An Idea, a Grant—and a Challenge:
How Our Resourceful Communities Program Began

The roots of The Conservation Fund’s Resourceful Communities Program (RCP) emerged in 1990, when Mikki Sager, then an administrative assistant, and veteran Fund staffer Dick Ludington were approached by residents of Tyrrell County, N.C. A big conservation project had taken land off the county tax rolls, costing the small community needed revenue. Listening to community concerns and knowing the region’s potential, Ludington hatched an idea: build a visitor center, with bike and kayak rentals, youth conservationists and more to create jobs and businesses from the region’s rich natural resources. He asked Sager to write a grant proposal—her first.

To Sager’s delight, her grant request of $24,000 was approved—but only as a match, requiring her to raise twice that amount from other sources. Rising to the challenge, she succeeded—and soon, RCP was launched.

RCP helps North Carolina’s rural communities address persistent poverty by tapping natural resources to create jobs and strengthen economies. Over time, RCP has had its share of watershed moments, including the program’s first “Grassroots Convening” in 2001. The statewide gathering of 20 community, government, business and environmental leaders who met to share ideas and forge new partnerships was a resounding success and is an annual event. In 2010, more than 270 partners participated in Grassroots Convening and leadership workshops across the state.

Each year, RCP partners share ways to farm sustainably, say, or develop businesses that use natural resources well. As a result, their communities are not forced to choose between a healthy environment or decent jobs but instead work toward solutions that provide both, while confronting issues of social justice.

As Sager says, “It’s this human dynamic—all the challenges of people and place—that makes our work so meaningful.”

Meet the People Behind Resourceful Communities

• 
  Mikki Sager, Program Manager
• 
  Kathleen Marks, Associate Director
• 
  Monica McCann, Associate Director
• 
  Cynthia Brown, RCP Specialist

In the Sandhills: RCP at Work

Michael Cox, our controller, shares his view on why our work matters.

As controller at The Conservation Fund, while recording each transaction of our operations and real estate projects, I have come to appreciate all the work behind these numbers.

I grew up on a farm in eastern North Carolina. About once a year, I go back to visit my family—and the land. In doing so, I’m reminded of the many valuable lessons my parents shared about people and their land. I'd like to tell you a story about one such lesson of people and their land in North Carolina’s Sandhills.

It's mid-January. Mikki Sager, who heads our Resourceful Communities Program (RCP), and partner Ammie Jenkins, executive director of the Sandhills Family Heritage Association, are discussing their progress in protecting historically African-American lands in the area. They’re also planning ahead for a Farmers Market—the first African American-the first in the region to be run by African-Americans. Just listening to them, and scanning the carefully chronicled maps of the land, brought back a flood of memories and made me nostalgic for my childhood—and the rural character that is still very much alive in this community.

Ms. Jenkins explained how important these lands were in the early- to mid-20th century. The care and protection of the land was crucial because it offered so much, including: farming to nourish a family, shelter for safe haven from racial persecution, employment and opportunity, roots and leaves for medicinal purposes, and a healthy home environment. Today, the care and protection of this land is about cherishing and passing on this legacy, with the real economic and environmental benefits still present.

As we toured the community, we talked about the importance of connecting people and their land. Given the temptation for younger landowners to profit from development, they must be inspired by a vision big and simple enough to capture their hearts. I’m reassured that the vision of the Sandhills Family Heritage Association will do just that.