Review of a Field Station Model for Sustainable Communities: Bucknell University’s Coal Region Field Station.

Keywords: Sustainable Community; Revitalization; Field Stations
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Sunday
Session Start / End Time: 2/27/2022 08:00 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/27/2022 09:20 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 32

Abstract

Pennsylvania’s lower anthracite region, once booming with the coal and garment industries, has been in a period of environmental, economic, and social decline for over a century. Towns are home to just a fraction of their populations they had at their heights in the 1920s. Coal has been on a downward spiral since post-WWII. The last garment industries closed up in the 1990s. However, much work and enthusiasm is seeing a revitalization of the region, driven in part by diverse combinations of collaborations across sectors – faith communities, non profits, government, businesses, and higher education. Bucknell University’s Coal Region Field Station, founded in 2015, has engaged over 500 students through courses, internships, and volunteering with over 25 community groups and organizations in the Mount Carmel and Shamokin areas. This paper will discuss the field station model being applied to collaborative efforts to further community-driven goals of revitalization and sustainability.