AFHA undertakes many different community projects —
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The Appalachian Forest Heritage Area (AFHA) is seeking 17 AmeriCorps members to work on hands-on projects working on conservation, historic preservation and heritage development and tourism projects that enhance assets to benefit communities. AmeriCorps members work full-time, and receive a living allowance plus an educational benefit at the completion of one year. For background on the AmeriCorps program, see HERE.
For more direct information about these new posititons, see HERE
Appalachian Forest Heritage Area held a Spring Stakeholders meeting March 26 & 27 at Camp Caesar, near Webster Springs.
See more details about this meet in the PDF of the current AFHA newsletter (Page Three)
We will return to the site of one of our most successful early meetings
to celebrate our progress in recent years, and the launching of some
exciting new initiatives to engage AFHA volunteers and visitors.
Watch your email, the upcoming newsletter, and our this website for more
details in the next couple of weeks.
Here is the short version to
get on your calendars now:
Thursday
March 26
Lodging
available at Camp Caesar or local motels.
Make a Difference Day volunteer activity to begin Restoration of Riverside School. Volunteers are invited on Friday October 24 and Saturday October 25, from 9 am to 4 pm, to help rebuild the pediment on the front of the building. This project is hosted by Appalachian Forest Heritage Area AmeriCorps. Pizza will be provided for lunch. To sign up or for information call 304-636-6182 or email jlogansmith@hotmail.com.
Make a Difference Day volunteer activity to reduce groundwater pollution by Cleaning Up Trash in the Pink Helictite Cave sinkhole outside of Durbin. Volunteers are invited on Saturday October 25, meeting at 8:45 am behind the Monongahela Supervisors Office, 200 Sycamore Street, for carpool. This project is hosted by Appalachian Forest Heritage Area AmeriCorps in partnership with Monongahela National Forest and Mountain State Grotto Caving Club. Bring your own lunch and water, and dress for getting dirty. To sign up or for information call 304-636-6182 or email jlogansmith@hotmail.com.
The focus will be on
NATURE TOURISM AND CONSERVATION.
For details (including contact and reservation info) go to the PDF HEREThe West Virginia Forest Stewardship Program welcomes guide/expert Richard Grist.
All interested parties are invited!
See various types of forest, wildlife, water, and karst topography
management activities.
October 18 from 1pm to 4pm - Lunch provided
LEWISBURG, WV
For more information, contact Elizabeth Tichner at 304-276-0113
| Learn about forest management and forest products on two special
Forest Festival tours organized by Appalachian Forest Heritage Area. Explore sustainable forest management practices on a tour of the Penn Virginia demonstration forest Wednesday afternoon. This forest area in Randolph County shows a variety of forest management practices. The tour will be led and hosted by Larry Jackson of Penn Virginia. The tour will meet at 1:00 pm, Wednesday October 1 at Tygart Valley Mall parking lot to carpool to the forest. |
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On
Thursday morning, tour the Hamer Pellet Fuel plant in Elkins to see the
manufacture of a renewable, clean-burning and cost effective home heating
alternative. Pellet fuel is made from clean sawdust, much of which comes
from our lumber operations in the heart of the Appalachian region. Rob
Jones, public relations director of J.C. Hamer Company will lead the tour.
Park at the West Virginia Wood Technology Center parking lot, #10 Eleventh
Street, Elkins (in the Industrial Park) by 10 am, Thursday October 2 to join
this tour.
Both tours are free as a part of Appalachian Forest Heritage Area’s
commitment to providing public information and increasing understanding
about forest management and products.
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The non-profit group Citizens for Historical Opportunity, Preservation and Education (C-HOPE), partner organization of AFHA, was recently awarded a USDA Rural Development Rural Business Enterprise Grant for $99,500, making the complete restoration of the Darden Mill feasible. While private donations for grant match are still needed, Phyllis Baxter, director of AFHA, is relieved “to see the end of the tunnel financially.” With the help of the grant money, the 1902 mill will be adapted for modern use as a museum, an artisan workshop, and the AFHA headquarters over the next two years. |
The 7th annual West Virginia Woodland Stewards workshop will be held at Camp Caesar (Webster County) on October 9-12, 2008. This workshop is intended to provide broad exposure to educators, forest landowners, and farmers on forest and wildlife management topics. This is an information-packed, three-day training workshop. The first session begins on Thursday evening and the last at noon on Sunday.
Room, meals, and educational materials are free to participants. The workshop is funded by the WV Division of Forestry to promote forestry education and wise use of forest resources on private lands. There have been over 120 people trained in the previous six workshops.
Thursday evening participants will hear about the history of West Virginia forests. Early morning sessions give an introduction and practice in tree identification. After a hearty breakfast, participants listen to lectures on forest ecology, game management, nongame wildlife, best management practices, urban wildlife, ruffed grouse management, silviculture, and developing a stewardship plan.
After lunch the workshop moves to the forest, where they see examples of forestry and wildlife management on National Forestlands and learn how to measure trees and make decisions for forests based on specific landowner objectives. After dinner presentations feature a not-to-be-missed reptile event on one evening and an informative lecture on timber contracts the next evening.
Lecturers are professional managers, scientists, and practitioners from the West Virginia University Extension Service and Division of Forestry and Natural Resources, West Virginia Division of Forestry, WV Department of Natural Resources, Natural Resources Conservation Service, the West Virginia Forestry Association, and the USDA Forest Service.
The workshop is open to everyone. If you are interested in participating in this year’s WV Woodland Stewards workshop, please contact Dr. Dave McGill (304-293-2941 x 2474) for more information.
AFHA needs part-time assistance in administering the organization and supervising our AmeriCorps team. This could be one person with multiple tasks, or the tasks could be divided between two or three people. Tasks include:
Bookkeeping for organization and AmeriCorps grant, including direct deposit payroll. Should be familiar with accounting principles and Quickbooks.
Administrative help for AmeriCorps program and organization, including record-keeping, correspondence, and filing. Estimated 8 to 15 hours per week.
Program supervisor for conservation team. Will help to organize and coordinate projects, and supervise AmeriCorps members working on those projects. May include environmental education projects, interpretation, conservation, landscape and hands-on projects such as tree planting, invasive species control, trail maintenance, etc. Familiarity with any of these types of projects would be helpful, but not all are required. Supervisor will probably be needed to meet with team weekly, and should be periodically available to the team when they need help at other times. Estimated 5 to 10 hours per week.
Program supervisor for historic preservation team. Will help to organize and coordinate projects, and supervise AmeriCorps members working on those projects. This will include rehabilitation / construction work on historic buildings – should have familiarity with construction and historic preservation principles. Supervisor will probably be needed to meet with team weekly, and should be periodically available to the team when they need help at other times. Estimated 5 to 10 hours per week.
Positions are based in Elkins, and can be arranged on either employee or contract basis. Budget is limited with no benefits, but working conditions can be flexible to suit your situation. Pay, hours and responsibilities will be negotiated based on experience, needs, and budget.
To apply please send (email preferred) cover letter and resume to phyllisb@meer.net or mail to AFHA, PO Box 1206, Elkins WV 26241. Applications requested by August 20 but will be accepted until positions are filled. For questions or more information call Phyllis Baxter at 636-6182 (o) or 636-2467 (h).
Thursday, July 31, 2008
1 pm to 4 pm
Adaland Mansion, north of Philippi
see www.adaland.org
for directions
Come learn how to attract heritage tourists to your business or
attraction and what you can do to appeal to this lucrative tourism market.
Discussion will focus on Barbour and surrounding counties with information
and networking of value to the whole area. Workshop presenters:
Dr. Susan Martin-Williams
Asst. Professor of Tourism
Concord University
Phyllis Baxter
Executive Director
Appalachian Forest Heritage Area
· Who are heritage tourists?
· How do we attract them and give a quality experience?
· How do we encourage them to stay, spend money, and come back again?
· What is our area doing now for heritage tourists and what can we do
better?
· How does the “Forest Heritage” theme attract both heritage and
nature tourism?
Reserve your spot:
Call: 304-457-2415
Email: info@adaland.org
Sponsored by Appalachian Forest Heritage Area
Hosted by Adaland
Join AFHA for a special guided tour of the Fernow Experimental Forest,
Friday August 1 from 10 am to about 1 pm. Led by Fernow research forester
Tom Shuler, the tour will feature many of the varied study areas in the
forest.
We will meet at 10 am at the Fernow Headquarters at the Cheat Ranger Station
at Parsons, WV. Directions: From Parsons, take US Rt 219 north. Travel over
the Black Fork River Bridge and take the next right immediately past the
bridge.
Please RSVP to phyllisb@meer.net, 304-636-6182, so we know who to expect.
For info about the Fernow see
www.fs.fed.us/ne/parsons/fefhome.htm
At 10:30am on Tuesday June 10, at the Workforce Office in Webster Springs, a Heritage Tourism Workshop will discuss how to attract heritage tourists to your business or community. Dr. Susan Martin-Williams, Professor of Tourism, Concord University will be the primary presenter.
For more information, see flyer (in PDF format) HERE or the original press release (Word
DOC) HERE
TThe Spring Stakeholders Meeting for 2008 took place in Braxton County in early May. For details about this meeting, see the pre-event publicity in the form of a PDF file HERE.
The Appalachian Forest Heritage Area (AFHA) is seeking 10 AmeriCorps members to work on hands-on projects that enhance community, natural, and historic assets to benefit communities by developing heritage tourism. AmeriCorps members work full-time, and receive a living allowance plus an educational benefit at the completion of one year.
For more information, see the PDF file HERE
Organizations seeking AmeriCorps members to help, see: HERE
Heating costs are a growing problem in West Virginia and the intense global demand for energy is constantly in the news. To ameliorate heating cost and to help shift to renewable energy resources, some homeowners, farmers, and small business owners are shifting to wood as an alternative or supplemental energy source.
To highlight some of the opportunities for using wood for small-scale heating, West Virginia University Extension Service is hosting wood energy seminars to provide information about this renewable heating source.
The workshops will be held:
Each workshop will start at 6:30 pm with a lecture by Dr. Dave McGill, WVU Forest Resources Extension Specialist who will discuss sustainable aspects of wood energy, wood production and structure, heat content of various tree species, and economics of wood energy.
Mr. Bill Biller, a local wood stove distributor, will demonstrate an outdoor wood burning stove and will talk about practical issues related to using wood as an energy source to heat small buildings and homes.
The workshops are part of a project coordinated by the WVU Biomaterials and Wood Utilization Center in the Division of Forestry and Natural Resources. Supported by a grant from the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture, Research, and Education program, the project promotes the advantages of and opportunities for using wood as a renewable energy source.
Light refreshments will be served at the workshops. Anyone interested is welcome to attend.
A post-meeting report: see how things went HERE
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Tour Activities:
Meet for Thursday afternoon tour at 1:00 pm at the Pendleton County Chamber
Office, corner of Rt 33 and Rt 220 in Franklin. It is on the right hand side of
Main Street, at stop light. We will carpool from here. Anyone who might want to
join the tour at a later stop, please RSVP and we will get you directions and
rendezvous information.
Woodline Factory Tour – Woodline manufactures unfinished furniture, shelves, and
other small furniture items for major companies. Kaiser Mill at Sugar Grove is an outstanding example of a nineteenth century
historic water mill. The company closed in 1968, complete with machinery and
office intact. This is a rare opportunity to visit a well-preserved,
privately-owned site.
Board Meeting: The AFHA Board will meet over dinner Thursday evening at the Log
Cabin Restaurant in Brandywine. We will start approximately 6:30, depending on
the length of the tour. Other AFHA stake-holders are welcome to have dinner here
at a different table, or at other restaurants in the area.
Friday Stakeholders and Council Meeting at Highlands Golf Club, between Franklin
and Brandywine. The entrance to the Highlands Golf Club is located on the east
side of Troublesome Valley Road, 1-2 miles north of the intersection with US Rt.
33, five miles east of Franklin, West Virginia. Phone 304-358-2261.
Lodging:
Lone Pine Lodging on US 33 in Brandywine, $60 for 2 or 3 bedroom furnished house
304-249-5700
Star Hotel in Franklin, 1 bed $65, 2 bed $75, 304-358-3580
Franklin Inn, 1 bed $40, 2 beds $45; 304-358-2118
RSVP: If you are planning to attend any portion of the meeting, please RSVP so
that we will have count for meals and tours, and can send you updates of any
last minute information. We need to give a lunch count by 4/20, so please try to
RSVP by that date. You are still welcome even without RSVP, but you’ll take your
chances on enough food. Council and Board members please confirm your attendance
or send proxy for our quorum count.
Send RSVP by email to afha@appalachianforest.us or call 636-6182.
'The Historic National Road in West Virginia' is a 30-minute documentary on the history and evolution of the nation's first interstate highway, which features commentary from 'Road Scholars': Dr. Emory Kemp, Dr. Billy Joe Peyton, Dr. David Javersak, and PhD. Candidate Dan Bonenberger.
'The Historic National Road was the nation's first federally funded interstate highway. It opened the nation to the west and became a corridor for the movement of goods and people. Today, visitors experience a physical timeline of buildings and landscapes that trace 200 years of American history.
The Road is the result of inspired vision of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Gallatin. True to the original intent of its builders, the Road has served the nation well as our first interstate highway and continues to be a major link in our transportation network.
Winding across the heartland of America, it still beckons to the spirit of adventure in all of us.'
The documentary was produced by The Walkabout Company with partial funding provided by the Wheeling National Heritage Area.
Division of Forestry officials are seeking applications for the Forest
Legacy Program, a federal initiative to conserve environmentally important
forest areas threatened by conversion to non-forest uses.
Landowners interested in applying for this program may do so through Feb.
28. Applicants may get more information about the program by visiting the
Division of Forestry's Web site at
www.wvforestry.com or by calling
Assistant State Forester John Rowe at (304) 558-2788.
"The Forest Legacy Program is an excellent way to conserve our forests for
future generations and to keep West Virginia wild and wonderful," said
Director/State Forester Randy Dye. "I encourage any landowner who feels
pressure to sell his or her forestland to contact the Division of Forestry
immediately to find out more about this program."
The Forest Legacy Program was established by the U.S. Congress in 1990 to
conserve the nation's forestland from threats by development or conversion
to other non-forest uses. Landowners who participate in the program sign a
conservation easement, a legal agreement that allows the owner to sell or
donate rights to future development or other land-use activities in exchange
for keeping the land as a "working forest" to produce forest products for
perpetuity.
The Forest Legacy Program is a 75 percent to 25 percent cost-share program:
75 percent of funding comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest
Service while the landowner or other private sources are responsible for the
remaining 25 percent.
For more information about the Forest Legacy Program or to obtain an
application packet, call Rowe at 558-2788.
Wildflower Walk
Explores
May Flowers
The AFHA Randolph County committee sponsored a...
Wildflower Walk and Picnic
Lunch
Which had a good turnout on
Sunday, 7 May 2006 at Stuart Recreation Area (East of Elkins)
The walk was guided by Elizabeth Byers, who has degrees in geology and hydrology, and likes to explore the relationships between native plants and their environments. Prior to joining the Natural Heritage Program, Elizabeth was a senior program officer with The Mountain Institute, an international conservation organization. She has lived and worked in the Himalayas, East African rift, Alps, Andes, and Appalachian mountains. Elizabeth is currently completing a two-year conservation assessment of high elevation wetlands in the Allegheny Mountain region of the state. She is a frequent contributor of wildflower photographs to West Virginia Wildlife magazine, and a regular leader at the annual Blackwater Falls Wildflower Pilgrimage.
We're Official!! Appalachian Forest Heritage Area, Inc. has just received approval from the IRS as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. This allows us to receive tax-deductible donations to support our work, and to apply directly for grants. -- 12 April 2006
Questions or comments about site: webster@appalachianforest.us