WEST VIRGINIA WONDER WOMEN
NANCY AILES In It for the Turtles and Snakes Hampshire County is in Nancy Ailes’ blood. In fact, nine generations of her family have lived there, and many years of her life have been dedicated to its conservation. She was appointed as the Cacapon and Lost Rivers Land Trust executive director—the organization’s
SARAH GUYETTE Snow Place Like Home
first paid employee in 2002—already intimately familiar with conservation efforts in the region since joining as a board member in 1999. It was Ailes’ devotion of time and energy that allowed the Trust to take on more conservation easements and to draw buy-in from foundations willing to fund its important work. Membership also grew during her tenure, as did countless critical relationships with landowners. “I was really proud of where we took the organization,” Ailes says. “I was in it for the turtles and snakes. My mother taught me to love animals. I wanted to make permanent homes for those animals that didn’t have a voice.” During her tenure, conservation easements held by the Trust grew from protecting 300 to 14,000 acres. The organization was successful in connecting high-priority parcels with ecological goods and services, making them large conservation hubs and corridors. And after 15 years at its helm, Ailes left the Trust in the capable hands of a new executive director so that she could finally get out in the region and enjoy the things she’s spent so many years protecting. HLT
Sarah Guyette has been around snow for as long as she can remember. She grew up near Snowshoe Mountain Resort, where her father was a ski patroller. After earning her bachelor’s degree in communications from Shepherd University, she headed west to Oregon. It wasn’t long before Snowshoe Mountain called her home. Guyette combines logic and creativity as the vice president of marketing and sales for Snowshoe Mountain Resort, where she gets to share her mountain lifestyle with others. She helps promote events that Snowshoe brings to the region, like the Grand National Cross Country Series, the Wanderlust Festival, and the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup race. She also helps attract people to Pocahontas County as a member of the Pocahontas County CVB. “It’s not just our job to invite people here,” Guyette says, “but to help guide them through the experience and show them what we see every day.” She views tourism as an opportunity to economically strengthen the region and provide more opportunity for its residents while protecting its pristine wilderness. She finds wonder and peace in the outdoors and believes nature holds an infinite learning potential. JC
SHARON CRUIKSHANK It Takes a Village Sharon Cruikshank is the first female mayor of Fayetteville, and she believes a small gesture like sweeping the sidewalks goes a long way in showing others she cares about her community. Cruikshank grew up in her grandmother’s home on Blume Hill, behind the Fayette County Courthouse. “Fayetteville raised me,” she says. “I was taught never to forget where you come from and never to forget to serve the community that raised you.” Prior to her role as mayor, Cruikshank served for 22 years as president of the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce, as executive director at the New River Gorge Convention and Visitors Bureau, and as chair of the Bridge Day Commission. She also served for 18 years on the Fayetteville City Council. During Cruikshank’s mayoral campaign in 2019, constituents asked Cruikshank what she stood for. Her reply? “The good news is, I believe in treating everyone the same.” Cruikshank’s favorite aspect of her job is interacting with the community. “Serving others is just what I do,” she says. JC
78 wvl • fall 2020
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online