for Economic Networks (ACEnet), local CSAs and OSU Extension. ACEnet links local consumers and retailers to local specialty food products through a series of tastings, surveys, and brochures, and by providing a community kitchen incubator. ACEnet serves more than 50 local businesses and organizations and estimates that they have created easily $1,000,000 in sales through their programs. One example is Frog Ranch, a local salsa producer, whose annual sales have increased by over 300 percent in recent years. Similarly, the MarketPlace, ACEnet s retail store for local businesses, sold approximately $55,000 of local products in the last year.

What We Found
New, mostly small-producer, agricultural markets are increasing in the region. In 1997 we saw the introduction of a new farmers market in Nelsonville, Athens County. That same year, 14 local producers sold through the Good Food Direct! marketing project to 65 customers. Sales for the year totaled $5,860, almost doubling the figures for 1996. Although the numbers are fairly small, Good Food Direct! is growing at an impressive rate. In 1998 the eight highest-selling producers are providing fresh, local food to an estimated 130 customers.

Another source of locally grown food is the Far Corner Farm CSA, in Amesville. Far Corner Farm is just beginning its fourth season and will serve from 75-85 shareholders this year. Last year the CSA was so successful that its owners, Kevin Smyth and Elise McMath, actually had to begin turning customers away. They consider their venture a full success and expect heavy demand for their organic food to continue.

Working Conclusions
There is positive growth in the local agricultural marketing arena, and if the national trend to purchase organic, fresh foods continues, local markets will be able to capitalize on it. For the large-crop farmer, however, and the fate of farming as America has known it, the future is harder to determine. Trends in land use are ominous. Some states, like Wisconsin and Maryland, have passed agricultural land preservation acts that help farms and farmers continue their work, and Ohio is looking at such legislation. Preliminary information indicates that because new markets are emerging, we are moving in the right direction for sustainable food systems and food security, as well as providing farmers a livelihood. But we still import millions of dollars worth of food that could be grown locally, giving farmers and entrepreneurs more opportunities to create wealth.

Connections
By increasing regional agricultural markets we take a big step towards sustainability and food security. We keep more dollars local, and farmers get fair prices for their products. Fresh food is also linked to health and nutrition in a community. According to the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association, 25 percent of a vegetable s nutrition is lost in a day, and up to 80 percent can be gone in three days. It takes anywhere from five to thirteen days for California-grown food to get from the field to store shelves in Ohio, where it may sit for many days. 

Local agricultural markets are linked to environmental issues such as reduced greenhouse emissions from lowered transportation and less monocropping (growing just one type of crop). Local agricultural markets also preserve local farmlands and farming as a long-standing and valuable community institution and a career option for its citizens. (See Farming Practices in the section on Environmental Indicators.)

Suggestions for Additional Research
We need to explore the economic and environmental impact small producers can have, and how smaller agricultural producers and livestock operators can earn their livelihoods. Some research on local markets presently exists, but more research could be done on specific market niches. More research on the habits and trends of local consumers will also help farmers grow the crops and develop the product lines that will sell.

Forest Health and Wealth

Background
The Central Appalachian Region contains the oldest continuously present forests in North America, containing more plant and tree species than any other region in the United States. The natural capital of our forests can be the foundation of a sound economy and rekindle the cultural heritage of our region while supporting ecological stability.

A commitment to the forests of our region repays us in many ways. Their effects on water quality, climate, and recreational activities, and their provision of valuable timber and non-timber products, are strong incentives for preserving the forests. 

Making money from our forests usually means commercial timber harvesting. While this is a vital source of income for rural landowners and the timber industry, there are other ways to earn money from our forests. Other forestry income sources include value-added wood products, non-timber forest products, certified "green" or sustainably harvested woods, and recreation and tourism. In Appalachian Ohio, tourism supplies more than $68 million in taxes, employs 23,000 people, and provides a direct economic impact of $605 million to the region. Heritage tourism includes cultural activities, visiting historic sites and museums, and enjoying an area s natural beauty. A sustainable forest economy would provide many money-making options for landowners and at the same time enhance the quality of the forest. Blending new and traditional forestry markets and practices can create a healthier local economy and environment.

The Focus of the Indicator
Using easily accessible data, we measured the amount of money made from tourism. There are 17 state forests in Appalachian Ohio, with over 170,000 acres of land. There are four state parks and at least 25 other nature preserves or wildlife areas. All of these are rich in natural beauty that attracts visitors and their dollars to the area. We used information from a September 1996 study by the Wayne National Forest on the economic impacts of its outdoor recreation and also from the Hocking County Tourism Association.

What We Found
Estimates provided by Ted King of the Wayne National Forest state that the "Wayne attracted 689,000 visitors and 384,000, or 55 percent, were from outside the impact area." Non-local visitors to the forest spend an average of $82.74 per visit to the area. Applying this average expenditure to the number of visitors, the study concluded, "The average expenditure estimate yields annual recreational expenditures of approximately $31,772,000." The area impacted is the southeastern counties of Ohio that surround the Wayne National Forest.

A study prepared by Rita Jones, Hocking County Tourism Association Director, reveals that in 1996 the Hocking Hills tourism industry "experienced its largest tourism-generated growth year since the founding of the Hocking County Tourism Association in 1988." Telephone inquiries per year were 210 in 1993 and 1,513 in 1996. The direct sales impact from tourism in 1996 was $7.15 million for the county, and 305 jobs.

Unfortunately, the 1996 study undertaken by Wayne National Forest was the first and only one of its kind. The staff has gathered some numbers for 1997, but these are not as thorough as those for the previous year, according to King, and cannot be used to establish any trends one way or the other. He predicts there will not be significant change compared to last year, but more research is needed to determine the possibilities for forest tourism.

Working Conclusions
Earning dollars from our natural beauty can be seen as both positive and negative. Increased tourism can have negative impacts, as touring recreational vehicles congest the two-lane roads and slow down traffic, or as visitors burden the local sewer systems. In many communities we have not adequately discussed the impacts of tourism and the kinds of tourism we want to encourage for our area. At the 1997 Little Cities of Black Diamonds Day Celebration at Miller High School in Perry County, a panel of residents, business owners, and tourism professionals discussed with the audience major issues related to local tourism. Some audience members questioned the kinds of jobs that tourism brings. Are they all low-paying and only seasonal? Will they be enough to keep children from moving out of the area? This panel was a first step in encouraging community discussions about tourism. In developing a regional tourism economy, it is important to encourage local control and decision-making. This helps guarantee benefits to many citizens and manageable impacts on communities.

Connections
A richly forested landscape is a place that people want to visit, bringing in tourism dollars. It is also a place rich in habitat that preserves the homes of many animals and plants and makes the environment a better place for people, too. Another forest market opportunity, the emerging Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFP) industry, addresses cultural, economic and environmental issues in the Appalachian region. Developed wisely, NTFPs can contribute to our region s economy and the protection of complex ecosystems beneath the forest canopy while reaffirming the knowledge of the woods that many people maintain. 

Forest health is connected with air and water quality, soil integrity, and diversity. A 1989 West Virginia Department of Agriculture Market Bulletin states that over 50 years a tree can produce $31,200 worth of oxygen, provide $62,000 worth of air pollution control, recycle $37,500 worth of water, and control $31,250 worth of soil erosion.

Suggestions for Additional Research
The emerging Ohio s Hill Country Heritage Area, a project of the Ohio Arts Council, will support the development of heritage tourism for the area. New research about the present and potential impacts of heritage and low-impact tourism could be done. Where are people visiting? How much do people spend on overnight trips versus weekend trips? What types of recreation or sightseeing are people in other parts of Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky most interested in? Will the Ohio s Hill Country Heritage Area project help preserve historical sites in the region?

This indicator includes many aspects of forest market development, like non-timber forest products (NTFPs), adding value to cut lumber before shipping it out, and the "green" certification of lumber that is sustainably harvested. Research partnerships are needed that bring together botanical research specialists, business leaders, government agencies and woodlot owners to study habitat requirements of popular species, sustainable cultivation techniques, wise harvesting, and optimum markets for NTFPs. Surveys of woodlot owners and marketing strategies could support a network of those interested in growing and marketing products.

Concerns about possible extinction from the wild of the most popular and valuable species can be addressed through a plan for experimental cultivation plots developed by both woodlot owners and botanical researchers. Sustainable forest management could ensure that beneficial wild plants do not disappear as demands increase. 

Because current timber harvest methods may threaten the needs of the valuable resources beneath the forest canopy, data is needed on how to meet the requirements of the timber and non-timber industries so our region can enjoy many diverse economic resources from the forests.

Suggested Economic Indicators

Public Transportation 
Migration Patterns 
Restored Habitats 
Locally Owned and Operated Businesses 

Agricultural Marketing 
Service Sector Benefits 
Land Use Planning 
Industrial Diversity 
Worker-Owned Businesses 

Forest Health and Wealth 
Niche Markets 
Ecocultural Tourism 
Topsoil Condition 

Employment and Poverty 
Sustainable Logging Practices 
Coal Extraction 
Biking and Hiking Trails 
Economic and Community Development Support Agencies
 
Ohio's Hill Country

Heritage tourism, also known as cultural tourism, is one of the fastest growing areas in the tourism industry. There are heritage areas in Massachusetts, New Jersey and Pennsylvania; Ohio heritage areas include the Ohio Erie Canal Corridor in the northern part of the state. 

Appalachian Ohio, once the gateway to the Northwest Territory, has a distinctive sense of place and is an ideal heritage area candidate. Its wealth of culture and history are evident in burial mounds, Underground Railroad sites, historic buildings, and abandoned coal mines. Because of this richness and the opportunity it offers for sustainable community development, the Ohio Arts Council initiated the Ohio s Hill Country Heritage Area Program.

A heritage area fosters a balanced commitment to both the protection of environmental and cultural resources and the development of tourism and other economic opportunities. By involving many people in the process  of developing the heritage area (local elected officials, business people, tourism officials, community leaders, and representatives of arts, preservation, conservation and outdoor recreation organizations), OHCHAP hopes to have the best of all worlds: a healthy environment, a better economy, and a sense of pride in our region.

According to the National Coalition of Heritage Areas, "Heritage development begins by informing residents and visitors alike about community history, traditions and the environment, while providing [support] to create opportunities in outdoor recreation, tourism and the expansion and promotion of cultural resources."

"The most important thing about a successful regional heritage area is that many people are involved, and that the prosperity to be gained from increased tourism is shared by as many people as possible in our region," said Michelle Decker, Rural Action s Program Director working with OHCHAP. "Tourism that supports sustainable development is rooted in what we have to offer as a region what our unique assets are, like our history or our natural surroundings."

OHCHAP is a natural outgrowth of several Ohio Arts Council programs, especially the Ohio Appalachian Arts Initiative, which was started in 1994 to support existing organizations and nurture new organizations and projects in the Appalachian region. 

An Advisory Board and Executive Committee meet quarterly to plan the activities of the budding heritage area and to share resources that support local activities. For more information on how you can get involved, please call Pat Henehan at 614-466-2613.

Top five tourist activities and percent of tourists engaging in each activity:

We are not alone

When considering the challenge of undertaking a project to identify sustainability indicators for a community, the task can seem formidable. We are not alone in our quest to build better communities for tomorrow. Nationally and worldwide, communities are embracing the concepts of sustainability. The old political catch-phrase "Jobs vs. the Environment" is proving one of the biggest lies of all time, as each day a new story emerges that links environmental degradation to poverty and sustainability to wealth.

Energized communities are creating inspiring models for others to learn from and emulate. Citizens are involved, invigorated and working towards a future that meets basic human needs within their communities and assures a vibrant and well-planned future. On this page we feature a sample of models, both national and local, that give us hope and support in our efforts to chart our course for a sustainable future.

Cities like Willapa Bay, Oregon; Chattanooga, Tennessee; and Seattle, Washington, have developed sustain-ability indicators that help ready their communities for the challenges of the 21st century. Locally, several key organizations have created strong community partnerships to get us all thinking about the future of our area.

American Visions
Athens County has joined more than 3,000 counties and 1,100 cities across the U.S. that have embraced President Clinton s initiative the President s Council on Sustainable Development to develop long-term policies and programs promoting job growth, environmental stewardship and social equity the three pillars of sustainable communities. 

The National Association of Counties (NACO) has joined with the U.S. Confer-ence of Mayors to establish a Joint Center for Sustainable Communities in Washing-ton, DC. Four federal agencies support the joint center: the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Commerce and Energy, and the Environmental Protection Agency.

The ten principles NACO adopted for sustainability are: interdependence, collaboration, stewardship of resources, diversity, preventing community instabil-ity, effectiveness, equity, education, flexibility and responsibility. You can get information from the Joint Center for Sustainable Communities by calling toll-free 800-696-1667, or by checking web page www.naco.org/sustain/index.htm.

The nationwide conference on community sustainability, organized by the President s Council on Sustainable Development, is scheduled for May 1999 in Detroit, Michigan.

Sustainable Seattle
The problems in Seattle were like those of many cities, but they were made worse by the fact that the economy was highly dependent on a few large, defense-related companies. With the winding down of the Cold War and the subsequent loss of business for major employers, there was concern in Seattle about the future economic health of the community. There were also concerns about pollution and the overall quality of life.

After the 1990 Global Tomorrow Coalition, a small group of Seattle citizens started a community process to define the problems and address the concerns the coalition had identified. Six months of meetings resulted in the publication of Indicators of Sustainable Community, which detailed how well Seattle was meeting the long-term economic, environmental and social needs of the community. The indicators included the number of wild salmon returning to local streams, the hours of work at the median income level required to support a person s basic needs, the percentage of children living in poverty, and the number of registered voters. The Seattle report has been the inspiration for other communities working to strengthen the links between their economic, environmental and social components.

In addition to developing indicators, Sustainable Seattle s projects have included community forums and workshops on sustainability, a workbook in sustainable living, outreach to specific communities within Seattle, and a framework for assessing the value of individual projects in a sustainable community.

Cleaning Up Chattanooga
In 1969, Chattanooga was designated by the Environmental Protection Agency as "the dirtiest city in America." Belching smokestacks reduced the view from nearby Lookout Mountain from seven states to barely two.

But now, the city is as "green as Peter Pan s tights." The Clean Air Act forced city manufacturers to invest in $40 million worth of pollution control equipment, and by 1988 the city s air was "in attainment." That was only the beginning. 

Today Chattanooga can boast of a leaf-lined river walk along its redevel-oped downtown, a freshwater aquarium where conservation is the byword, a free and well used electric bus shuttle, the world s longest pedestrian bridge, and plans for a zero-emissions eco-industrial park and grass-roofed convention center. Vice President Al Gore said in 1995 that Chattanooga "has undergone the kind of transformation that needs to happen in our country as a whole."

Sustainable development works for Chattanooga because it is not a top-down imposition, or a marginalized protester s demand. The scaffolding visible through-out the city symbolizes a democratic process that reaches into every city neighborhood, including the poorest housing projects. 

"There was a sense of doom in the air, and the future seemed foreclosed," says Jack Murrah, executive director of the Chattanooga-based Lyndhurst foundation, about the period in the early 1980s when the city hit rock-bottom. By 1984, Lyndhurst and the new Chattanooga Venture were collaborating in the "Vision 2000" program, which called on all city residents to imagine a future for their city. A remarkably progressive agenda emerged, calling for downtown and riverfront development and improved inner-city housing a list of 233 sustain-able projects in all.

The Riverwalk, construction of which began in 1989, was the first tangible sign that the city could be reinvented. The Tennessee River, potentially a great asset to the city, had been lost to pollution from the industrial sites that lined its banks. If residents experienced the river at all, it was a view of filthy water through a chain link fence. The Riverwalk cuts through the city s heart with play-grounds, performance spaces, fishing piers and leaf-shaded walkways. Today you can see blue heron along the banks or do some fishing yourself from one of five piers. You can even eat the fish.

The $45-million Tennessee Aquarium, which focuses on freshwater ecosystems and features a kid-focused environmental research center, opened in 1992 and serves as a downtown magnet and anchor. Around the aquarium warehouses have been reclaimed as smart shopping malls, apartment buildings have been renovated, and old factories house new restaurants. Through the newly enfranchised Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprise, 3,460 units of inner-city housing have been built or renovated.

To get around downtown, in 1993 Chattanooga created a unique and free 17-vehicle electric bus service. Advance Vehicle Systems makes and exports the 22-passenger models internationally. AVS Operations manager Alan Clark says the company is a thriving private company, not a heavily subsidized nonprofit. Commuters are encouraged to leave their cars in fringe parking lots and take the shuttle in. City officials say the shuttle moves a third of the ridership at tenth the cost of their own larger diesel service; the streets are unclogged and parking is not a problem.

Transforming Chattanooga from the designated dirtiest city to a model 
for the world happened because ordinary Chattanoogans got involved. (Summarized from E, The Environmental Magazine, March/April 1998, pgs. 14-16.)

Planning in Willapa Bay
Charting its own destiny was the intent of the Willapa Bay, Washington, citizens group called the Willapa Alliance. For three years numerous individuals re-searched issues in that Pacific Northwest area to take stock of the environmental, economic and social conditions in the Willapa watershed. With information detailing present conditions and past trends, the community hopes to understand where it has been and where 
it is now so that citizens may, as a community, influence the direction in which it is going.

The people who live around Willapa Bay share a conviction: "Our home should remain beautiful, healthy and productive from an environmental, economic and social point of view. For years, outside influences government, industry and environmental groups did not always take the time to understand, or even to consult citizens in such communities."

The Willapa Alliance identified 11 indicators of concerns and challenges in the Willapa Bay area that they use to understand the health of a place. The ability to cope with change without sacrificing either ecological or cultural integrity is the hallmark of health. 

The Alliance has turned its research into action. A Willapa Fisheries Recovery Team was organized to address the prob-lem of declining salmon population, an important element in local economic well-being. A Willapa Science Library and data base is being developed which will make scientific data accessible to local educators, businesses and environmental organizations. New public education programs were implemented to help highlight local issues. 

To provide the context for supporting local businesses and entrepreneurs, a new non-profit economic development organization was formed. Its mission is to find ways to capitalize on both the richness of Willapa s ecosystem and the entrepreneurial strengths of the community.

Local Connections

Sustainability happens at the global, the national and, most importantly, the local level. Rural Action has worked with several groups that strongly support integrated development practices and help foster collaboration for sustainability.

ACEnet brings together groups of small businesses to access high-value niche markets in sectors including specialty food products and Internet services. ACEnet also operates a small-business incubator, where entrepreneurs can rent space during their startup years and have access to business equipment including computers, fax machines and copiers.

Entrepreneurs in the specialty food industry can use ACEnet s Kitchen Incubator facility, which includes a licensed kitchen, to develop and  test-market new products. ACEnet is developing a product development fund, a buy-local campaign, and a regional brand, and is engaged in efforts that will lead to local specialty food firms placing their products in the second-largest natural food retail chain in the nation.

The Center for Community Service at Ohio University supports student and community efforts to improve the community and to prepare for responsible citizenship and community leadership by facilitating meaningful community service involvement. The Center for Community Service works with faculty to help them incorporate community service into the curriculum. Students are encouraged to volunteer with area organizations as part of their class credit.

ReUse Industries is a community-owned non-profit organization that saves recyclables from the landfill to support the economy in southeastern Ohio. Items donated to ReUse Industries are cleaned, stored, repaired, and sold to businesses, agencies, and the public for reuse. In doing this, ReUse Industries helps protect our environment and creates jobs in the community.

ILGARD (the Institute for Local Government Administration and Rural Development) coordinates extensive research on issues related to this rural region. Currently ILGARD is working on the Environmental Priorities, Athens County project, which identified ground-water quality, acid mine drainage, envi-ron-mental justice, the absence of county planning, and forest disturbance as important areas to address.

About Us

Rural Action is a member-based organization located in Trimble, Ohio, with field offices and personnel working in Athens, Vinton, Pike, Perry, and Hocking counties. Our project areas include arts, agriculture, housing, health care, environmental restoration, heritage preservation, service-learning and leadership development. Principles of sustainability and rural renewal are the heart and soul of Rural Action s community development goals and mission. For information, contact Rural Action at (740) 767-4938, or visit the rest of our web site at http://www.ruralaction.org

Below, we highlight just a few of our programs and the people who make them happen.

CommUNITY Pride

For the past four years, Rural Action organizer Marilyn Knisley has assisted CommUNITY Pride (With God s Help) in its long-term development. This group of low-income, multi-racial women from Jackson Township in Pike County currently is laying the groundwork for the construction of a much-desired community building. Other projects include drug abuse prevention and GED assistance. The group serves as a model for development of Rural Action s leadership development action teams.

Integrated Pest Management

Rural Action s Integrated Pest Management Program began in 1995 when Heather Cantino conducted training for Athens City School personnel that led to the district s adoption of the pest management approach to minimize harmful pesticides in the city s schools. In 1996 Rural Action volunteers (pictured) assembled bat boxes to help attract more bats to mosquito-infested areas. In March 1998, Rural Action received a two-year grant from the Ohio EPA Environmental Education Fund to implement integrated pest management in up to 12 school districts in southeastern Ohio.

Housing Program 

This program is ready to spin off into the Rural Action Development Corporation. In addition to continued emergency home repair services, the corporation will renovate five homes recently purchased for rental to low-income residents of Glouster. In 1998, four new homes will be constructed for sale to low- and moderate-income families. Pictured here are housing crew workers preparing to replace windows at Midge Coe s home in Albany.

The Monday Creek Restoration Project

Rural Action coordinates the Monday Creek Restoration Project, which has succeeded in attracting over a million dollars in funding for reclamation projects to divert and treat acid mine drainage and for public education to increase involvement of area citizens. Pictured here are Monday Creek Project Director Mary Ann Borch and VISTA Matt McElroy planting trees at Spencer Hollow, reclaimed stripmine land in southern Perry County in the Monday Creek watershed.

Mural Corridor 

The Mural Corridor Project began with one mural and one artist leading hundreds of schoolchildren. Geoff Schenkel, pictured here in front of the Harmar Mural in Marietta, returned to his hometown five years ago with a dream of creating a community mural. He realized his dream by joining Rural Action through the VISTA*AmeriCorps program. Since then, other community murals in Shawnee, Trimble, and Wilkesville have enlisted Geoff and other area artists and children to form the "Mural Corridor," a concept for low-impact historical tourism in southeastern Ohio. Proposals for murals in Pomeroy and New Straitsville have been submitted to the Ohio Arts Council.

Sustainable Forestry

The Forestry Committee is working with area land owners, agencies, small businesses, and entrepreneurs to explore sustainable options for development of wood products and non-timber forest products such as gourmet mushrooms, medicinal herbs, wild fruits, nut trees, and ornamental plants valued by craftspeople. George Vaughn, pictured, spreads wood chips to demonstrate inoculation with gourmet mushroom spores in one of several workshops sponsored by Rural Action.

A Call to Action

Building Healthy Communities is a model of community research, but by no means a final product. Even though we ve come far enough to publish Building Healthy Communities, the indicators are not complete. In a way, they never will be, since as communities change and develop plans, indicators change too. 

To be comprehensive, sustainability indicators cover many more topics than we have covered here and involve many more people than we have reached so far. We are publishing this in local newspapers as an invita-tion to you. Bring your knowledge and ideas to this project and it will grow.

The important work of gathering data and getting involved in commu-nity planning is something that everyone can do. If you re interested in contributing your ideas and skills to the indicators, you ll find possible research topics for each indicator we ve covered under the heading, Suggestions for Additional Research. Many partners collecting data to complete the research we have begun will make this project a success. 

There are many opportunities for classroom-based research. If you are a high school or university faculty member, you may be interested in working with your students to advance the indicators project.

Those of you who work with agencies that collect related data could help move the project forward. We are eager to find out who you are and develop a partner project that brings together students, agency personnel and community groups to keep the indicators project moving towards 
a sustainable future for our region. 

If you want to be part of the future of the Sustainability Indicators project, call Carol Kuhre at 740-767-4938.