2017 Reunion – NCTC

NCTC Celebration a Great Success!

The 145 plus retirees and others who made it to the National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, West Virginia this October had a wonderful experience and the Association wishes to thank our hosts, Jay Slack, Steve Chase, Mark Madison and all the NCTC folks there who made it so enjoyable. To view the agenda, click here. The event was a celebration of the 20th anniversary of the formal dedication of NCTC, the “home of the Service.” In our last two Retiree Newsletters and in special mailings in May and September, we described the celebration as an opportunity to hold a concurrent get-together for retirees. NCTC had specifically invited our members to join in the celebration and the other planned events. They made our time there most enjoyable. The FWS Heritage Committee met on Tuesday, October 17th but Tuesday was also the arrival for most of the retirees and their guests. Wednesday was when things really kicked off, starting with a welcome by NCTC Director Jay Slack and continuing with a brief description of NCTC programs aimed at youth from junior high through college who might be interested in a conservation career. That afternoon, we boarded busses for a guided tour of the Antietam battlefield, a crucial point in the American Civil War. After dinner, there was a mini FWS film festival, art display, and a campfire at which we dedicated two benches in the memory of Denny Holland, one of the founders of the Retirees Association.

Thursday was also jam-packed. We listened to FWS Deputy Director Greg Sheehan extol the value that NCTC provides to the active service and to the thousands of other personnel from various states, foreign countries, and businesses that have availed themselves of the excellent training provided there. Then former Directors Dale hall and John Turner and former NCTC Director Rick lemon provided an illuminating history of NCTC, starting with the germination of the idea to create a training center that would consolidate the several training venues in use throughout the U.S. and culminating with the facility that is there at Shepherdstown today. The new “Gallery Room” (site of the former library) was then dedicated and we were its first users. That afternoon, we had fascinating tours of the NCTC Museum and of the NCTC Archives, led by FWS Historian Mark Madison and FWS Archivist Jeanne Harold followed by a trip to the auditorium where we were treated to “Bully”, a one-man play starring Case Hicks, about the conservation efforts of Teddy Roosevelt. To see the playbill, click here.

The week was capped off with a social in the Commons along with some bluegrass music. A list of those who attended can be found here.