New report examines Land-Grant University capacity to support outdoor recreation economies

October 15, 2024

A new report sheds light on the readiness of Land-Grant Universities (LGUs) to support the development of outdoor recreation economies around U.S. national forests, and identifies the places best positioned to allocate resources for recreation economy programming. It draws on an assessment conducted earlier this year by West Virginia University Rural Tourism Specialist Doug Arbogast in partnership with the National Extension Outdoor Recreation Working Group and the Regional Rural Development Centers.

Welcoming NERCRD’s newest team member, Dr. Minsu Kim!

October 8, 2024

The NERCRD team is pleased to welcome the newest postdoctoral scholar, Dr. Minsu Kim, who joined the Center on October 3rd. Minsu is an energy, environmental, and urban/regional economist who focuses on topics in energy transition and urban/regional sustainability, with an emphasis on optimal policy, technology adoption, consumer behavior, and local policy implementation. While at […]

USDA to fund analysis of how U.S. businesses approach decarbonization

October 3, 2024

NERCRD researchers and their collaborators will receive $650,000 over three years to study why, how and where U.S. businesses are developing and adopting renewable energy sources — a process known as decarbonization — and how these decisions could affect rural communities.

decorative image: people in a pumpkin patch

New paper digs into limitations of agritourism and direct sales data

September 20, 2024

Agritourism plays a critical role in rural economies, supporting farm viability and offering diverse income streams for agricultural producers. In a recent article published in the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, a team of agritourism researchers including three from NERCRD emphasize the importance of accurate data collection in this sector. They also advocate for more comprehensive data to better inform the future of agritourism development and rural entrepreneurship.

National Extension Tourism Network publishes its 2023 conference proceedings

September 18, 2024

With administrative support from the Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development, the National Extension Tourism Network (NET) has published proceedings from its 2023 national conference, which took place in Milwaukee, WI, September 24-27, 2023. The goal of the proceedings is to increase access to the impactful work presented at the conference. It includes nine submissions, which are divided into three sections/themes: Agritourism, Rural Tourism, and Engaging with Specific Audiences.

US Map, color coded by regions defined by USDA

Webinar Recording: An introduction to the National Broadband Navigator instrument

September 10, 2024

This NERCRD webinar introduced the National Broadband Navigator, an innovative, public spatial-analysis tool designed to help community leaders plan broadband projects in areas currently underserved by high-speed internet. A recording from the event, which took place on Tuesday, September 24, is available.

WVU awarded ARC funding to lead development of Rural Tourism Institute

September 5, 2024

The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) announced a $485,000 planning grant for the development of a Rural Tourism Institute. Led by WVU’s Doug Arbogast, the project team includes collaborators at North Carolina State Extension Tourism, the Community and Economic Development Initiative of Kentucky, the Northeast and Southern Regional Rural Development Centers, prominent tourism industry consultants, and community partners across three Appalachian states.

NERCRD attends Pennsylvania Ag Summit hosted by U.S. House Committee on Agriculture Chair Glenn Thompson

August 21, 2024

On August 12, NERCRD’s Director and Associate Director had the opportunity to attend the sixth annual Pennsylvania Ag Summit. Hosted by the Chair of the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture, U.S. Representative Glenn “GT” Thompson event was held to showcase Pennsylvania’s agriculture industry.

decorative image showing logos of institutions represented by this year's Northeast NACDEP awardees.

Northeast Extension teams honored with national, regional awards!

August 19, 2024

In June, several members of the National Association for Community Development Extension Professionals (NACDEP) were recognized with awards. The awards were presented at the 2024 NACDEP meeting, which took place in Houston, TX, and was hosted by Prairie View University. Among this year’s awardees were several Northeast NACDEP members – please join us in congratulating […]

Researchers earn NSF grant to measure local innovation activity

August 13, 2024

A team of researchers — including NERCRD’s Zheng Tian and Stephan Goetz, and their collaborator Timothy Wojan, an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) fellow — were awarded a two-year, $300,000 grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop a new method for accurately measuring innovation activity in small geographic regions.

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