Brandon Dennison, a senior at Shepherd University and youth group leader at Shepherds- town Presbyterian Church, has long been a hero to the young people of his church, with whom he has worked for the past three years as a counselor, mentor, and friend. This month, we are proud to recognize him for his commitment to engaging youth and furthering the cause of wilderness protection for the last wild places in West Virginia's Monongahela National Forest (a.k.a. the "Mon").
"I spent my entire life here and I love West Virginia, through and through," says Brandon. "My dad has been taking me camping from as early as I can remember, and that's where my love of the wilderness comes from - from my dad. Nearly all of our trips were in West Virginia and all over the Mon. Dolly Sods Wilderness is one of my favorite places.
"Because my dad had been taking me to the Mon all my life, when I became a youth group leader at Shepherdstown Presbyterian Church my freshmen year in college, I wanted to take the opportunity to take other young people out to experience West Virginia's wilderness. Every May, we take the youth group on a camping trip to Dolly Sods Wilderness Area. For some of the kids it's their first experience to do something like that. There are lots of questions and enthusiasm, and they're blown away by what they see."
This past year, Brandon became involved with the West Virginia Wilderness Coalition's efforts to protect Seneca Creek, East Fork of Greenbrier, the proposed Dolly Sods wilderness expansion, and other areas in the Monongahela National Forest. He is following in the footsteps of leaders with the West Virginia Council of Churches and Christians for the Mountains who have also supported efforts to keep the Monongahela wild and free.
"I've seen the effect that wilderness has on kids' lives firsthand," he says. "It's incredible how they respond to the silence. We end our annual trip to the forest on Sunday morning and kids go off on their own for 30 minutes to be silent, write in their journals, read the bible, or pray. They have so much noise in their lives with cars, TVs, X-boxes, and such that they don't have a chance to experience quiet and stillness. But when they do, they like it. On our last trip to the Mon, all the kids went into a cave and we turned the flashlights off and we were quiet. At the end of the weekend, half the kids said that was their favorite part.
"When I heard there was an effort to protect the Monongahela Forest I thought this would be a great project to get involved with. We'll get the kids into the wilderness but there will be a goal and opportunities to learn how they can put their faith into action, which is where the lobbying came into effect."
Faith Into Action
This past summer, Brandon offered the young people he works with a chance to trade their summer mission trip for a special summer project that would culminate in a trip to Washington, DC to meet with members of West Virginia's congressional delegation about wilderness in the Monongahela National Forest.
"I told the kids that there is this movement to expand wilderness and if you think the areas you see are worth protecting then we can move forward with a summer project to DC. The youth overwhelmingly said they wanted to do that." Brandon organized the annual youth trip to the Dolly Sods Wilderness Area in May. The teens then took their journaling and pictures from the weekend and compiled them into a portfolio. "That portfolio was completely made by the youth themselves. All the words, pictures, and poems come directly from them," says Brandon.
One teen wrote:
He stops,
Feels the slowing wind,
The breath of life none can escape.
The gentle sun filters down onto him,
The shining light that warms his soul.
The trees around look like flag poles,
Flying their branches to one side.
Saluting the glory of everlasting nature,
He sighs, content with the knowledge
That there is meaning to existence,
And smiles, knowing it can be found here.
"We went to DC in June and took 17 young people to lobby the entire congressional delegation. They presented the portfolio and read scripture verses that supported our argument. We came at it from a Christian perspective. We are stewards of God's earth. As Christians, we believe that wilderness offers opportunities for solitude and prayer that no other venue can offer," he says.
"When we returned to church, the youth requested that all members of the church write to Congress. The response was very positive. Adults really respond to teens taking action and are inspired by youth who care, so anytime when the younger generation stands up and takes up a call, the reaction is overwhelmingly supportive."
"Brandon's leadership has helped introduce dozens of young people to wilderness and has helped instill in them a sense of appreciation for wildlands and for the greater environment in which they live," says Dave Saville, coordinator for the West Virginia Wilderness Coalition. "He has helped kids take responsibility for our public lands and empowered them to make a difference by getting involved."
The Path Ahead
When asked about his hopes for the future of the wilderness effort, Brandon replied, "I just really hope that all 15 areas become wilderness. The youth and I have invested a lot in this - a lot of time and a lot of prayer.
"I come at this from a complete Christian perspective. It's my relationship with God that compels me to hope for the best and to protect the wilderness and to offer places for youth groups and for families and kids to experience God in such an untamed and wild way. You can't have the experience in a city park that you can in a wilderness area. That's the perspective I'm coming from."
Brandon is studying history and political science at Shepherd University and will graduate in May 2008. He plans to stay in Shepherdstown after graduation and keep his job as Youth Leader. "We'll do the Dolly Sods trip again in May," says Brandon. "And I could foresee another trip to DC, if that would be helpful."
Compelled by his faith and personal connection to wilderness, we have no doubt that Brandon will continue his ministry in service of God's creation. We applaud Brandon and the youth of Shepherdstown Presbyterian Church for their work to keep West Virginia wild and wonderful.
