Work to preserve our region’s incredible natural treasures and the environment that sustains us all is most effective at the local level. Through the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio, that work gets done with the help of grant funding for “locally led conservation and environmental stewardship efforts that advance the greater well-being of the region.”

This year, with the help of the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District, the group awarded more than $120,000. Grants included Base Camp Alpha in Jackson County, Caldwell Exempted Village School District in Noble County, Camp Wyandot in Hocking County, Children’s Advocacy Center in Guernsey County and The Wilderness Center for work on a portion of the Middle Fork of Sugar Creek in Stark County.

Jill Moorehead, with the Buckeye Trail Association, was awarded a fellowship to build the group’s ability to engage people in environmental stewardship.

Muskingum County’s Warriors 2 Wilderness received an innovation grant for “Roots to Resilience.”

And research grants were awarded to Rural Action, for work on a site in Lawrence County; Steubenville City Schools, for a microplastics project in Jefferson County; University of Rio Grande for a nature complex in Gallia County; The Wilderness Center, for a data-driven conservation prioritization framework across Appalachian Ohio; and Youngstown State University, for a study on Tappan Lake in Harrison County.

The scope of the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio’s distribution of funds reminds us just how many small projects are adding up to big improvements in conservation, the environment and quality of life in our region.

What we have here — the people, the communities and this precious land we call home — is worth protecting. Thank goodness there are so many taking up the challenge.