Livelihoods Knowledge Exchange Network

08/29/2026

Our natural dyes workshop is fast approaching! Be sure to register! https://www.pinemtn.org/calendar/m7x6gedlbhkp6n845tznhum6up70yu

08/28/2026

Rest in Power Dolly 🫡

08/27/2026

There are fruits we imported, improved, or learned to cultivate; and then there is the pawpaw.

Long before Appalachia had a name, this native tree flourished along eastern creek banks. Indigenous peoples gathered its custard-like fruit, passing that knowledge down through generations. Despite being the largest native edible fruit in the United States, most Americans have never tasted one.

That’s because the pawpaw refuses to fit into modern agriculture. It bruises easily, ripens fast, falls to the forest floor, and decays quickly. You can’t pick it green, ship it across the country, and stack it under grocery store lights. To get a pawpaw, you have to meet it on its own terms. You have to walk the creek bottoms, recognize its broad leaves, and return when summer fades into fall.
In a world that demands year-round availability, plastic packaging, and two-day shipping, the pawpaw stands defiant. It belongs to a specific place and a brief season. If you miss it, you wait until next year.
It demands that we slow down, notice our surroundings, and remember the land. Some things are sweeter because they require patience, and true abundance isn’t something delivered to your doorstep.
So here’s to the American pawpaw: thank you for being inconvenient, for belonging, and for reminding us that the best things in life were never meant to be packaged and sold.

For more about the pawpaw, read Danielle Kirk’s blog on her experience getting her first Papaw fruits: https://www.likenknowledge.org/post/where-the-pawpaws-grow

08/27/2026

The Martin County Beekeepers Association will be hosting their final swarm trap building session of the year. We will be offering two sessions throughout the day on August 27. Registration is required; the cost is $20

Scan the QR code or use the link below to register.

https://uky.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_7VBgF4J6h0ooQwm

08/26/2026

‼️New Date‼️

Sad to miss our South Fork of Kentucky River Cleanup for weather? Don’t sweat it! We’ve got a new date, and we hope to see you there!!

08/26/2026

Do you and your family own land together? If so, you may own what is called "heirs' property," family land with a fractionated title. While many people deeply value their shared family land, owning it with a fractionated or even clouded title can hinder families’ ability to use and develop it. "Getting the Homeplace In Order” is a 30-page toolkit designed to help anybody who owns, or will own, heirs’ property in any of the Commonwealth of Kentucky’s 120 counties get organized and ‘keep the land in the family.’

You can pick up hard copies at our heirs’ property info sessions or Last Will & Testament Clinics (check them out at www.likenknowledge.org/events) or read a digital copy here: https://www.likenknowledge.org/post/getting-the-homeplace-in-order-heirs-property-toolkit-kentucky

According to researchers at the US Forest Service, Kentucky contains 582,477 acres of heirs’ property (Dobbs and Johnson Gaither, 2023). Much of it is concentrated in the Appalachian counties of eastern Kentucky, making the region a national hotspot for heirs’ property. That is why LiKEN developed the Appalachian Heirs’ Property Center (AHPC), a free technical assistance program that helps families who own heirs’ property in eastern Kentucky and southern West Virginia get organized around managing their land and navigate the complexity of heirs’ property. In dozens of conversations with landowners across Central Appalachia, we have heard a lot of questions from heirs about everything from Wills to Affidavits of Descent, from severed mineral rights to active leases, and from paying delinquent property taxes to managing rampaging kudzu on their family land. At LiKEN, we’ve spent years learning lessons and putting together answers to the questions we’ve heard and more. And now, we’ve put those lessons and answers together in one place: "Getting the Homeplace In Order,” a toolkit for people who are heirs to land in Kentucky.

LiKEN Knowledge is proud to publish Getting the Homeplace In Order: Heirs’ Property Toolkit, Kentucky!This 30-page toolkit is a helpful, understandable, and relevant resource for anybody who owns—or will own—shared family land, specifically heirs’ property, in any of the Commonwealth of Kent...

08/26/2026

If you’ve been curious about create new income opportunities such as growing mushrooms, maple syrup, medicinal plants, native fruits and nuts, silvopasture, or other forest-based enterprises, our Community Wealth project can help you explore what’s possible.

Fill out the interest form below to tell us about your goals, and we’ll connect you with resources and support.

https://www.likenknowledge.org/projects/community-wealth

08/25/2026

Martin County 🐝🐝🐝

08/25/2026

So far this year, our 26 Garden Grant sites across six central Appalachian states have grown over 300,000 pounds of organic produce to feed their families, share with neighbors, and sell at their local farmers' markets!

Since 2010, this program has supported the production of over 8 million pounds of organic produce! The impacts of this program go far beyond the food production alone. Sharing knowledge and skills, building relationships, strengthening communities, and creating new partnerships across organizations all emerge from these cohorts throughout the growing season.

If you're curious about implementing a program like this in your community in central Appalachia, we encourage you to apply by September 1st at bit.ly/gardengrants2027 to received feedback on your application. The final deadline for Garden Grant applications is October 1st. Email [email protected] with any questions!