The Yew Mountain Center is on a 500-acre nature preserve among the forests and farms of West Virginia. It is created and run by the local community to be a place for learning about the rich natural and cultural heritage of this Appalachian region and to be a part of the way forward to a prosperous and sustainable future in these mountains and beyond.
The Yew Mountain Center offers family-friendly retreats and workshops, We provide experiential education and research opportunities for students of all ages. It is a place to learn, create, and recreate.
Under the mature canopy of our hardwood forests, in the spring-fed ponds and quick mountain streams, under the bright glow of the Milky Way, find inspiration, make connections, and breathe the renewal found in nature at its wildest.
The Yew Mountain Center offers family-friendly retreats and workshops, We provide experiential education and research opportunities for students of all ages. It is a place to learn, create, and recreate.
Under the mature canopy of our hardwood forests, in the spring-fed ponds and quick mountain streams, under the bright glow of the Milky Way, find inspiration, make connections, and breathe the renewal found in nature at its wildest.
Our Mission and Vision
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Mission
The Yew Mountain Center provides programs that explore Appalachian ecology, culture, and arts while promoting community and personal wellness. Vision The Yew Mountain Center will show that Appalachian communities who invest in their local economy, honor the cultural heritage of all residents, encourage scientific and artistic discovery, and promote ecological stewardship create prosperity and resilience for all families. |
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Our Story
In January of 2016, the neighbors surrounding what is now the Yew Mountain Center property learned that it was going to be sold. As this land and facility has been central to our community for years, we sought to protect it and maximize its potential to serve our area.
The idea of an educational center was born of our desire to attract smart, skilled, and creative people to our area while stimulating a sustainable local economy. We believe there is a larger market for the things that are hallmarks of our lives here. And we believe we serve a greater good by pooling our talents, and teaching others about our ecosystem, our crafts and our callings. We want to enrich the local educational landscape by providing experiential learning opportunities inspired by our natural environment.
We set out to find a like-minded buyer—one who shared our vision of conservation, education, and place-based prosperity. After creating a website with community-generated ideas and reaching out to nearly everyone we knew and many we didn’t, a conservation-minded company found us.
They walked through the mountains with us and talked about their vision for protecting wild places. They spoke of shifting the paradigm from one of human dominance over the landscape to one of stewardship as responsible participants in an ongoing ecology. And they listened to our passion about this place and all of its inhabitants. With their means to purchase the property and our commitment to the place, a partnership was born.
The idea of an educational center was born of our desire to attract smart, skilled, and creative people to our area while stimulating a sustainable local economy. We believe there is a larger market for the things that are hallmarks of our lives here. And we believe we serve a greater good by pooling our talents, and teaching others about our ecosystem, our crafts and our callings. We want to enrich the local educational landscape by providing experiential learning opportunities inspired by our natural environment.
We set out to find a like-minded buyer—one who shared our vision of conservation, education, and place-based prosperity. After creating a website with community-generated ideas and reaching out to nearly everyone we knew and many we didn’t, a conservation-minded company found us.
They walked through the mountains with us and talked about their vision for protecting wild places. They spoke of shifting the paradigm from one of human dominance over the landscape to one of stewardship as responsible participants in an ongoing ecology. And they listened to our passion about this place and all of its inhabitants. With their means to purchase the property and our commitment to the place, a partnership was born.
The neighborhood works to create the Yew Mountain Center in honor of the memories of Alan Marr and Dawn Meyer. Alan was the previous owner of the property and Dawn was a care-taker. Both wanted the land and facilities to be a place of hope and service for the community.
What's in a name?
The Yew Mountains are a range of mountains that include 100,000+ acres of undeveloped land in our back yard. This mass of land includes Jacox Knob, Briery Knob, Blue Knob, the Falls of Hills Creek, the Cranberry Wilderness, Black Mountain and on--all the way to the Williams River. "Yew Pine" is the colloquial name for the red spruce that grow on this land. (Check out this rendition of Yew Piney Mountain, a classic Appalachian fiddle tune.)
