Community and Economic Development

Letcher County Extension works with the Letcher County Economic Development Office to assist local organizations in retaining local businesses and industries.  We wok to maintain and promote partnerships with Federal, State and Regional Economic Development groups as well as create new marketing tools for promotion of development in the county.

PINE MOUNTAIN TRAIL STATE PARK

    In an attempt to diversify our economy and promote the county's single largest attraction (Pine Mountain), the Letcher County Extension Service has worked to help create and fund the Pine Mountain Trail State Park.

As part of the project, the office has collaborated with Congressman Harold Rogers, Governor Paul Patton, State Senator Ray Jones, and State Representatives Howard Cornett and Keith Hall, along with numerous state agencies including the Ky. Dept. of Fish & Wildlife Resources, the Ky. St. Nature Preserves Commission, the Ky. Depart. of Parks, the American Hiking Society, the US Forest Service, and the National Depart. of Parks.  The partnerships have brought in roughly 250 volunteers who have worked a total of 14,000 hours and constructed over ten miles of trail.

These efforts have yielded the state's 50th and newest state park.  Governor Patton signed the bill creating the park into law on March 30, 2002.  The bill had passed the Kentucky Senate unanimously and was one vote short of unanimous in the House.  With that designation have come nearly $2 million in grants and state matching money.  These funds will be used to secure the land for the park and to help in the construction and development of the trail.  The project has also been recognized by the National Parks Service, Rivers, Trails & Conservation Assistance Program as one of the most progressive projects in the country.

We look with an eye to the future.  Partnerships with the Ky. National Guard, the Boy Scouts of America, and local volunteers give us reason to hope that the trail will mean a lot in the future of Letcher County.  With continued efforts, our craftsmen, business owners, and kids will benefit.