How ecotourism is reshaping Appalachia

Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in The New Political’s Winter Magazine: “Moving Forward.”

As the country is working toward building a better future in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic, some Appalachians are focusing on ecotourism and encouraging the growth of small businesses.

Appalachia Ohio has been subject to multiple efforts in recent years to improve infrastructure and to bring economic prosperity into the region, with some efforts focusing on ecotourism.

Ecotourism is “the practice of touring natural habitats in a manner meant to minimize ecological impact,” according to the Webster Dictionary.

It also aims to observe wildlife and to support conservation efforts.

A study conducted by the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF) found that ecotourism can incentivize communities to take care of their environments because their incomes can be linked to the preservation of said environments. It concluded that ecotourism operations have the potential to return up to 95% of its earnings into the local economy.

Politicians also believe that ecotourism has the potential to bring more jobs into communities than other industries such as mining or timber, showing a shift in industries in the United States.

Jasmine Facun, the Baileys Trail System program assistant with Rural Action, talked about using the scenery that exists in Appalachia in a previous interview with The New Political.

“Sustainable development is possible in a rural place, and we don’t need to necessarily look at our natural resources as something that needs to be extracted,” Facun said. “The beauty of where we live is a natural resource.” 

In November, Vinton County Probate Judge Bob Grillo approved the creation of the Vinton County Park District.

Proposed by the county’s marketing director, Caleb Appleman, the park district is intended to serve as a tool for economic growth, a press release said.

“There are beautiful areas of our county away from the existing state parks and forests, but there isn’t much for a visitor to do other than drive past private property,” Appleman said in the press release.

“We can use the park district not just to conserve scenic natural areas and historic sites, but to build tourism assets that will provide recreational and educational opportunities,” he added. “This is our county government’s first major step toward taking an active role in transforming our local economy from one based on mining and timber to one based on tourism and outdoor recreation.”

A previous report from The New Political noted that Airbnbs and other lodging options have been popping up near the Baileys trailheads, giving travelers a convenient place to stay and access the trails. 

Additionally, in December, the Vinton County Convention and Visitors Bureau purchased Hotel McArthur, the oldest surviving structure in the county, in a bid to renovate, repair and restore the building to allow for additional lodging, a press release said. 

Once fully operational, the hotel could bring in an estimated $860,000 in state and local tax revenue to the county, according to the release.

“... Vinton County really doesn’t have much in the way of tourism infrastructure, yet tourism is our only growing industry,” Appleman said in the December release. 

“The decision to operate the hotel — and to create our own parks as tourist attractions — was made because no one else is doing it,” he continued. “We’ve committed ourselves to being proactive and building the things we’re missing.”

The Baileys Trail System, with a trailhead located in Chauncey, has been a big source of momentum for ecotourism initiatives in the region. 

According to a previous report from The New Political, the Baileys has already resulted in two lodging businesses opening up in Millfield: Baileys Lodging Company and Baileys Basecamp.

In a recent report from the Athens Messenger, an old school building in Chauncey will be renovated to have a brewery and a restaurant as well as other businesses in the future.

Rural Action is a group in Appalachia Ohio that aims to help sustainable and inclusive development for communities, with a focus on sectors such as food and agriculture and social enterprise development. 

The group is currently running a project called the Trail Town Business Challenge. This challenge aims to give an opportunity to participants to learn how to create a business plan and develop it while competing for a prize that could give them the opportunity to turn the plan into reality.

The challenge’s purpose is to also help bring more businesses into the region and grow the outdoor economy.

In June, Rural Action hosted an event called the Ride Through Time Guided Bicycle Tour that allowed participants to ride along the back roads of Athens County and see historic and natural sites the county has to offer.

A previous report from AP News states that approximately two-thirds of the coal industry jobs in Appalachia have disappeared since the 1990s, resulting in a need for more economic opportunities and jobs in the region. 

Despite this, small businesses have a hopeful future as the state of Ohio is releasing more funding opportunities through grants for entrepreneurs to recover from consequences that arose through the pandemic or to start a business to help develop the economy of areas in need.

Grant opportunities are also opening up in Appalachia to support small businesses and bring economic opportunities into the region that has become less prosperous in the past few decades.

One grant available for Ohio communities is the POWER grant offered through the Appalachia Regional Commission (ARC).

The ARC is an economic development agency that spans across 13 state governments with the mission to innovate and invest to build communities and strengthen economies in Appalachia.

The POWER grant aims to help communities that have been negatively impacted from job losses connected to the coal industry. One purpose of the POWER grant is to create new jobs and build on community infrastructure. 

According to Ohio State Code on open space acquisition and development projects, to acquire or develop land from money awarded from grants, the space’s purpose would need to emphasize uses such as the enhancement of economic development of a community or the preservation of the ecosystem.