Appalachian Forest Discovery Summit
September 17-18, 2026 | 50 Roundhouse Way, Elkins, West Virginia
The Appalachian Forest Discovery Summit is an annual event that brings together stakeholders who share an interest in the unique natural and cultural resources centered on the highland forests of WV and western Maryland that make our region significant. Our goal is to foster collaboration, share best practices, and inspire new ideas for the continued support and growth of our region.
Join us at The Railyard Event and Conference Center in Elkins for discussions on forest heritage and presentations from our partners on their exciting work in our region on September 17th, and enjoy tours of significant locations in Randolph County on September 18th.
Thursday, September 17
Conference at The Railyard Event and Conference Center
Schedule is subject to change. Please check back in periodically for updates.
8:30 AM: Registration
9:00: Opening remarks & Membership Meeting
9:30-10:45: Spray Drones in Agriculture and Forestry, Appalachian Stories, FlingForAll: An easy path to outdoor play and better health
11:00 - 12:15: We are All Storytellers, Under the Hood, Reading the Woods
12:30: Lunch
1:30 - 2:45: From Passion to Policy, AFNHA and You, Trees in the Deeds
3:00 - 4:15: AFNHA Next Steps, Beekeeping
5:00: Reception at the Darden Mill
6:00: Special Presentation and Town Hall by Treasurer Larry Pack
7:00: Reception Close
Speakers
Rev. Martha Macgill
Appalachian Stories: Writers of our Mountain Home
Lily Books and Cafe, the new bookstore in revitalized downtown Cumberland, Maryland, our bookstore seeks to showcase Appalachian authors and their work. This presentation will cover the history of Appalachian writing, present interactive readings from Appalachian writers work, invite the audience to compose their own "haiku" of Appalachian life, and focus on several modern Appalachian writers--Rayelle Davis (Money in the Mountains: The Cultural Trauma of Appalachia) and the late poet Nikki Giovanni. Lily Books will have a selection of these books for sale in order for the audience to dive deeper into Appalachian literature.
The Rev. Martha Macgill is an episcopal priest with over 30 years of ministry from Virginia to South Africa to Maryland, retiring fro Emmanuel Church in Cumberland, Maryland. She is now co-owner of Lily Books and Cafe, Cumberland, Maryland's new independent bookstore located on Baltimore Street in revitalized downtown Cumberland. She is on the board of AFNHA and loves making her home in the woods of Allegany County with her husband, dog and cat, gardening on her forest hillside and reading on her screened porch.
Mike Jones, West Virginia Rivers Coalition
Under the Hood: Behind the scenes of advocacy and science for sustainable recreation
Behind the well-maintained trails and clear cool trout waters in our forests is strong science and years of advocacy. Using the examples of designating increased mileage of trout streams, the grassroots advocacy for Wild and Scenic designations of Mon Forest headwaters, and the on-going efforts to enhance river access from bridge construction and repair, we explore the roles of science and advocacy in assuring that abundant Appalachian Forest recreational resources remain available to us and to our children.
Mike Jones serves as the Conservation Manager for West Virginia Rivers Coalition, including the advocacy work for non-motorized recreation in our public lands. Mike has made numerous presentations online and in person, including Advocacy 101 trainings (multiple times online), and in person presentations on recreation and advocacy at the WV Highlands Conservancy Fall Festival and at Forest and Water symposiums. Mike serves on the Board of AFNHA; and as the WV Rivers representative on the Boards for WV Highlands and the WV Environmental Council. Mike is an Adjunct Instructor at West Virginian University, teaching classes including Introduction to American Government and Constitutional Law.
Joshua Higginbotham
From Passion to Policy: How Organizations & Advocates Can Shape Outcomes at Every Level of Government
This fast-paced, interactive session is designed specifically for executive directors, board members, staff, and volunteers of preservation nonprofits, Main Street programs, landmark commissions, CVBs, and heritage tourism organizations. Attendees will leave with a complete advocacy toolkit they can begin using the day they return home.
Having served six years in the West Virginia House of Delegates (2016–2021), including as Chairman of the Committee on Economic Development, Joshua brings rare firsthand insight into how policy is actually made in Charleston and Washington. Today, through his consulting practice he works exclusively with nonprofits, trade associations, industry groups, development organizations, and mission-driven businesses to help them translate their passion into legislative and regulatory wins. Joshua has presented advocacy and coalition-building trainings to numerous association conferences and many local chambers and civic organizations. Participants consistently rate his sessions as one of the highest of the entire conference because he combines practical, immediately usable tactics with real-world legislative war stories that only a former lawmaker can tell.
Bryan Simmons and Dietrich Epp Schmidt, Future Generations University
Reading the Woods: A Whole-Forest Approach to Nature-Based Enterprise in Appalachia
West Virginia's forests cover most of the state's land, yet many landowners and the technical service providers who assist them lack a clear framework for identifying which forest-based enterprises — from maple syrup to forest farming to agritourism — make sense for a given property and family. This session introduces "Reading the Woods," a decision-making tool and training program developed by Future Generations University to help technical service providers guide woodland stewards through a holistic assessment process. Using the "three-legged tripod" method — evaluating the environmental conditions of the land, the economic viability of a potential enterprise, and the social goals and constraints of the landowner — attendees will learn a repeatable framework for assessing nature-based enterprise opportunities on any given woodlot, along with the toolkit of assessments and worksheets that support the process from initial conversation through to a completed enterprise plan.
Bryan Simmons serves as the Agroforestry & Land Use Associate at Future Generations University, where he coaches landowners and service providers on agroforestry practices, tree syrup production, and value-added product development, and helps deliver programming like "Reading the Woods" to technical service providers across the region. He holds a Bachelor of Science from West Virginia University and brings a distinctive cross-disciplinary background, including several years as Head of Distillation for an award-winning West Virginia spirits producer and a Master Distiller Certification — experience that informs his understanding of both the production and economic sides of value-added forest enterprises.
Dietrich Epp Schmidt is a socio-environmental scientist with a passion for building systems that synergistically support human and ecosystem health. He holds a MS and PhD in soil ecology from the University of Maryland, where he studied how land management shapes ecological and biogeochemical processes locally and at a global scale. He has over a decade experience working in sustainable food systems from many angles. He’s been a farmer, a research scientist in the FDA and USDA, and worked on tackling food deserts through youth education and food access programs in the suburbs of Washington DC. He’s excited to support Future Generations University’s youth education program, building the capacity of future generations to tackle critical social and environmental challenges. When he’s not obsessing over the food system, Dietrich can be found hanging out with his family, throwing a disc in the park, or deep in the forest hot on the trail of the elusive Appalachian truffle.
David Abruzzi, Cacapon Preservation Solution
We Are All Storytellers - The Art & Neuroscience of Storytelling.
As humans we are wired “for story” as a way to bond and develop relationships. For those seeking to preserve built history sharing a building’s historic significance through stories is a great way to develop interest in preservation and participate in the growing economic sector of heritage tourism. The presentation explores the science behind storytelling and looks at Paw Paw’s Built History as a case study in making connections between history and place.
David Abruzzi is a veteran, architect, and historian in West Virginia’s eastern panhandle. In 2022 he established Cacapon Preservation Solutions with the vision of protecting and preserving WV’s historical places for the benefit of current and future generations. In fulfilling that vision, David consults with and assists WV property owners, municipalities, residents, and concerned citizens who want to protect and preserve historic structures navigate the historic preservation process. In one year he successfully nominated four buildings in Paw Paw to the National Register of Historic Places, and in September 2025 he also had two historic bridges in Morgan County listed. David is investing in preserving local history with his purchase of Paw Paw’s historic 1876 St Charles Catholic Mission Church. He is using historic tax credits to offset the costs of a second act for the building. In 2025 the state of WV recognized David as a WV History Hero for his ongoing work in Paw Paw.
Kaitlyn Pauley, Pauley Genealogy
Trees in the Deeds: Unlocking Appalachian Forests and Ancestral Lands
Long before modern survey instruments or GPS, early Appalachian surveyors marked property lines using the forest itself. Thousands of West Virginia deeds contain ecological data—naming specific "witness trees" and environmental markers that defined 18th- and 19th-century land boundaries. Today, these same records offer a powerful bridge for heritage travelers and genealogists seeking authentic, place-based connections to the exact land their ancestors settled. This session bridges environmental history, genealogical research, and heritage tourism. Attendees will discover how researchers can extract historical witness tree data from archival deeds to reconstruct pre-industrial forest canopies. It will also highlight how land-mapping methodologies allow heritage travelers to step into the woods where their ancestors lived.
Kaitlyn Pauley, MS, AG®, is an Accredited Genealogist specializing in West Virginia and Mid-Atlantic land records, cartographic resources, and community reconstruction. Drawing on her background as a former educator, naturalist, and wildlife technician, she brings a unique interdisciplinary approach that bridges environmental landscape history with genealogical research. She owns Pauley Genealogical Services, LLC and serves on the Board of the Virginia Genealogical Society.
Robert Kuhn, True North Forestry
Spray Drones in Agriculture and Forestry
Robert Kuhn is the owner of Kuhn's Aerial Applications, LLC since 2004. He has worked in forestry since 1989 and in West Virginia forestry since 1995. For over 25 years, Kuhn worked as a Procurement Forester purchasing standing timber in WV and PA. Since 2020, he has been a Consulting Forester representing WV landowners with the management of their standing timber. Robert and his son started Kuhn's Aerial Applications, LLC in 2024 mainly to treat invasive species such as Autumn Olive and Multiflora Rose.
Jonathan Bellingham, FlingForAll
FlingForAll: An easy path to outdoor play and better health
In the world of FlingGolf, Jonathan is a national champion masters athlete, national tournament host and international ambassador, introducing the new sport to France, Iceland and Spain. He was the first person to play FlingGolf where traditional golf was born, the Old Course at St. Andrews. In 2025, he created the first school curriculum, and in 2026 completed the first book on FlingGolf. Later this Fall he will debut his second FlingGolf documentary style short film. He is now pioneering the combined sport of SpeedGolf with FlingGolf. With over 30 years in hospitality and marketing, Jonathan has given hundreds of presentations, clinics and demonstrations.
Joni Morris, AlphaApiaries
The Buzz About Bees
With a decade of hands-on experience keeping bees across West Virginia and the Laurel Highlands of Pennsylvania, Joni is deeply committed to pollinator education and conservation. Co-owner of Alpha Apiaries with her husband Allen, the two make a dedicated team for sustainable beekeeping and bee conservation. A passionate educator, Joni specializes in teaching flying insect safety and pollinator literacy to young learners across North Central West Virginia, finding constant inspiration in the curiosity and inquisitive questions of children. Joni is an active leader in the local beekeeping community, serving as a member of both the West Virginia Beekeepers Association and the Marion County Beekeepers Association, where she previously served on the executive board and the 2025 Spring Conference Planning Committee. She also helps mentor the next generation of beekeepers by being an instructor for Marion County’s annual Beekeeping 101 class. She is currently advancing her own expertise by pursuing a West Virginia Master Beekeeper Certification.
Friday, September 18
Randolph County Tours
Additional tour locations announced soon!
Beverly Heritage Center
Randolph County Historical Society
Conference Lunch Options
Classic Caesar Salad – Crisp romaine topped with shredded Parmesan cheese, homemade croutons, and grilled chicken breast. Served with traditional Caesar dressing.
Chicken Scoop Salad – House-made chicken salad on a bed of fresh spinach, garnished with candied pecans, sliced Granny Smith apples, cubes of sharp cheddar cheese, and grapes. Served with balsamic vinaigrette.
Grilled Chicken Salad – Mixed greens laced with shredded cheddar cheese, sliced cucumber, grape tomatoes, shredded carrots, homemade croutons, and grilled chicken breast. Served with ranch dressing.
Smoked Turkey – Shaved hickory smoked turkey breast with provolone cheese, served with green leaf lettuce and sliced tomato on Wheat Berry bread. Mayonnaise and yellow mustard packets on the side.
Honey Ham – Thinly sliced honey ham with Swiss cheese, served with green leaf lettuce and sliced tomato on wheat bread. Mayonnaise and yellow mustard packets on the side.
Chicken Salad Croissant – House-made chicken salad served on a freshly baked croissant with green leaf lettuce and sliced tomato.
Vegetarian and gluten-free option available.
Become a Sponsor
A limited number of free or discounted registrations are available for Formal Partners, National Service members, and needs based applicants. Please apply below for a Promo Code.
If you would like to sponsor a participant, please reach out to afnha@afnha.org .
