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Upon drainage, peatlands subside and release stored carbon (C) into the atmosphere. However, little is known about the magnitude of the total, physical and oxidative subsidence (TS, PS and OS) over long historical periods and the past contribution of humans to the degradation observed in contemporary times. Lack of historical subsidence data may hinder contemporary restoration efforts, highlighting the need for insights into past degradation to inform current management practices. Therefore, the present study aims to assess the effect of human activities on the degradation of a raised bog in Denmark in terms of the TS, PS, OS and the C lost between 1880 and 2010 using legacy datasets. The results indicate that 84 % of the bog had been drained by 1997. The TS was 1.6 m on average with a rate of 1.8 cm y-1 . A total of 117 million m3 of peat was lost in the 130-year period. The PS was most important shortly after the start of drainage while OS gained importance in the long term. Up to 540 t ha-1 of C-stock was lost at a rate of 6 t ha-1 y -1, translating to 22 t ha-1 y -1 in carbon dioxide equivalents. Therefore, the bog represents a C source in contemporary times, which necessitates targeted and positive management interventions that favour peat growth and C accumulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Education Express, a state-of-the-art mobile classroom, brings computer training to rural training sites in Schuyler, Chemung, and Tioga Counties--the Southern Tier of New York. Clients include nurses, other workers, senior citizens, and GED students, who lack access to such trainings because of financial, time, or distance constraints. (Author/SV)

Created to fill a need for low-cost Internet access in rural Washington County, Ohio, the nonprofit Information Technology Group teamed up with a local college to provide technical assistance and free seminars on basic computing and technology use for local residents. The group regards residents' technological literacy as a building block of community economic development. (Author/SV)

In three counties of western North Carolina, students who meet requirements of the New Century Scholars program during their last 6 years of secondary school are guaranteed a 2-year scholarship to Southwestern Community College. Financed by community fund-raising efforts, the program provides a close network of academic and social support for every scholar during grades 7-12. (SV)

Shoals Entrepreneurial Center, in two Alabama locations, supports would-be entrepreneurs with extensive planning advice, rental space, loans, business training, and back-office infrastructure. The center favors business plans with the potential to create fairly high-paying jobs, a different focus from other businesses in the region, and an external market. (SV)

Business, community members, and county government cooperated in establishing a literacy center in Catoosa County, Georgia, that provides free GED classes; courses in English, math, basic reading, computer skills, and parenting; and classes offered by a local technical college. Free classes, child care, and GED tests and a flexible schedule remove many barriers to education. (TD)

In rural Alleghany County (North Carolina), one of the state's seven "cyber campuses" provides an expanded curriculum and advanced placement college courses to high school students and an array of community college and 4-year college courses to residents, who otherwise would be deterred from further education by their isolated location. (SV)

The Challenger Learning Center of Kentucky is 1 of 34 Challenger Center sites for space science education nationally and the only one in a rural area. Since the center's opening in March 1999, some 5,500 sixth-graders have "flown" space missions that involved using teamwork and math and science skills to solve problems and complete the mission successfully. (SV)

A nonprofit community action agency, BusinesStart, provides business training and small loans to entrepreneurs in 18 rural counties in southwestern Virginia and northeastern Tennessee. The entrepreneurs, many with no previous business experience, cite the agency's basic business training as key to their success. (SV)

In Tompkins County, New York, the Business Innovation Center (BIC) uses "intellectual capital" to help local entrepreneurs succeed. Founded by faculty from Cornell University and community members, BIC helps successful scientists start up businesses and uses the combined expertise of area businesspeople and college faculty to solve the problems of local businesses. (SV)

In Wise County, Virginia, the If I Had a Hammer Housing Construction and Rehabilitation Program teaches the construction trades to local men and women receiving county housing assistance, while rehabilitating local housing. Trainees work for minimum wage, attend classes eight hours per week without pay, and receive support services and high school equivalency classes as needed. (SV)

Last summer, 400 elementary school students from rural Athens County, Ohio, spent six weeks attending a day program at Ohio University. Originally intended to feed poor children during the summer, the program now provides tutoring in reading, math, and computers, as well as enrichment activities and swimming. Parent aides can take one university course tuition-free. (SV)

When Oneida, Tennessee's K-12 school was threatened with closure by the state fire marshall, the community mounted an extraordinary effort to save it. Challenged by local philanthropists, the community drastically raised its taxes and built three new schools, furnished with the latest equipment and innovative curricula. (SV)

Founded in 1923, Alice Lloyd College in Pippa Passes (Kentucky) guarantees tuition to all full-time students accepted from 100 central Appalachian counties. All students work at least 10 hours a week on campus. Fulfilling the college's mission to develop the region's human and intellectual capital, about 70 percent of graduates remain in Appalachia. (SV)

Sponsored by the Appalachian Regional Commission, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory's annual Summer Science Honors Academy is a hands-on experience in science for secondary school students and teachers from throughout Appalachia. The program inspires students to pursue scientific careers and provides teachers with ways to integrate "real" science into their classrooms. (Author/SV)

Over the past four decades, Selena Robinson led struggles to integrate Brevard (North Carolina) High School, bring mail service and housing to Brevard's Black community, and retain the city's successful job training program. While raising 14 children, she worked as an outreach worker and organizer for Western Carolina Community Action, which administers social services in Transylvania and Henderson Counties. (SV)