Interested stakeholders can learn more about West Virginia Universitys new community development initiative to promote forest heritage tourism during a two-day meeting April 3-4 in Elkins.
Last year, researchers in WVU s Davis College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences and the WVU Extension Service were awarded a $537,648 grant by the Fund for Rural America program to create a unified tourism effort for the central Appalachian Mountain region from western Maryland to southeastern West Virginia.
“These forest heritage tourist destinations will provide high-quality, forestry-related retail products, programs, events and visitor services,”said Theresa Goldman, assistant professor of forest resource management at WVU and one of the project leaders.
The four-year project initially involves a collaborative visioning and planning process. A meeting was held last November at Blackwater Falls State Park to establish a vision for the trail.
The project will implement two community-based demonstration areas in Elkins and Webster Springs. The focus will later extend to other communities in the region.
The Elkins meeting will begin April 3 with a variety of tours and field trips to local forest heritage sites, according to Jeremy Morris, a coordinator for the project. Participants may choose between four planned tours, depending on their interest. A wood products tour will visit the Alpena area woodlots, Greenfield Cabinetry and Myles Lumber. A forest ecology tour will include Gaudineer Knob and the Nature Conservancy preserve. A craftsmanship and building tour will feature historic structures such as Graceland Inn and the recently constructed St. Brendans Catholic Church. The forest artisan tour includes demonstrations at Appalachian Pieceworks and Artists at Work Cooperative. The evening will feature presentations, refreshments and entertainment.
The April 4 session will continue the group planning process begun in November, Morris said. Bob Davis, director of Appalachian programs for the Mountain Institute, will facilitate the session. Scott Standish, a member of the Lancaster, Pa., County Planning Commission and coordinator for the Lancaster-York Heritage Region will be the luncheon speaker.
“It is vitally important that stakeholders from across the region participate in the general planning sessions and task group meetings,”said Phyllis Baxter, co-coordinator of the project.”In order for this project to succeed, we need input and participation from a broad range of interests such as forest enthusiasts and foresters, history buffs and tourism businesses. We want to see a lot of new faces at this meeting, and hope that everyone interested will contact us and attend the meeting if possible.”
All interested individuals or groups are welcome to attend the April meeting. To ensure a place on tours, responses should be received by March 29. Those interested in attending should contact Morris at 304-293-2141, ext. 4399.