West Virginia Highlands Conservancy Directors in Training Session

By Frank Young

The West Virginia Highlands Conservancy board of directors will meet for an informal meeting/retreat March 17th. Meeting time is tentatively scheduled from 9:30 AM until about 4:00 PM. This gathering of Conservancy leaders is not a business meeting and no decisions will be made.

The purpose of this informal gathering is to help us assess our collective interests, to inventory our individual and collective resources to support those interests, and to perhaps find ways to measure (sometimes called benchmarking) how well we are doing.

In other words, we will be thinking and talking about the future of the WV Highlands Conservancy.

We will be assisted in our retreat meeting by a facilitator from the Institute for Conservation Leadership. An environmental leadership grant will help pay for some of the expenses of this retreat/training.

Jackson’s Mill is located about two miles out Jackson’s Mill Road. This road turns left off Rt.19 about one mile north of Weston, coming from Weston. It turns right off Rt.19 about 4 miles south of Jane Lew, coming from Jane Lew. Coming north on I-79, use Exit 99. Coming south on I-79, use Exit 105.

We have reserved this building, called Mountain State cottage. It is big enough for us to break out into groups, but is only one room, plus two restrooms. This cottage overlooks a small pond and has a porch / deck which we could use for "breakout" sessions, weather permitting.

A coffee/tea and pastry refreshment break at mid-morning and mid-afternoon will be available. Noon dinner will be available in the Center dining hall at 12:15.

We will need to have an exact count of attendees for meal tickets by Friday, March 9th.

So if you are attending this important, informal Board gathering, please let me know by March 9th. Phone: 327-3945. E-mail: <frankly@mtparty.org>

For those who might want to stay over Friday night and not drive in on Saturday morning, before the meeting, there are two modern motels at the Weston Exit 99 (Rt. 33) off I-79, just east of I-79 on Rt. 33. Jackson’s Mill has no lodging accommodations available that weekend.

The Super 8 motel (phone 304-269-1086) has rooms for $ 48.88 single, $ 54.88 double. Super 8 has no restaurant, but it has a complimen- tary morning "toast and coffee bar."

Comfort Inn (phone 304-269-7000) has rooms with two double beds for $ 47.20 for from one to four people. Comfort Inn has both a restaurant and free continental breakfast.

Meals and snacks will be arranged by letting me know you are coming. But if you are staying over, room arrangements are your responsibility.

If you are a WVHC Director, please plan to attend this very important informal gathering.

At the January Board of Directors meeting board members received a five page questionnaire. If you have not yet completed and returned this questionnaire to Frank Young, please do so immediately. We need to compile the data from your answers before the meeting.