By Frank Young

He's an old hippy, he don't know what to do; should he hang on to the old? or grab on to the new?

The West Virginia Highlands Conservancy is about 33 years old. Some of its founders might or might not consider themselves old hippies.

But the Conservancy now finds itself, too, at a crossroads of sorts.

The "model" of modern environmental organizations is that of somewhat well funded groups, "professionally" directed with paid staffs of executive directors or other paid managers.

These paid managers direct the day-to-day activities of other staff and volunteers.

The organization and activities of the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy defies the logic of the "professionally" managed groups. We have no paid directors. We "pay" only a VOICE Editor and an "administrative assistant". Our administrative assistant is a sort of glorified membership secretary. (no offense intended, Dave Saville).

So our "staff" consists of only enough personnel necessary to keep the organization viable and to keep our members informed. The balance of our works is from folks with ideas in mind and energy to offer in support of those ideas.

There are suggestions that to continue to be effective we need to become "modern" and consider changing our structure. At the April board of directors meeting I appointed a "short term, future focus committee" to look into suggestions of various folks about WVHC's future direction and internal structure. Committee members are Cindy Rank, John McFerrin, Frank Young, and Linda Cooper, with Judy Rodd chairing the committee. Cindy, John and Linda are all past WVHC presidents. Judy Rodd is currently Senior Vice-President.

I deliberately put these past presidents on this committee so that suggestions for future direction and internal organization are considered in the context of our rather successful history, not just as "new therefore better" modeling. Judy is chair because she indicates interest in introducing us to folks with new ideas for consideration.

So some of us will be looking and thinking about our future. That does not mean that we are about to soon radically change. It does mean that we recognize that we are not like other organizations. That may be good. My own hunch is that we continue to be successful because of how we do operate.

And basically we operate by being a platform from which folks with good ideas and energy to offer can turn those ideas and energies into constructive action, as our General Purposes state, "....... for the cultural, social, educational, physical, health, spiritual and economic benefit of future generations of West Virginians and Americans."

I feel that the Conservancy's structure serves our general and specific purposes well. But we are looking at ideas for improvement. We'll keep you updated.