Over 100 people gathered at the Canaan Valley Resort to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy recently. The weekend started with a reception on Friday afternoon, a panel on the history of Canaan Valley, a panel on the Monongahela Forest and Wilderness and a keynote address by Rep. Alan Mollohan. All were informative and lively.
Saturday started with a birdwalk and a paddle on the Blackwater River. Then there was a trip to the Allegheny Front Migratory Observatory on Dolly Sods, a program from the WV Poet Laureate Marc Harshman and Fiddler Poet Doug Van Gundy. a workshop on pipelines and a presentation by the West Virginia Land Trust.
After dinner there was a Photographic Celebration of Our Protected West Virginia Highlands by Kent Mason. The evening’s panel was called Where Science, Litigation, Activism and Public Interest Interest and was moderated by Dr. Margaret Palmer. The evening ended with square dancing.
Sunday morning’s panel was moderated by Tom Rodd and was on Maintaining Sanity in an Uncertain Future. That was followed by a trip to the Sinks of Gandy or a hike on the South Prong/Roaring Plains trail.
