News Release
The Buckeye Trail Association (BTA) is pleased to announce that Jill Moorhead, a trustee of the organization, has been awarded a Fellowship from the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio (FAO). The fellowship will support Moorhead’s project, The Trail Ahead: Expanding Stewardship in Appalachian Ohio Through Strategic Communications, which is focused on strengthening the association’s capacity to engage communities in environmental stewardship throughout the region.
The Buckeye Trail Association maintains and promotes the more than 1,400-mile Buckeye Trail, a long-distance hiking trail that circles the state of Ohio. Significant portions of the trail wind through Appalachian Ohio and the Muskingum Watershed region, making community-based stewardship essential to its long-term success.
Through the FAO Fellowship, Moorhead will lead a series of initiatives to fuel Appalachian Ohio’s environmental stewardship work with sustainability and visibility. The project includes:
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Increased engagement and collaboration with tourism agencies in the region
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Leading the Buckeye Trail’s website transformation into a resource rich with information for outdoor experiences
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Developing a hands-on workshop for Buckeye Trail volunteers and event planners across Appalachian Ohio to enhance public relations skills, marketing best practices, and stewardship-centered storytelling for current and former Growing Home Fellows
The Buckeye Trail corridor overlaps with numerous counties within the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio’s footprint, and much of the project’s work will focus in these counties: Trumbull, Tuscarawas, Carroll, Harrison, Noble, Monroe, Washington, Morgan, Athens, Perry, Hocking, Vinton, Adams, Highland, Pike, Ross, Scioto, and Brown.
By integrating digital infrastructure, printed advocacy tools, membership engagement, tourism partnerships, and trainings, The Trail Ahead will strengthen the Buckeye Trail Association’s collaboration and long-term stewardship across Appalachian Ohio.
