Appalachian Coal Country Team
OSM/VISTAs Nicole Tucker and Amber Bellamy with Friends of the Russell Fork coordinated a Wild and Scenic Film Festival in Haysi, VA -- bringing the community together and raising awareness of watershed issues and the organization.
What's New
Position available: OSM/VISTA Teams Outreach/Marketing Coordinator
February 14, 2013Fight poverty. Experience Appalachia. Become an OSM/VISTA Leader.
February 14, 2013Position available: Promote Reforestation in Rural Mining Communities!
February 14, 2013ACCT Summary Fall 2012 available for download
January 31, 2013ACCT Serves Across the Region for National Day of Service
January 21, 2013
Appalachian Coal Country Team News Archive »
Become a community sponsor for an OSM/VISTA
"We have had three OSM/VISTAs over the last 5 years. These positions provide us with a shot in the arm that we need to continue to work in impoverished communities. If my organization could secure the funding to sponsor more than one OSM/VISTA, we most certainly would."
-Robert Hughes, Executive Director, EPCAMR
OSM/VISTA Jenna Fehr raises awareness about watershed health and stormwater at the Piney Creek Watershed Association's festival in Beaver, WV
The Appalachian Coal Country Team (ACCT) functions as an umbrella organization, providing watershed/community improvement groups in Appalachia with OSM/VISTA Volunteers, Summer Interns and Summer Associates to promote economic development and environmental change at the grassroots level. Learn more about the ACCT and OSM/VISTAs here.
Local organizations that partner with the ACCT receive an OSM/VISTA Volunteer Project for a total of three years and enjoy the support that the Team provides: training, informational resources, access to a network of peer organizations and more.
To sponsor an OSM/VISTA, an organization must:
- Be a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization (or have the sponsorship of a non-profit or other local agency — such as a Soil & Water Conservation District, County Commission, a local RC&D, etc).
- Demonstrate the capacity for effective supervision and support for an OSM/VISTA member.
- Develop a project work plan that reflects the Coal Country Team's Core Goals.
- Sign a Memorandum of Agreement.
- Be able and willing to pay the fringe cost of hosting an OSM/VISTA Volunteer (travel, office, mailing, printing, etc).
OSM/VISTA Miranda Shoemaker accepts funding for the Armstrong Conservation District after she wrote and received a $1.5 million grant for the organization in Kittanning, PA
We encourage you to contact the ACCT to discuss whether or not this opportunity is right for your community. Contact:
April Trent, Team Director
Note: Watersheds that are just starting their development may wish to first consider applying for an OSM/VISTA Summer Associate or Intern, a position that provides 8-10 weeks of full-time work by a college junior or senior.