Activists buy a former Kentucky coal mine site to aid in preventing prison development and rewilding prison land.
A group of activists has successfully purchased 63 acres of land in eastern Kentucky to prevent the construction of a federal prison and restore the area’s natural ecosystem. The land, formerly a strip mine, was slated for a new penitentiary near the town of Roxana. Instead, the Appalachian Rekindling Project (ARP) plans to use the land for environmental restoration, including reintroducing native plants, animals, and bison.
This effort is part of a broader movement known as “rewilding prison land,” which aims to prevent new prisons from being built on former industrial sites and return the land to nature. The activists hope this project will protect the environment and challenge the economic reliance on prisons as a replacement for the declining coal industry in Appalachia.
The federal government has been pushing to build a prison in Roxana since 2006, with the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) leading the effort. Although legal challenges stopped the project in 2019, it was revived in 2022, and the final approval was granted in 2023. If built, the facility would house more than 1,300 inmates.
Some local officials support rewilding prison land, arguing that it could provide jobs and tax revenue in a region struggling with poverty and population decline. Between 2020 and 2023, Letcher County lost 5.2% of its residents, and about 24% of the population lives below the poverty line.
However, opponents argue that prisons do not significantly benefit local economies and often bring more environmental harm than economic growth. They believe the land should be used for conservation instead of incarceration.
The land purchased by ARP is located within the footprint of the planned prison. It was heavily damaged by mountaintop removal mining, a process that strips the land of its forests, soil, and wildlife. While the site has since been “reclaimed” with some reforestation efforts, it remains fragile.
The Appalachian Rekindling Project, in partnership with other organizations such as Build Community Not Prisons and the Institute to End Mass Incarceration, raised $160,000 to buy the land from a local family. The group intends to restore native plants and animals, including endangered species like certain bat populations, and create a gathering place for Indigenous communities.
“This land has already suffered from extraction,” said Taysha DeVaughan, an activist and enrolled member of the Comanche Nation. “We want to protect it from further harm and give it a voice.”
Historically, this region was home to the Cherokee, Shawnee, and Yuchi peoples, who lived off the land long before European colonization. The site is part of a larger effort to return land stewardship to Indigenous and local communities, which ARP hopes to expand in the future.
The movement of rewilding prison land has gained momentum across the U.S. One notable example is the former Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary in Tennessee, which was closed in 2009 and later transformed into a nature reserve with hiking trails and wildlife habitats. Another example is the site of the former Charles Egeler Reception and Guidance Center in Michigan, where conservationists restored wetlands and created an educational nature park.
These projects show that abandoned or repurposed prison sites can support thriving ecosystems and serve as community resources. ARP’s efforts align with these successful transformations, demonstrating that rewilding prison land can be both an environmental and social benefit.
Letcher County is one of 13 counties in Kentucky that suffered devastating floods in 2022. Many environmentalists believe strip mining weakened local watersheds, making floods more destructive. The proposed prison site would likely worsen this issue by damaging over 6,000 feet of streams and two acres of wetlands. While the BOP has promised to compensate the state for environmental damages, critics argue that money cannot fully repair the long-term effects of land degradation.
Rewilding prison land can improve climate resilience by restoring forests and wetlands that absorb water and prevent flooding. Research shows that reforested land can reduce soil erosion by up to 75% and support a higher biodiversity of plants and animals. Protecting the Roxana site could contribute to similar benefits.
Despite ARP’s victory in purchasing a portion of the prison site, legal hurdles remain. The Bureau of Prisons can still acquire other parcels of land to move forward with construction. Federal and state policies often favor economic development projects, including prisons, over conservation efforts like rewilding prison land.
In previous cases, legal battles have delayed or halted prison developments. In 2016, the Letcher County prison project was stopped due to environmental lawsuits citing damage to local waterways. Depending on how ARP and its allies continue their efforts, similar legal challenges could arise again.
The land purchase has not been welcomed by everyone. Representative Hal Rogers, a strong supporter of the prison project, criticized the activists, calling them “Kentucky outsiders and liberal extremists.” However, many residents who attended the land purchase celebration were lifelong locals who have witnessed firsthand the destruction caused by mining and land exploitation.
Artie Ann Bates, a Letcher County resident, expressed her frustration over the years of environmental harm. “It’s just really hard seeing a place you love be destroyed,” she said. She and others believe that restoring the land is a step toward healing, not just for the environment but for the community.
What’s next? While ARP’s land purchase is a significant milestone, the fight against the prison is not over. The Bureau of Prisons still plans to acquire land for the project. However, this purchase sets a precedent for future opposition and highlights the possibility of alternative economic and environmental futures for Appalachia.
The group also hopes to secure more land for conservation efforts and continue advocating against using former coal sites for prison construction. The vision is to create sustainable, community-driven economic opportunities that do not rely on harmful industries.
As the debate over Roxana prison continues, the activists remain committed to their goal of rewilding prison land and restoring Appalachia’s natural beauty and ecological health.
