Recreation Economy for Rural Communities in Appalachia

AFN members and their partners joined an engaging speaker event on March 30, 12:30-2:00 pm EST.

Steph Bertaina from EPA’s Office of Community Revitalization shared lessons from the pilot round of the Recreation Economy for Rural Communities (RERC) program.

RERC is a federal interagency program supported by the Environmental Protection Agency, the USDA Forest Service, the Northern Border Regional Commission, and many other federal and state agency partners. The program provides planning assistance to small towns and rural communities to help them leverage growing interest in outdoor recreation to diversify their economies and and strengthen their main streets.

Cora Gnegy, Tourism Marketing Director for Giles County, Virginia, shared her experiences with the RERC program and success stories from what this central Appalachian community has accomplished since participating in the program.