In rural areas, there aren’t as many homeless people as there are peopleless lands. So, ACW has gotten involved with land trusts and other community projects looking for like-minded humans to LOVE, inhabit, care-take, sustainably live upon (alone or with others), environmentally protect, and/or purchase or rent various beautifully wild and wonderful pieces of land in our region.
Participation in grass-roots community projects like these gives the Appalachian Catholic Worker opportunities to offer a unique perspective and a prophetic voice in the area. Each one listed here has a mission that reflects aims similar to the Catholic Worker, and allows me to serve and work with others in the wider local and regional areas.
Mission Statement: APPAL is an alliance of people protecting Appalachian lands.
Vision: To provide a community of solidarity and a network of support for those wanting to steward and preserve lands in the region, and to offer pro-active assistance to them in planning for perpetuity.
Alliance of People Protecting Lands in Appalachia is an informal organization, simply a network of people watching out for each other’s land. It is not legally binding, has no liabilities, and there are no dues for its members. If you have any questions or are interested in becoming a member of APPAL contact Jeannie Kirkhope at jeannie@acwfarm.com
Functions of APPAL:
The APPAL Facilitator will set up, maintain and monitor a page on the CCA website for online forums for the Alliance to network and support one another and encourage new members.
Each January, the Facilitator will check-in with APPAL members, and request from them an updated roster with name and contact information of the board members or intentional community members and the lands they seek to maintain.
The Facilitator will provide this updated roster to APPAL members for network and support, and keep it in CCA files.
The Facilitator will report the status of the lands in APPAL to CCA’s board of directors at their first meeting of the year (usually February).
If necessary, the Facilitator will alert APPAL members that particular land is in need of succession planning, or in danger of being lost. APPAL members will then be available to assist in securing overseers, so the land can remain protected and in use for its intended purpose. If, for whatever reason, no one is left to ensure protection of the lands, APPAL will be available to appoint appropriate people to do so, in accordance with the charter of the Trust or Community.
AP P A L M e m b e r s
Regional Land Trust of West Virginia - (RLTWV)
Spencer, WV
President of the Board: Mary Wildfire
Sunny Bank Farm Charitable Trust
Spencer, WV
Trustee: Tom Whittier
Woodland Community Land Trust
Clairfield, TN
Marie Cirillo
Curtis Pike Community
Richmond, KY
Rob Weise
JASMER
Kermit, WV
Sr. Gretchen Shaffer, Sr. Kathy O’Hagen