THE VIRGINIA ASSOCIATION FOR PARKS

THE VIRG= INIA ASSOCIATION FOR PARKS

2006 FALL CONFERENCE

OCTOBER = 26 – 28, 2006

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--SYNOPSIS –

Our host State Park was Claytor Lake – David Collett, Park Manager. As has become the custom, most of the attendees arrived during the afternoon and early evening on Thursday, October 26. Cabin 16, one of the n= ew lodges, was designated the “conviviality site” and, during the course of the evening, 10 frozen pizzas were thawed, heated, and consumed. Several attendees brought along home-cooked munchies that were similarly destined to not survive the night.

We were not the only Thursday night arrivals. Around 8:00 p.m. the rain arrived and settled in. Given the rain’s presence and the dismal forecast for Friday, we demonstrated o= ur flexibility. Since the canoe trip, the horseback tour, the bikes, the hikes, and the other outdoor activities that had been initially scheduled for Frid= ay morning would be precluded by the rain and cold temperature, we decided to adjust the Friday agenda.

We moved our departure time for New River Trail State Park to an hour later than initially scheduled, cancelled= the previously scheduled outdoor activities, arranged for everyone to have a se= at for the van tour, and decided that, rather than having lunch in an open air pavilion at New River Trail, we would instead return to the warmth of Cabin= 16 at Claytor Lake for lunch.

Around 9:00 a.m. on Friday morning, our caravan of three vans and one SUV loaded up and headed for Foster Falls at New River Trail State Park. Our first stop was at the Foster Falls train station= , now a gift shop. From there, we moved to the Shot Tower.

It wa= s here at the Shot Tower that “shot” was made for the ammunition used = by early settlers more than 190 years ago. Lead from the nearby Austinville Mi= nes was melted in a kettle at the top of the 75 foot tower and poured through a sieve, falling through the tower and an additional 75 foot shaft dug beneath the tower. After falling 150 feet, the lead would hit a kettle of water in which the shot would solidify.

From = the Shot Tower, we proceeded to the stables where we visited the horseback concessionaire’s operation. About 25 horses are involved in this operation, plus a few Bureau of Land Management mustangs that are used as staff horses. The rates are $15 per hour or two h= ours for $25.

On ou= r return trip, we visited part of the old Baltimore Road and arrived back at Claytor Lake around 1:00 p.m. After enjoying lunch and the warmth of Cabin 16, we noted = that the rain was continuing and the temperatures remained very chilly. Thus, we cancelled the initially scheduled boat ride and everyone was left to their = own devices leading up to dinner.

Begin= ning around 5:00 p.m. or so we all reconvened at Cabin 16 to “convive̶= 1; for a short spell before dinner. Dinner was held at the Waters Edge Meeting Facility, a new meeting building built with proceeds from the 2002 General Obligation Bond Referendum. We were among the first to use this facility. T= he formal dedication ceremony was held a couple of weeks after we were there.<= o:p>

Follo= wing a steak dinner, Joe Elton, State Park System Director, read aloud a letter fr= om Joe Maroon, Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation Director, expressing appreciation for VAFP’s support and success in gaining additional budget dollars and authorized positions for the Park System.

Next<= span class=3DGramE>, Delegate Dave Nutter – our guest speaker – shared some well-received thoughts with us. Following this, we reconvened at Cabin 16. Delegate Nutter accompa= nied us and got a demonstration of the information kiosk system that will be available across the State Park System by next summer. And, we were entertained by Jim Klackowicz’ guitar playing, Nancy Heltman’s vocals, and a “sing along if you know the words” segment.

Satur= day morning began with breakfast at the Water’s Edge Meeting Facility followed by our semiannual business meeting. After a few comments by David Collett, Park Manager, we gave the floor to Joe Elton who began by circulat= ing copies of the letter that he had read aloud on Friday night so that the attendees could read the letter for themselves. He also passed out individu= al Certificates of Appreciation from DCR to each of the attendees. =

Next,= Joe gave a power point presentation that included some very interesting and informative performance statistics for the Park System. He also spoke about= the 2007 National Association of State Park Directors Conference to be hosted b= y Virginia and abo= ut the partnership that will be formed between VAFP and the Park System to conduct= the conference. And, he told the attendees about the partnership arrangement st= ruck between VAFP and the Park System whereby VAFP will be listed on each of the information kiosks in return for making the businesses and other organizati= ons in the vicinity of a given park aware of the advertising opportunities available through the kiosk.

After= a break, the meeting continued with the presentation of officer reports, the election for two officer positions (Lynn Davis will continue for another te= rm in her capacity as Chair, National Parks Issues, and James Klackowicz was elected to fill the Chair, State Park Issues position vacated by Nancy Fitzgerald opting to step down), and a brief presentation by Roy Allan Dudl= ey on the status of Jamestown 2007.

Next = came the educational components of the agenda. First, Jennifer Gagnon, Coordinator of the Forest Landowner Education Program, gave a powerpoint presentation about the Program, it’s objectives, and its results. Jennifer can be reached at her email address of jgagnon@vt.edu. Program addresses include www.cnr.vt.edu and http://forestandrange.org.<= /b>

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Follo= wing Jennifer, Elizabeth Obenshain, Executive Director of the New River Land Trust, addressed the attendees. She, too, gave a most interesting and informative presentation about the Trust, its objectives, and its accomplishments to date. Beth can be reached at her email address of nrlt@newriverlandtrust.org.

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Gasto= n Rouse spoke last, addressing a number of volunteer related issues including the formation of two new Friends Groups (James River State Park and Southwest Virginia Museum), the revision of the Volunteer Services Manual, and the success of the Youth Conservation Corps Program.

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An “open floor “discussion followed GastonR= 17;s presentation and the business meeting was adjourned at 12:15 p.m. A light lunch was served and the Executive Committee met during lunch.