Appalachian Land Academy Application
The Appalachian Land Academy is a paid 6-month opportunity that also includes food, lodging, and travel expenses for any in-person meetings. Apply by October 17th!

Participants will:
  • Meet in person as a cohort on November 7-8th at Breaks Interstate Park to co-design and kick off the academy
  • Receive a stipend of approximately $3,000 (depending on final number of participants, additional funds may be available; we anticipate a cohort size of 10-12 people)
  • Meet bi-weekly on Zoom and plan for 1-2 hours of work per week over six months
  • Attend 2-3 in-person meetings (expenses will be covered) with the full cohort at the beginning, middle, and end of the program
  • Learn how to navigate local government offices that manage land records, parcel/tax maps, and what resources exist in your area and beyond
  • Get training on maps and spatial data about land ownership and land use
  • Access and contribute to a custom map tool for verifying and improving parcel and land use records in your area
  • Meet and collaborate with others from Central Appalachia with similar concerns
  • Get support from your cohort and our project team to research land records related to an issue of concern to your community
  • Get funding and support to plan a local event or town hall meeting to share your work with your community and increase dialogue and awareness about how land records impact our lives
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Good candidates for this opportunity are people who:

  • Have strong local relationships and are comfortable organizing a public meeting or event in your area

  • Are willing to learn how to use a web-based app on a computer, tablet, or phone (no special skills or tech background required!)

  • Have one or more specific concerns related to land that you want to work on in more depth (e.g. proposed industrial facilities, flood safe housing needs, mine land reclamation, accessing land for a specific project, known systemic issues with parcel records in your area, etc.)

  • Are passionate about the role of land in building sustainable and just Appalachian futures

*No specific skills or background are necessary; the only requirement to apply is to care about the place you live and want to learn more about it!
We need your input to make sure our plan meets the needs of people who are interested in this opportunity.
Answer a few questions to let us know you are interested in participating in the Land Records Academy. We will get back to you with an update about next steps within 1-2 weeks. Please note that answering these questions does not guarantee your participation in the program: 
Please enter your name. List any preferred nicknames. *
What are your preferred pronouns?
Why are you interested in this opportunity?
Tell us a bit about your concern(s) and how you think this academy could help.  
 *
Have you done anything similar in the past? 
Examples could include: other cohort-based programs, volunteer/paid work on land, environmental, economic, or land use/planning projects? 
If so, please describe.
 *
Are you able to attend 2-3 in-person meetings that require travel and may last 1-2 days? 
Any specific accommodations you would need?
 *
In general, what distance / how many hours are you able to travel for in-person meetings? *
Travel Preferences:
We will kick off the academy at noon November 7th at Breaks Interstate Park and wrap up the morning of November 8th. The project team will reconvene everyone after the holidays for virtual cohort meetings and project work from January-May. In addition to the virtual meetings, we will have 1 or 2 more in-person meetings over the course of the program. Please answer the following:
I prefer to travel *
I am unable to travel overnight *
Do you have suggestions for meeting locations that would be central for a group of people coming from southwestern Virginia, eastern Kentucky, eastern Tennessee , and southern West Virginia? *
What is the best email to reach you at? *
Anything else you would like to tell us?
If accepted, I certify that I am committed to maintaining a commitment to the process of the Land Academy by attending mandatory meetings, participating in good faith, and communicating consistently with leaders and fellows of the program.
*
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