In an attempt to answer the question, "Who are the folks from the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy?," I will use up some space in the next several issues of the Highlands Voice. To begin with, I will summarize some of the demographics of our members and identify some of the issues they think are important. I will also do some brief profiles of the major players in the organization, both currently and historically.?

Membership

As our ranks approach 1500 members, it must be kept in mind that 3 short years ago, that number was just 1/3 of what it is today. The Highlands Conservancy has undergone a rapid growth in membership unprecedented in its nearly 35 years of existence. Certainly we can give credit to this expansion to the despoilers of our state. Issues such as the rape of Blackwater Canyon, the removal of so many mountaintops by the greed of the coal industry, the denuding of our hills by the glutinous timber barons, the spoiling of our rivers and streams by all the above and more. Many people see the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy as the only thing standing between the forces of unrestrained selfishness and greed who would stop at nothing to line their own pockets, and the virtual and actual future for the people who live, work and play in what was once called "The Mountain State."

Indeed, if you look at the impressive list of accomplishments of the Highlands Conservancy over the past 30+ years, it would be hard to argue that West Virginia would look a lot different today had we not been here. Cranberry Wilderness would be coal mining central, ditto Otter Creek, the USDA Forest Service would be nothing more than a service and resource provider for the timber industry, Canaan Valley and its 7,000 acres of wetlands would be under water, more streams and rivers than already spoiled by acid mine drainage would be destroyed, the hills and valleys of our State Forests would be denuded, the list goes on.

Yes, "We the People" have risen to the challenge. The Highlands Conservancy has a history of environmental successes unparalleled in West Virginia. And we continue the good fight. But, back to the who are "we" I am here to tell you about. Below is a list of our membership numbers by state:

We even have members from other countries, one from Great Britain and one from Canada.

We have never officially polled our members about what issues are important to them. We do, however, have two open-ended questions on a return postcard included in our Monongahela National Forest Hiking Guide. The responses to these cards give us a peek at what issues the public feels are important regarding the Mon, and what activities they like to pursue there. Below is a summary of these responses for the past two years to the questions:

"What special concerns do you have about the Mon National Forest?"

"What are your favorite activities in and around the Mon National Forest?"