News

Kump Education Center to Host Third Woodlands Heritage Lecture

Date: March 9, 2024

Contact: Nanci Bross-Fregonara, Communications Director, Kump Education Center

ELKINS-The Kump Education Center, Elkins, is hosting the third Woodlands Heritage Lecture “Nature and the Economy in Appalachia” Wednesday, March 20 at 7 p.m. with Eriks Brolis, Director of Economic Development and Strategic Initiatives at The Nature Conservancy (TNC) of WV in the historic Kump House. This lecture is part of a series of monthly lectures supported by a grant from the Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area and complements the current Wild, Wonderful Woods interpretive display at the Kump House.

Brolis will discuss the importance of nature-based economic development and TNC’s climate mitigation efforts in West Virginia.

“Nature is one of West Virginia’s greatest assets,” he said. “Our forests and rivers provide drinking water, clean air and outdoor adventures to millions of people in the eastern United States, and these incredible natural resources can contribute to securing a stable and diversified economic future for the Mountain State.”

He further noted: “We can sustain the extensive forests and rivers, and the services they provide to people, in ways that support the creation of much-needed, well-paying jobs. These revenue streams support state and local budgets, providing even basic municipal services. We can also expand opportunities for nature-based recreation for residents and tourists alike seeking rejuvenation in the great outdoors.”

The Woodlands Heritage Lecture Series focuses on the importance of the Appalachian Highlands forests, from the centuries-old bison trails to how it affects current and future West Virginia preservation and economic initiatives.

The final lecture in the series will be “From Coal Mine to Forest: The Mower Tract Revival” Wednesday, April 17 at 7 p.m. with Kris Hennig, Partnership Coordinator, U.S. Forest Service.

The lectures are free and open to the public. Attendees will also be able to explore the historic Kump House and the Wild, Wonderful Woods exhibits. The Kump House is located at 401 Randolph Ave., Elkins (across from Kroger) with parking access in the rear accessible by Seneca Road.

For more information about the KEC, visit kumpeducationcenter.org, the Kump Education Center FB page or email kumpec@gmail.com. The AFNHA grants were made possible by National Heritage Area funding through the National Park Service.

KEC Hosts Second Lecture on Mon Forest

Date: February 9, 2024

Contact: Nanci Bross-Fregonara, Communications Director, Kump Education Center

kumpec@gmail.com

ELKINS-The Kump Education Center, Elkins, is hosting the second Woodlands Heritage Lecture “Nature’s New Deal: The Monongahela National Forest and the New Deal” Wednesday, February 21 at 7 p.m. with Robert C. Whetsell, Archeologist, U.S. Forest Service in the historic Kump House. This lecture is part of a series of monthly lectures supported by a grant from the Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area and complements the current Wild, Wonderful Woods interpretive display at the Kump House.

Whetsell will discuss how the New Deal aided the development of the Monongahela National Forest during one of the darkest economic periods in American history and its lasting legacy.

“Although established in April 1920, the Monongahela National Forest grew to become the national forest it is today because of the New Deal,” Whetsell explains.

“Funding and manpower provided by New Deal programs of the Roosevelt Administration between 1933 and 1942, led to forest-wide conservation and fire control efforts, development of modern recreation areas, improvement of roads and communication across the forest, and the expansion of the forest though land acquisition,” he said.

Additional lectures in the series include: “Nature and the Economy in Appalachia” Wednesday, March 20 at 7 p.m. with Eriks Brolis, Director of Economic Development & Strategic Initiatives at The Nature Conservancy of West Virginia; and “From Coal Mine to Forest: The Mower Tract Revival” Wednesday, April 17 at 7 p.m. with Kris Hennig, Partnership Coordinator, U.S. Forest Service.

CUTLINE: The February Woodlands Heritage Lecture Feb. 21 at the Kump Education Center will feature Robert C. Whetsell, Archeologist, U.S. Forest Service speaking on “Nature’s New Deal: Monongahela National Forest and the New Deal.” The lecture will include historic photos such as this postcard view of the Alpena Gap Picnic Area on Shaver’s Mountain between Bowden and Alpena. It was the first of many recreation sites completed by the CCC in the 1930s in the Monongahela National Forest. Photo courtesy USDA/Forest Service.

KEC TO HOST WOODLANDS HERITAGE LECTURE SERIES

Date: January 5, 2024

Contact: Nanci Bross-Fregonara, Communications Director, Kump Education Center

kumpec@gmail.com

ELKINS-The Kump Education Center, Elkins, is hosting a Woodlands Heritage Lecture Series beginning Wednesday, January 17 at 7 p.m. in the historic Kump House. The first lecture, “Where the Bison Once Roamed,” will feature Melissa Thomas-Van Gundy, Research Forester, U.S. Forest Service. The four monthly lectures in the series are supported by a grant from the Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area and complement the current Wild, Wonderful Woods interpretive display at the Kump House.

Thomas-Van Gundy’s talk will illustrate the importance of mapping approximately 2,600 km of bison and elk trails in West Virginia using historical records, such as county histories and traveler's accounts. “These large animals would have directly altered the landscape through their creation of paths and their consumption of vegetation,” Thomas-Van Gundy said.

“The ties between Native Americans and bison are still being explored for West Virginia, especially in the highlands where less is known about Native American resource use,” she explained. “This map of major bison trails is an important resource for telling a more complete story of the history of forests and woodlands of West Virginia.”

The lecture series focuses on the importance of the Appalachian highlands’ forest heritage, from the centuries-old bison trails to how it affects current and future West Virginia preservation and economic initiatives.

Other lectures in the series include: “Nature’s New Deal: Monongahela National Forest and the New Deal” Wednesday, February 21 at 7 p.m. with Robert C. Whetsell, Archeologist, U.S. Forest Service; “Nature and the Economy in Appalachia” Wednesday, March 20 at 7 p.m. with Eriks Brolis, Director of Economic Development & Strategic Initiatives at The Nature Conservancy of West Virginia; and “From Coal Mine to Forest: The Mower Tract Revival” Wednesday, April 17 at 7 p.m. with Kris Hennig, Partnership Coordinator, U.S. Forest Service.

All the lectures in the series are free and open to the public. Attendees will also be able to explore the historic Kump House and the Wild, Wonderful Woods exhibits. The Kump House is located at 401 Randolph Ave., Elkins (across from Kroger) with parking access in the rear accessible by Seneca Road.

Cutline information:

The Woodlands Heritage Lecture Series at the Kump Education Center will feature four monthly lectures beginning Wednesday, Jan. 17 at 7 p.m. at the historic Kump House, Elkins. Speakers include, from left to right: Melissa Thomas-Van Gundy, Research Forester, U.S. Forest Service; Robert C. Whetsell, Archeologist, U.S. Forest Service; Eriks Brolis, Director of Economic Development and Strategic Initiatives, The Nature Conservancy of West Virginia; and Kris Hennig, Partnership Coordinator, U.S. Forest Service.