Officials with the Forest Heritage Area project will hold a planning meeting Thursday, Sept. 5, in the Mountainlair on West Virginia Universitys downtown campus. The meeting will serve as the kickoff to a conference on heritage tourism.

The Forest Heritage Area project, funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, will plan and establish a thematic cultural tourism area in the Central Appalachian Forest in West Virginia and western Maryland.

The project is a dynamic, stakeholder-driven initiative being administered by the Division of Forestry in WVU s Davis College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences and WVU Extension. The vision for the initiative is to bring together forest artisans, unique natural areas, forest manufacturing sites, historic sites and community folk life into a thematic, experience-based educational journey for tourists visiting the region.

“This meeting will be very important as the project is closing out its first year of funding,”said Jeremy Morris, project coordinator.”The steering committee and staff have been hard at work drafting a strategic plan, which will be unveiled at the meeting for stakeholder comment. Each of the working task groups will give reports of their summer work.”

The Forest Heritage meeting will kick off a three-day heritage tourism conference that is co-sponsored by Preservation Alliance of West Virginia and the Forest Heritage Area. Highlights will include a Thursday evening speech by Jerry Kappel, director of development for the American Association of Museums. Kappel will discuss building a strong organization, developing capital and support for projects. He will also share his experiences in working with cultural organizations across the country.

On Friday (Sept. 6), a tour will be conducted of regional heritage sites, showcasing potential forest heritage sites in western Preston County and”Frontiers to Mountaineers”heritage area sites located in north-central West Virginia.

The tour will explore the West Virginia University Forest, including the old-growth hemlock stand and several demonstration management sites. It will include demonstrations by the WVU Woodsmen Team and a local wood artisan.

The Thursday meeting is open to the public. If planning to attend the Thursday evening speaker or Friday morning tour, please call Morris at 304-293-2941, ext. 2456 to reserve a space.

For more information on the conference, check the Preservation Alliance web site at http://www.pawv.org .