Press Release
Rural Resource Team Visits Central Kentucky
Washington, D.C. (July 28, 2006) - Today the National Trust for Historic Preservation announced that a multidisciplinary team of national and regional rural experts is visiting Central Kentucky throughout this week, looking at agriculture and land use issues impacting an eight-county area. The Rural Resource Team is a service provided as a result of Central Kentucky's participation in the National Trust's Rural Heritage Development Initiative, a three year program funded by a grant from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation and matching funds from the region, to explore and implement preservation-based rural economic development strategies.
The public is invited to hear preliminary observations and recommendations from the team on Thursday evening from 7 to 9 p.m. at St. Catherine's College Board Room in Springfield. National team members include Gerry Cohn, Southeast Director, American Farmland Trust, Graham, North Carolina; Dr. Charles Law, Director, Local Government Center, University of Wisconsin-Extension, Madison, and President, National Barn Alliance; and Jim Lindberg, Director, Preservation Initiatives, National Trust Mountains/Plains Office, Denver.
Regional team members are Rick Greenwell, University of Kentucky Agriculture Extension Agent, Washington County; Janet Johnston, Bardstown - Nelson County Planning Department; and Bill McCloskey, Regional Project Analyst, Governor's Office of Agricultural Policy. Amy Sparrow Potts, Central Kentucky field representative for the Rural Heritage Development Initiative, and Greenwell are coordinating the team locally.
According to Rick Greenwell, the Rural Resource Team will provide information and resources for local farmers and property owners who want to preserve their farm buildings and landscapes, while addressing opportunities for new crops and markets to improve sustainability of small family-owned farms. "We'll be looking at a wide range of issues and opportunities-from agritourism to new uses for tobacco barns. We want to come out of this with strategies for moving forward as a region to protect our farms and provide more economic opportunities," Greenwell said.
Team leader Jim Lindberg sees a long-term public policy component resulting from the team's efforts to identify key rural preservation strategies. "Across the country rural areas are looking for model policies and legislation that will help them sustain their economic base, while maintaining rural communities and farms as great places to live and visit," Lindberg added.
Over the course of the week, team members will be visiting farms and meeting with key agriculture leaders in the Central Kentucky region encompassing Nelson, Washington, Larue, Green, Taylor, Mercer, Boyle, and Washington counties. Among the highlights in the week's itinerary are a home-cooked farm luncheon prepared by Larue County farmer and president of Preservation Kentucky, Joanna Hinton, and a stay at Maple Hill Manor in Washington County, where the team will get a first-hand look at a working alpaca farm. Observations and insights gained from touring the eight counties will help shape preliminary strategies that the team will outline at the public presentation on Thursday evening.
Regional partners for the Trust's Rural Heritage Development Initiative
are Preservation Kentucky, Inc., and the Kentucky Heritage Council. Dry
Stone Conservancy is also a collaborating partner.