Monitoring Renewal: Breathing life into the Appalachians

Aug 2024

ERC Foundation M&E Coordinator Mick dos Santos reflects on his time at Renew Appalachia in Kentucky, USA in June 2024

My brief visit to Renew Appalachia was unforgettable, filled with the kind of work that lies at the heart of ERC: a cooperative inquiry into ecosystem restoration. Leaving Portugal behind, I didn’t anticipate a hotter, more humid climate but I was in for a surprise. Clifford (“Cliff”) Smith, Founder and CEO of Renew Appalachia, picked me up for a six-hour car journey from Pittsburgh, the “Steel City,” across West Virginia, and into Lovely, Eastern Kentucky.

My curiosity was piqued by the stunning temperate rainforests of the Appalachian mountain range, along with Cliff’s story and profound commitment to this incredible yet degraded landscape. Despite it being around 5 PM and my jetlag kicking in, I chose to explore when asked if I wanted to rest or take a tour. I’ll paraphrase that tour to give you an overview of the remarkable work happening at Renew Appalachia.

Part of the global ERC movement, Renew Appalachia sits on 7,000 acres of mostly reclaimed surface coal mine land. In 2023 alone, 200 acres of reclaimed lands were prepared using techniques that had yielded the most impressive results over the course of 20 years as evidenced by earlier demonstration sites (read more about those below). Subsequently, this vast area was replanted using primarily native forest species.

Cliff first showed me the bare tree nursery, home to 200,000 seedlings, including 20,000 high-value white oak seeds. Donations for the nursery and many of these seedlings awaiting replanting at Renew Appalachia have come from a number of organizations including Terraformation, Forest Carbon Works and Mark Shepard via Ecosystem Restoration Communities.

On the left is Cliff in the bare tree nursery; on the right, the wild horses at the Appalachian Legacy site

We then ventured uphill for a brief visit to the inspiring Appalachian Legacy initiative, a non-profit set up to ensure the safety and wellbeing of feral and wild herds of horses in the Appalachia. Amidst the rescued horses and their freshly built fences, I learned about Erin O’Neill’s mission to restore the ecological equilibrium of wild horses in the Appalachian landscape. It was incredibly soothing to spend time with these special creatures as the sun set.

Our final stop was at the nearby demonstration sites, actively restored and reforested about 20 years ago. Researchers from the University of Kentucky assessed various restoration approaches at these sites for a decade. Although management and monitoring were discontinued, these plots still serve as valuable reference sites or benchmarks against which the progress of ongoing restoration efforts can be measured.

Reforestation site on the left, surface coal and oak seedling on the right

Let’s take a step back and dive into why I traveled to Eastern Kentucky in the first place. For over two years, Cliff, myself, Eugene Eccli (a retired volunteer deeply committed to the ERC movement), and Kentucky State University (KYSU) have been holding online meetings to discuss monitoring priorities and approaches suitable for Renew Appalachia.

Last year, Eugene and several KYSU students visited Renew Appalachia to take soil samples for the first time. As discussions continued, we converged on a set of relevant indicators for monitoring and developed a sampling strategy. With KYSU ready to sample at Renew Appalachia, Cliff and Eugene invited me to join the efforts on behalf of the ERC Foundation.

During this visit, more than 100 soil samples were collected by a diverse, multidisciplinary group of students, following robust data collection protocols from KYSU. Additionally, the students were introduced to the ERC’s citizen science-based monitoring tools, designed to transform everyday people into active participants in the science behind ecosystem restoration. This effort marked the beginning of a long-term, collaborative monitoring program, uniting Renew Appalachia’s team, KYSU, and the global ERC movement.

Ground monitoring activities (with author Mick dos Santos on the left)

The trip also featured a dissemination meeting at the local agricultural extension office, which was advertised in local newspapers to enhance public engagement. Renew Appalachia’s team and initiatives were shared with members of the local community and relevant stakeholders, promoting transparency, social acceptance, and collaboration. For example, ClimeCo, a carbon project developer working with Renew Appalachia, shared about their plans developing and listing a high quality project on the Verra registry, further emphasizing the community’s role in carbon sequestration efforts. Additionally, the Appalachian Legacy Initiative, voicing the needs of the often-overlooked wild horse herds from the region, was presented to the community. This meeting demonstrated how transparency can boost local and external partnerships to advance ecosystem restoration and conservation efforts.

Renew Appalachia is more than just an environmental project; it is a beacon of hope for a region historically scarred by industrial activity. By supporting various ecopreneurs and nature stewards, Renew Appalachia is promoting sustainable land management, regenerative livelihoods, and the local economy. This involves restoring soil health, sequestering carbon, experimenting with restorative business models, and creating new opportunities for the community.

Our collaboration with Renew Appalachia and Kentucky State University is just the beginning. The data gathered from soil monitoring will provide invaluable insights to inform and monitor restoration activities. As we await the detailed results from lab analysis, the community remains engaged and positive about the sustainable future being built.

Stay tuned for further updates on this audacious journey to restore Appalachia (to be read as “apple-at-cha” if you don’t want an apple thrown at you)!


Visit Renew Appalachia to learn more about their critical work and impact on the region.