The American Conservation Film Festival is a three-day annual event held in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, a vibrant arts community 80 miles northwest of the nation's capital. The ACFF features films from a diverse group of conservation filmmakers from around the world.
Our mission is to present outstanding conservation film and video. As part of that mission, ACFF:
- Provides a venue for diverse range of conservation films that rarely receive a wide showing;
- Celebrates conservation film and video in the fun, eclectic atmosphere of historic Shepherdstown, WV;
- Showcases independent, historic, publicly funded and Appalachian films;
- Offers an education component that complements the film selections and supports those interested in conservation filmmaking.
The Third Annual American Conservation Film Festival takes place
Oct 26 - 29, 2005.
The Fourth Annual American Conservation Film Festival is scheduled for
Oct 25 - 28, 2006.
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(You will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to view these documents.) To become a ACFF Partner or Advertiser, please print the Partner and Advertiser's order form, fill it out and mail to: ACFF Partnership ProgramPO Box 889 Shepherdstown WV 25443 (To ensure space in our seasonal program, please order soon!) Thanks in advance for your support. We look forward to working with you! |
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Places to stay in Shepherdstown:
Thomas Shepherd Inn
David Lillard
Board President
David Lillard is is the author of six adventure travel guides 
and books that explore the heritage of the American landscape. He has worked with conservation and arts organizations for 25 years, and recently founded the Potomac Stories Project, which promotes and supports art, literature, performance and media that explore the Potomac River's unique sense of place. Steve Chase (NCTC Liasion)
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Steve Chase is the Chief of Facility Operations and Administration at the National Conservation Training Center of the Fish & Wildlife Service. He also oversees the NCTC Conservation Heritage Program and works on community-related projects. Steve graduated in 1983 from the University of Hartford , with a BA in Mass Communications and Earth Science. He received a Master of Public Administration from the Barney School of Business and Public Administration in 1990. He has served as a Legislative Fellow for the Connecticut State Legislature and was awarded a Presidential Management Internship in 1990.
Lawrence Cumbo
Board Member
Lawrence Cumbo is an award-winning senior producer for National Geographic TV & Film, Specials & Events. He develops, produces, writes and supervises specials, live events, and series for the National Geographic Channel and other networks. Lawrenceâs films include Miracle Doctors (2003), One Wild Ride: Yukon to Yellowstone (2004), and The Search for the Afghan Girl (2002).
Mark Madison
National Historian—US Fish and Wildlife Service (NCTC)
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Mark Madison is the historian for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He teaches environmental history to professional conservationists at the National Conservation Training Center . He has previously taught environmental history at Harvard University and the University of Melbourne ( Australia ). He has degrees in history, biology, and the history of science. For almost three years, as a Peace Corps volunteer, Mark did tropical reforestation in the rain forests of the Philippines.
Farzad Mahootian, Ph.D. (Secretary)
University of Alaska Fairbanks
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Farzad Mahootian, Ph.D. creates and fosters research opportunities undergraduates, graduate students, and their teachers. While teaching at Shepherd University , Farzad has served as director of the Alaska Summer Research Academy , a science & engineering "summer camp" for middle- and high-school students. A former director of the NASA Student Involvement Program, Farzad has worked on numerous NASA Earth and space science education projects for more than ten years. He holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy from Fordham, and an M.S. in Chemistry from Georgetown University.
Topper Sherwood (Board member)
Media Consulting
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Topper Sherwood is a former Associated Press reporter-turned-video producer. His byline has appeared in Time magazine, Business Week, the Boston Globe, and Smithsonian Air & Space. He has worked on short-subject documentaries for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, West Virginia Public Television, and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
Susan Walter
Board Member
Susan Walter is a longtime community activist serving as leader, organizer, system & social policy developer, advocate, lobbyist, and board member for health, social concerns, and environmental issues. With a master's degree in social work, Susan's career, including directorships in regional health institutions, has focused on private and public healthcare practice, policy, advocacy, education, and research at the national, state, and local levels.
Charles Dunkerly
Board Member
First connecting to the environment as a West Virginia river guide, Charles is currently a film producer/director for the National Park Service. For the past ten years, he has worked on award-winning interpretive films, on topics as diverse as on the Olympic National Park, Thomas Jefferson, and "prescribed fires."
Susan Pellish (Treasurer)
Susan Pellish is executive director of the United Way of Jefferson County. She is a longtime supporter of a diverse group of social programs and a strong patron of the arts in the region. She has served as staff of United Way affiliates in Berkeley and Morgan counties, in West Virginia.
Lisa Welch
(Vice President)
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Daniel Channel
(Festival Manager)
Daniel Channel has been associated with the American Conservation Film Festival for more than two years. He is studying at Shepherd University , where he expects to graduate in 2006 with a BA degree in communications.