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

What is an Appalachian Christmas? In years past, I remember how joyful Christmas was in my youth. Not so much for the monetary value of presents, but for the feeling that came with the deep, cold snows that would cover the mountains in a soft, white, peaceful, calming blanket.

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.

By the 1800s, unregulated over-hunting had reduced this population to 12 million, and by 1900, because of an increase in commercial hunting practices, as few as 300,000 white–tails remained, and the deer had vanished from much of their historical range. By the year 2000, though, things had changed. The passage of the federal Lacey Act created regulations for the trade of illegally harvested wildlife, and penalties for violating these regulations. This effectively destroyed th