Move over rainforest, save rural America!

I dedicate this column to Doug Hunt, a 35-year old passionate soul who cared deeply for rural America and was the inspiration for this column. My heart goes out to his family concerning his recent passing, and I know his legacy will continue to influence others for generations to come.

Where have all the cowboys gone?

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Roughly 60 million people (20 percent of Americans) live in 80 percent of America's landmass – classified as "rural." While much has been done in past years to save this precious domain, many rural areas remain on the brink of economic bankruptcy. Tragically, because of globalization, outbidding, outsourcing and youth migration, some have already turned into pastoral wastelands and ghost towns.

There is a light of hope in the rural tunnel, as Calvin Beale, senior demographer with the Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, notes, "The number of declining non-metro counties was cut in half during the 1990s, from over 1,200 to about 600."

An interesting fact, however, is that, while this non-metro population in the United States grew by 2.2 percent from 2000 to 2005, international migration was responsible for a third of the population growth and for all of it in the Midwest. Similarly, while the U.S. has experienced a widespread economic expansion since 2003, 46 percent of non-metro counties were still below their 2000 employment levels in 2005.

A passion to preserve the countryside

Having been born in Ryan, Okla., (population 894), I've always been a country boy at heart. Despite my urban career, I've always felt more at home on the range – that is why our family frequents our ranch outside of Houston. I've always considered myself an average, traditional American, who (like most others) believes in God, family, country, a strong work ethic and mama's apple pie.

Some of the finest people I've met have come from or lived in some of the most remote places, like my wife Gena! She is a fourth generation, small-town girl from Chester, Calif., a rural mountain community our youngest children, Dakota and Danilee, talk about going all year long to see and play with Gena's side of the family.

Studies still show rural residents to be the most religious, moral and conservative in America. And just as the their vote was critical to the success of the Republican Party in both the 2000 and 2004 elections, I believe it will be even more significant when Americans go to the polls in 2008.

How to save rural America

I'm obviously not a sociologist or an anthropologist, but I've listened to lots of Americans from all over this great country speak about what has strengthened and bolstered their small communities. Their solutions for survival reveal that hope comes not from the government but average Americans (urban, suburban and rural) working together to save our homeland.

Though no one solution suits every community, I consider the following some of the most universally helpful:

1. Create or join an organization that seeks to save rural America, like the Winston County Self Help Cooperative. Also, tap possible resources in your local civic organizations, churches and other non-profits, in order to find strength and support.

2. Drop the differences, and brainstorm together. Whatever prejudices possibly exist in your community and county, it's time to acknowledge them, break down the walls and come together. It's been proven that rural America can survive, and even thrive, if their communities work together rather than compete against one another or their urban counterparts. If we are to conquer the rural exportation of goods and workers, businesses, schools and local representatives need to come together and strategize about ways to stop economic entropy and build for a better tomorrow.

3. Embrace change and progress as not ideal but needed for survival. It's been said that the only person who likes change is a wet baby – and I would add that sometimes even he or she hates it! I don't know many people who enjoy change, but we all must accept it, one way or another. Everything changes, and everything that grows changes. Growth requires change, and, just like a corn stalk, if your community is to grow again, it must change. Organizations like the Leopold Center can help in balancing necessary changes and sustainability.

4. Join the global online community. Globalization has changed the playing field and the rural plains. Whether we like it or not, the Internet is not only here to stay but will increasingly become a more prominent avenue for commerce, news, entertainment, etc. Helping the 20 percent of rural residents obtain Internet capability will enable them to better compete in the global market. "If you can solve the availability problem tomorrow, you would get higher adoption in rural areas," said Pew Internet Associate Director, John Horrigan. Or as Newt Gingrich said, "Rural America could experience a renaissance as technology eliminates the edge bigger cities have over smaller communities. … The lure of a large metropolitan area is its access to advanced services and experts. But the Internet can give those same amenities to small towns in rural areas."

5. Consider domestic sourcing as an alternative to offshore outsourcing.

6. Don't be afraid to create new, alternative, and maybe even risky and unconventional ways to increase economic revenue. Outside-the-box thinking is a must to move into the future. "In a global marketplace … commodities operate with ever-thinner margins," notes Mark Drabenstott of the Center for the Study of Rural America. "So, the real challenge for most rural areas is (getting) from a commodity economy to a knowledge-driven economy." And with the world community equally at all of our fingertips (via the Internet), so are worldwide businesses too. For example, I know a woman in a small town who started making and selling cloth diapers over the Internet, and she now has a cliental all over the nation. I also know a man who has an Ebay store for old farm items, which are largely sold to decorate city houses with country style. I even know someone who sells, online, different pinecones that fall from forest trees – and makes a good living. Of course, for some rural communities, drastic times call for drastic measures. And though I can't personally endorse these fiscal options, many have had to turn to unusual growth industries like prisons and casinos to stabilize and boost their staggering economies.

7. Export goods and import people. While many small-town locals want visitors to buy their products, few desire urban dwellers to become rural residents. This thinking must change. We must export goods and import people, at very least for four-season vacations. Intentionally attract others to your community. Advertise in neighboring cities about the amenities of country life. Sell the slower pace and community life of rural America. Be proud about the particular benefits of living in your community. The fact is, most urban dwellers long to vacation in rural areas, would love to own a place in one and someday will likely retire in one as well. Why not help them taste or discover their rural dream? And for those who don't think they can live without certain city pleasures, remind them that in the age of the Internet, nearly everything is obtainable by express mail. And with the soaring costs of gas, paying next day air is, in many cases, less expensive than driving and buying the item from a store.

8. Create ways to migrate young people (back) to your rural area. College is an understandable reason for leaving a rural home, but what reasons are we giving graduates to come back, live and raise their families? With opportunities for online employment, telecommuting will become more of a norm than the exception. Contacting neighboring big-city companies and informing them of the perks of placement in your community might provide a win-win solution to simultaneously build up your area and their businesses.

Testing shows some of the best and brightest young Americans are those who have lived in rural areas. As Dr. Maravene S. Loeschke, president of Mansfield University, responded to Lee Iacocca's new book and challenge, "Where have all the leaders gone?"

Rural students arrive with many tools they will need to become tomorrow's leaders. They already have a strong work ethic. They come early and stay late. They know how to apply themselves to a task and carry it to completion. Generally, they have superior problem-solving skills and the initiative to work individually to get things done. They take responsibility for their actions. When they work in teams, they understand the need to pull their weight for a collective goal.

9. Pray. Lastly, though certainly not least, don't forget to pray, always. I believe God cares for all of us equally, and His power and presence is waiting to assist those who call upon Him. Though there is trouble and hardship in this life, God is always there desiring to lead and guide us when we can't find the way. Even if our farm forecloses or the lumber mill shuts down, He will be there to help us through the heartache and discover a better day.

In conclusion, I fully realize there are no quick fixes to save rural America, but I believe it can be done if we work together and are willing to make changes by taking the preceding steps and others like them.

If we do, I know we will not only preserve but rediscover the simple pleasures of life, as one of America's founders, John Adams, once described, "As much as I converse with sages and heroes, they have very little of my love and admiration. I long for rural and domestic scene, for the warbling of birds and the prattling of my children."