FoWOD Seeks Board Members

[Allen J. Muchnick]

FRIENDS OF THE W&OD TRAIL SEEKS NEW BOARD MEMBERS (please forward widely)

The Friends of the W&OD Trail (FoWOD), an all-volunteer citizen
organization that supports and enhances the Washington & Old Dominion
Railroad Regional Park, will elect nine individuals to serve two-year or
one-year terms on its 15-member board of directors on April 24, 2005. 
Four incumbents will stand for re-election, so at least five new board
candidates are sought. 

FoWOD is under the auspices of the Northern Virginia Regional Park
Authority (NVRPA), a quasi-governmental agency that owns and operates the
W&OD Trail plus nineteen other regionally significant parks. The 45-mile
W&OD Trail follows the route of an abandoned historic railroad through the
heart of Northern Virginia, from urban Shirlington at the
Arlington/Alexandria junction to the still-quaint Town of Purcellville
near the Blue Ridge Mountains in rural western Loudoun County.  Each year,
the W&OD Trail receives over 3 million user visits for nature watching,
historic appreciation, walking, running, cycling, roller skating,
horseback riding, cross-country skiing, picnicking, or the simple joy of
being outdoors.

The main qualifications for board service are membership in the Friends,
enthusiasm for its mission, and a commitment to enhance the W&OD visitor
experience through volunteer service.  The board members represent a broad
diversity of trail users and reside in Arlington, Fairfax or Loudoun
Counties or the Cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, or Falls Church. 
Candidates who are active with organized hikers, runners, skaters,
equestrians, cyclists, naturalists, gardeners, and historians are
especially sought.

FoWOD board members are expected to attend most board meetings (held
usually on the first Tuesday of most months from 7-9 PM at the Vienna
Community Center) and to be active with at least one committee or project
(e.g., beautification, historic appreciation, community outreach,
membership, newsletter, website, safety, trail patrol, advocacy,
nominations).  To learn more about FoWOD and its current activities, and
to obtain a membership application, please visit
[http://www.wodfriends.org].

Prospective board candidates and other FoWOD members are invited to attend
the next FoWOD board meeting on April 5, 2005, from 7-9 PM, at the Vienna
Community Center.  The new board members will be elected at FoWOD's annual
meeting, awards ceremony, and member picnic on Sunday, April 24, 2005,
starting at noon, in Trailside Park in Herndon, but board candidates need
not be present for the election. 

For more information, please contact Allen Muchnick, Nominations Committee
Chair, at 703-271-0895 or <muchnick at capaccess.org>.