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Where the Pawpaws Grow: Finding and Conserving Kentucky’s Banana
Just as it is with human Papaws, the name of the game is sit around and wait. I waited through the seasons and each phase of the growing cycle, waiting first on the flies and beetles to germinate the flower in early spring and then for the zebra swallowtail butterfly to lay her eggs under the leaves in the summer.
22 hours ago


It Was the Berries: Fighting The Invasion of Autumn Olive (Elaeagnus umbellata) in Appalachia
Unfortunately, large-scale plantings of autumn olive on these mine lands, with extremely low plant diversity on top of low levels of nitrogen in the soil, allowed autumn olive to grow quickly. Its invasion dominates the landscape by suppressing native regrowth. In addition, its high mast production allowed it to spread rapidly, with seeds being spread by animals that feed on the shrub’s berries.
Oct 10


A Season of Growth: LiKEN’s Summer Highlights
Summer is always a busy time for LiKEN, and this year has been no different. From creek clean ups and youth paddle camps to Tribal-led...
Sep 11


Blackberry Pickin’ Time and My Grandma's Blackberry Dumplings
It is a time of early morning dew glistening in the sunlight as it brings to life the cool feeling of anticipation of the new warmer seasons arriving. It is a time of adventure and excitement with walks in the deep woods of Kentucky. You can almost feel the anticipation in the air. It is a time of bare feet walking along the cool paths of the earth beneath and the feeling of memories and days of times past. It is a forever-connection to how it feels to grow up in the mountain
Aug 28


The Road through Hell-For-Certain; Paved with Good Intentions
To put a positive spin on the saying about a “road to hell,” however, I believe we need a “road through hell” here. Because hell does not have to be the endpoint—it is not too late for us to sit back, reflect, take stock of everything, and be proactive toward longer term systemic change—even if it feels like the house is burning down around you.
Aug 20


The Cicadas Are Coming: What Forest Landowners and Wildcrafters Need to Know in a Brood XIV Year
This year, 2025 marks the return of Brood XIV, one of the largest and most wide-reaching emergences of 17-year periodical cicadas in the U.S. Read more to learn about how your forest land could be affected.
Jun 4


Rooted in Place, Rising Together
LiKEN Program Updates, Spring 2025 At LiKEN, our work is rooted in relationships to place, to people, and to the knowledge that connects...
May 21


Agroforestry Updates: Forest Farming Spring 2024 Recap
Updates on Community Wealth from Healthy Rivers and Forests, Sharing Successes in Agroforestry, and more.
Jun 27, 2024


UPDATE: Sharing Successes in Forest Farming across Central Appalachia
A project of the Livelihoods Knowledge Exchange Network (LiKEN) In May 2020, LiKEN initiated a project to develop educational materials...
Nov 27, 2020
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