Water Collaboratory

On January 12, 2026, residents of Evarts, Kentucky, gathered at the Evarts Free Pentecostal Holiness Church Fellowship Hall for LiKEN Knowledge’s Community Water Resilience Forum. We had 19 community members in attendance, and I truly appreciate each and every one who took the time to be there. As a born-and-raised Harlan Countian, I appreciated seeing people show up, ask questions, and take an active role in supporting their community’s water story.

In 2025, LiKEN deepened our commitment to building livelihoods of care across Appalachia, along the coast of Louisiana, throughout the diverse cultural and geographic regions across the United States, and around the globe. Guided by community needs, we expanded our team, strengthened cross–sector partnerships, advanced intercultural climate and water research, and continued to build resources that improve local livelihoods. LiKENeers gathered at Experience Learning in Spruce

LiKEN Knowledge is an organization that doesn't just want to invest in communities, but one that wants to be rooted in all communities. Without our strong, empowering, knowledgeable, and passionate CECs, none of these opportunities would be possible.

Of course, it was far from a picnic in the park. We grunted and did quite a bit of primal screaming, but it was all worth it to have made the difference! To quote volunteer Katie Bowling Johnson, “Doing a battle cry while lifting a 600 lb tire with your childhood bestie brings out some primal Appalachian pride!”

We think of tires as mostly an unsightly nuisance, but the problem is not just an aesthetic one. Not only are tires unsightly, they are dangerous to our health. Tires pose an incredibly alarming source of toxins to our environment and drinking water. When tires break down, they leach toxic chemicals into our waterways. They are in fact: SILENT KILLERS.

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...

LiKEN Program Updates, Spring 2025 At LiKEN, our work is rooted in relationships to place, to people, and to the knowledge that connects...

LiKENeer Brandon Jent’s Poetry and Appalachian Resilience Brandon Jent shares his work at the Hindman Settlement School's Appalachian...

Water Collaboratory Program Fall 2024 Update The Water Collaboratory program has been hard at work this year, driving community...

By Sarah Birnbaum New research shows that failing infrastructure causes significant contamination of drinking water in many Eastern...

by Sana Aslam Ricki Draper (past LiKEN Community Engagement Coordinator) and Mary Cromer (Deputy Director of the Appalachian Citizens Law...

Rural Prison Bids In 2003, the most expensive federal prison to ever be built opened in Martin County, Kentucky near Inez. The project...

A recent study of water affordability in an eastern Kentucky county highlights the voices of disabled community members. In 2019,...

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