Friends Wilderness owes a deep debt of gratitude to all those, known or unknowable, who came before, who cherished and labored on this land. Indigenous peoples traversed and hunted on the land occupied by Friends Wilderness for millennia. Friends Wilderness honors the memory of the Manahoac people, who were identified as the inhabitants on maps drawn by early European explorers. We carry the burden and grief that their people did not survive to the time of colonial expansion. 

Many of their language group, Souian, for generations shared the wider region as hunting grounds, transit routes, and trading areas with peoples of the Algonquin and Iroquoian (Haudenosaunee) language groups to the West and North. We hold profound gratitude for the legacy of earthcare and cooperation lived by the multitudes of indigenous peoples across generations who valued this land before us.

Friends Wilderness appreciates that the land we have the privilege of occupying was not–nor could be–ceded to our colonial predecessors, who imposed a European construct of property ownership to unfairly claim indigenous territory. Although our circumstance is unearned, we humbly accept our role and responsibility within this continuum to share the land to honor the memory of its past caretakers and steward its gifts for the generations that follow. 

Friends Wilderness further expresses sorrow for the unnamed men, women, and children who were unjustly claimed as property by colonial settlers and forced to labor on this land without compensation, freedom, or personal autonomy. We lament their trials and suffering. We mourn those who may have succumbed while enslaved and may lie at rest on this land. 

In meager recompense for unjust subjugation and ongoing generational disadvantage perpetuated by social, cultural, and economic systems, we share our privileged circumstances on this land, welcoming all freely and openly as equal benefactors to its gifts.

Our mission is to offer the space and environment for all people to experience the gifts of nature and heal in community, in all its forms.

Our vision is to make Friends Wilderness accessible and welcoming to all to inspire peace, holistic earthcare, affect spiritual and physical renewal, and nurture caring relationships among all people, including those who came before and those who will come after.

• We respect and appreciate those who cherished this land before us, and we humbly seek to honor their legacy in service to the generations who will follow. We owe particular debt to the Manahoac people, who were associated with this land by early European explorers but who did not survive to be displaced by colonial expansion. 

• We welcome all people regardless of their spiritual or religious beliefs, skin color, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability, socio-economic background, nationality, culture… We strive to provide a sanctuary from discrimination.

• We are committed to preserving the health of the natural environment entrusted to our care, and we encourage others to share that stewardship responsibility.

• We are grateful for the gifts of this natural environment and embrace the responsibility to share them, not use them as a commodity for economic benefit.

Martha Mason Semmes (Board Co-Clerk): Martha enjoyed a long career in town management, land use and environmental management. She is a Fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners and is an avid hiker and occasional backpacker. 

Patti Nesbitt: Patti is a retired palliative care nurse. Before nursing school, she served as an environmental consultant, writer, teacher, and organizer in fields of water quality and organic agriculture.  Patte has been clerk of Baltimore Yearly Meeting’s camp property management, Intervisitation, and the end of life working group. She lives in Sandy Spring, MD where she is active in the local meeting and BYM. She started coming to FWC in the 1990's when Sheila Bach started as the first general manager.  

Lisa Payne: Lisa is a retired special education teacher in Virginia public schools. She served on the Purcellville Town Council, Chair of the Public Works Committee, during the riparian management project in the town's 1800 acre watershed on the Blue Ridge. She resides in Shannondale, WV and is a member of the Goose Creek Friends Meeting. Visiting the FWC is always a homecoming to wilderness.  

William Telfair: Bill is a retired Physicist who invented and designed Medical laser systems like Lasik. He is a member of the Potomac Valley Audubon Society and leads bird and nature walks in both Jefferson and Berkeley counties, including walks on the Rolling Ridge property. Bill lives in Shepherdstown and serves as treasurer for Shepherdstown Friends Meeting. 

Nancy Jo Steetle:

Alan Swanson: Alan is a retired professor of criminology and a Member of Langley Hill Friends Meeting. The opportunity of being out in nature has been a constant joy for him having lived and worked overseas in a variety of places such as the mountains of Honduras, the marshes in England, and the two mega cities of Cairo and Mexico City. A walk in the woods at FWC always simulates thoughts and feelings of past, present, and future.

Edwin Zhao: Edwin works with individuals and organizations on cultural transformation. He also supports after-school math and writing programs for children in grades 3 through 8. He is an active member of Friends Meeting of Washington, where he serves on the hospitality committee. Edwin delights in movement; hiking, biking, swimming, inline skating, dancing, and capoeira angola.

Kimberly Benson (Ex officio, General Manager): Kimberly holds a masters of science in conservation biology. Formerly employed at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration focusing on conservation science, education, and outreach, Kimberly has extensive field experience engaging the public through research and participatory science. Kimberly and her family are always available to welcome you to Friends Wilderness Center.