Rural Action is a non profit working in Appalachian

Appalachian Mountains

The Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...

 Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

 promoting economic, social

Social justice

Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being. The term and modern concept of "social justice" was coined by...

 and environmental justice

Environmental justice

Environmental justice is "the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, sex, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies." In the words of Bunyan Bryant,...

. The organization envisions a region of clean streams, healthy forests, thriving family farms, meaningful jobs for everyone and lively towns that remember local history and celebrate their stories.
Rural Action works in the following programs:

• Watershed
  Drainage basin
  A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
  
   restoration
  • Huff Run Watershed Restoration Partnership, working in the Huff Run
    Huff Run
    Huff Run is a 9.9 mile long tributary of the Conotton Creek in eastern Ohio within Sandy Township and Rose Township . Conotton Creek is a tributary of the Ohio River via the Tuscarawas River and the Muskingum River...
    
     Watershed
  • Monday Creek Restoration Project, working in the Monday Creek
    Monday Creek
    Monday Creek is a tributary of the Hocking River, 27 miles long, in southeastern Ohio in the United States. Via the Hocking and Ohio Rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of 116 square miles on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau...
    
     Watershed
  • Sunday Creek Watershed Group, working in the Sunday Creek
    Sunday Creek
    Sunday Creek is a tributary of the Hocking River, 27.2 miles long, in southeastern Ohio in the United States. Via the Hocking and Ohio Rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining 139 square miles in a mainly rural area of the Allegheny Plateau region...
    
     Watershed
  • Federal Valley Watershed Group)
• Sustainable agriculture
  Sustainable agriculture
  Sustainable agriculture is the practice of farming using principles of ecology, the study of relationships between organisms and their environment...
  
  
• Sustainable forestry
• Environmental Learning Program
• Youth Act
• Arts and Cultural Heritage

History

The Appalachian Ohio Public Interest Campaign (AOPIC) was founded in 1985 working in environmental advocacy. In 1991, AOPIC was reorganized as Rural Action, changing its focus to regional revitalization. In 1994, Rural Action began an AmeriCorps* VISTA program to build capacity.

Awards

• The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (Division of Mineral Resources Management) presented Rural Action's Monday Creek Restoration Project with its "Minerals Education Award" and "Conservation Achievement of the Year Award" in 2004.http://www.ruralaction.org/mcrp_awards2004.html
• The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (Division of Mineral Resources Management) presented the Huff Run Watershed Restoration Partnership (which Rural Action sponsors) with its "Minerals Education Award" and its " Excellence in Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation" in 2006. http://www.ohiodnr.com/news/dec06/1222mrmawards.htm

External links

• Rural Action Website
• Expanded description of Rural Action at the Smart Communities Network
• Overview of Rural Action's activities utilizing a Managing Information with Rural America grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation
• "Rural Action Strengthens Ties between School and Community during Appalachian Ohio's Long Fight for Equitable School Funding" Publication available at the Education Resources Information Center
  Education Resources Information Center
  ERIC - the Education Resources Information Center - is an online digital library of education research and information. ERIC is sponsored by the Institute of Education Sciences of the U.S. Department of Education...