Mission - to restore the American Chestnut through a partnership of schools with their communities in a way that creates sustainable forests and communities.

"Our Common Wealth"

Teachers and community members from six participating schools in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, Kentucky Environmental Education Association, Kentucky Arts Council and members of Berea College’s faculty will convene in June to align the chestnut curriculum with state & national standards. The projects will be implemented during the 2006 school year.

Project Components:

1. Location of chestnut sprouts in local forests and move them to school property for nurturance and cross-pollination.
2. Students organize a chestnut festival for community education.
3. Pollination of blooming chestnut trees in forests with trees from Virginia experimental farm.
4. Collect oral histories about the environmental impact of the loss of the chestnut tree in Kentucky.
5. Attend national convention of American Chestnut Foundation in Lexington, Kentucky.
6. Assist with planning and reforestation of strip mine sites.
7. Make presentations at local civic functions about the chestnut project and sustainable forests.
8. Attend Forestry Field Day with Wendell Berry in Louisville.
9. Implement curriculum on local ecosystems and biological diversity.

The goal is for communities to be revitalized and forests revered. Mrs. Faye King, a retired teacher and principal from Stanton and a powerfully moving force behind this project has asked for our help to identify and invite stakeholders to join as community to fund this project. Each school would receive $600.00 for travel to the above mentioned sites, and $400.00 for supplies and materials for oral history projects and civic presentations. Teacher stipends for the Berea Conference would be $3000.00. This is a total of $9000.

The participating schools and regions are as follows:

1. Kingdom Come Elementary - Letcher County
2. Virgie Middle School - Pike County
3. G.F. Johnson Elementary - Pike County
4. Stanton Elementary - Powell County
5. Sand Gap Elementary- Jackson County
6. Whitley City Middle School - McCreary County

I will quote Mrs. Faye King -"This is not a romantic idea, but one that the partnership is committed to for a ten year period. The chestnut tree was the keystone species in the Appalachian forest and constitutes the largest restoration project undertaken by the U.S. Forestry Service. For the project to succeed, youth and communities must also be committed to its success."

If you are interested in helping with this project please contact us by phone 859-266-3030, or e-mail howe@qx.net.

We are proud to partner with Eastern

Kentucky PRIDE www.kypride.org

Additional Links

• Chestnuts & Community by Faye King

• Restoring the Chestnut by Bob Cornett