In Eastern Kentucky, the College has been on the ground and fueled by local initiative since the 1920s when E.O. Robinson donated the sites for Robinson Forest and the Quicksand Station in Breathitt County. Early work in the region focused on forestry, mountain agriculture, home economics, and of course, building the county extension system.

As Eastern Kentucky evolved, our programs adapted. At least 30 years ago, work began on techniques to reforest strip-mined lands that typically only support grassland. By 2005, a regional coalition, the Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative (ARRI), was sufficiently optimistic to set a goal of re-establishing 38 million trees on reclaimed grassland. In 2009, the United Nations recognized this project as a global model of reforestation success.

In 2004 Pike County extension leaders, seeking innovative ways to support community development, came to us with a proposal to create what was then the nation’s only fine arts county agent position. Recently, five Kentucky fine arts agents met to celebrate their success and plan for continued growth. Four of the five are in Eastern Kentucky counties.

Later in the decade, we overhauled our community and economic development operations to better respond to the challenges of hometowns facing tough times. Now our new initiative, Community and Economic Development Initiative of Kentucky (CEDIK), is working to grow local economies all over Eastern Kentucky.

Coming back to where it all started, at Robinson Forest and the Quicksand Station, we have restructured these to form the Robinson Center for Appalachian Resource Sustainability (RCARS). Read more about RCARS in this issue. Operational efficiency was one factor pressing for this change, but much more important in the long run is increasing our impact in the region. We want the new Robinson Center to become a powerful symbol of that commitment to the people of Eastern Kentucky.