Beyond formal groups: neighboring acts and watershed protection in Appalachia
This paper explores how watershed organizations in Appalachia have persisted in addressing water quality issues in areas with a history of coal mining. We identified two watershed groups that have taken responsibility for restoring local creeks that were previously highly degraded and sporadically m...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Utrecht University Library Open Access Journals (Publishing Services)
2016-09-01
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| Series: | International Journal of the Commons |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.thecommonsjournal.org/articles/578 |
| _version_ | 1819047947349786624 |
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| author | Heather Lukacs Nicole M. Ardoin Emily Grubert |
| author_facet | Heather Lukacs Nicole M. Ardoin Emily Grubert |
| author_sort | Heather Lukacs |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This paper explores how watershed organizations in Appalachia have persisted in addressing water quality issues in areas with a history of coal mining. We identified two watershed groups that have taken responsibility for restoring local creeks that were previously highly degraded and sporadically managed. These watershed groups represent cases of self-organized commons governance in resource-rich, economically poor Appalachian communities. We describe the extent and characteristics of links between watershed group volunteers and watershed residents who are not group members. Through surveys, participant observation, and key-informant consultation, we found that neighbors – group members as well as non-group-members – supported the group's function through informal neighboring acts. Past research has shown that local commons governance institutions benefit from being nested in supportive external structures. We found that the persistence and success of community watershed organizations depends on the informal participation of local residents, affirming the necessity of looking beyond formal, organized groups to understand the resources, expertise, and information needed to address complex water pollution at the watershed level. Our findings augment the concept of nestedness in commons governance to include that of a formal organization acting as a neighbor that exchanges informal neighboring acts with local residents. In this way, we extend the concept of neighboring to include interactions between individuals and a group operating in the same geographic area. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T11:08:27Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a4f33030a77b40768e6542e0ce964c01 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1875-0281 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T11:08:27Z |
| publishDate | 2016-09-01 |
| publisher | Utrecht University Library Open Access Journals (Publishing Services) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of the Commons |
| spelling | doaj.art-a4f33030a77b40768e6542e0ce964c012022-12-21T19:06:10ZengUtrecht University Library Open Access Journals (Publishing Services)International Journal of the Commons1875-02812016-09-0110287890110.18352/ijc.578301Beyond formal groups: neighboring acts and watershed protection in AppalachiaHeather Lukacs0Nicole M. Ardoin1Emily Grubert2Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources, Stanford UniversityGraduate School of Education and Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford UniversityEmmett Interdisciplinary Program on Environment and Resources, Stanford UniversityThis paper explores how watershed organizations in Appalachia have persisted in addressing water quality issues in areas with a history of coal mining. We identified two watershed groups that have taken responsibility for restoring local creeks that were previously highly degraded and sporadically managed. These watershed groups represent cases of self-organized commons governance in resource-rich, economically poor Appalachian communities. We describe the extent and characteristics of links between watershed group volunteers and watershed residents who are not group members. Through surveys, participant observation, and key-informant consultation, we found that neighbors – group members as well as non-group-members – supported the group's function through informal neighboring acts. Past research has shown that local commons governance institutions benefit from being nested in supportive external structures. We found that the persistence and success of community watershed organizations depends on the informal participation of local residents, affirming the necessity of looking beyond formal, organized groups to understand the resources, expertise, and information needed to address complex water pollution at the watershed level. Our findings augment the concept of nestedness in commons governance to include that of a formal organization acting as a neighbor that exchanges informal neighboring acts with local residents. In this way, we extend the concept of neighboring to include interactions between individuals and a group operating in the same geographic area.https://www.thecommonsjournal.org/articles/578appalachiainformal participationneighboringnestednesswatershed |
| spellingShingle | Heather Lukacs Nicole M. Ardoin Emily Grubert Beyond formal groups: neighboring acts and watershed protection in Appalachia International Journal of the Commons appalachia informal participation neighboring nestedness watershed |
| title | Beyond formal groups: neighboring acts and watershed protection in Appalachia |
| title_full | Beyond formal groups: neighboring acts and watershed protection in Appalachia |
| title_fullStr | Beyond formal groups: neighboring acts and watershed protection in Appalachia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Beyond formal groups: neighboring acts and watershed protection in Appalachia |
| title_short | Beyond formal groups: neighboring acts and watershed protection in Appalachia |
| title_sort | beyond formal groups neighboring acts and watershed protection in appalachia |
| topic | appalachia informal participation neighboring nestedness watershed |
| url | https://www.thecommonsjournal.org/articles/578 |
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