Network Innovation Grant

Coal River Wind Educational Website

$5,000 awarded to in
Fellow(s): Jen Osha Buysse, Evan Hansen
Topic(s): Climate Change, Energy Resources & Access

This was a seed grant under the Collaborative Initiatives Fund to support Jennifer Osha (2000 Fellow), representing the West Virginia-based advocacy organization, Aurora Lights, and Evan Hansen (1996 Fellow), President of Downstream Strategies. Jen and Evan collaborated on producing portions of a multimedia website and community guide to organizing local wind campaigns.  The regional focus of this work is the Coal River Valley in southern West Virginia.  The website, Journey Up Coal River, is intended to educate community groups about wind power as an alternative to mountaintop removal coal mining.  The website won the e-Appalachia website of the year award from the Appalachian Studies Association, and was also noticed by the West Virginia Humanities Council which provided a grant for Jen and Evan to deepen some of the mapping work on the site.  

Meet the Fellows on this Project

Katrina Schneider

Jen Osha Buysse

2000 Fellow
Jen Osha (Jen-OH-sha) Buysse is currently is the Director and co-founder of the Mountain Stewardship and Outdoor Leadership School (Mtn SOL), a West Virginia environmental education non profit. The Mountain Stewardship and Outdoor...
Evan Hansen

Evan Hansen

1996 Fellow
Evan Hansen founded Downstream Strategies, an environmental consulting firm in Morgantown, West Virginia, in 1997. He has more than 25 years of experience as an environmental consultant for nonprofit organizations, government agencies...

Read About the Impact of this Grant

Fellow Story

Journey Up Coal River