Park Your Life Along the Clinch River

As a newcomer to Southwest Virginia, it has really been a struggle to become acquainted with the surreal life of this part of the country. The nights are quieter, the days seem shorter, and things to do in the towns and cities leave much to be desired. But, with every great change come some positive and some negative. And the beauty of the countryside is something which can never be attained in a major city. In an attempt to take advantage of the wonderful backdrop the countryside provides the Clinch River Valley Initiative for some time now has been attempting to get together funding for studies on the cost and economic benefits of creating a state park along the clinch river. The group has been studying the area along a stretch of the river running from the Pinnacle Natural Area Preserve in Russell County to Speers Ferry in Scott County.

The hope of the study is to eventually be looking at the kind of economic impact brought to the region by Hungry Mother State Park, which according to reports has an $8 million impact annually. I don’t know about the others who are not originally from this region but the parks and outdoor recreation of this area is probably one of the things I have been able to enjoy the most out here. As an area where early settlers of this nation once frequented the shores of the clinch river and the areas around it are in dire need of stong economic impact and because of this renewed interest the river may see a rejuvenated influx of visitors.

The park once completely developed will have a visitor’s center, campgrounds, picnic areas, hiking trails, fishing opportunities and, of course, places to launch canoes and kayaks. The early plans project the park as taking advantage of the historic banks of the river though the re-use of old buildings for river recreation while officials have pointed out that outfitters could help to drive community revitalization, as services and lodging establishments are developed to serve park visitors.

I think this is a great idea and personally I CAN NOT WAIT FOR THE PARK TO OPEN!

The entire story as reported in April of this year can be found here.

-Justin 

Enjoying the Clinch River- Canoe & Kayak

One of my recent adventures and new passions is kayaking. I'm a beginning but I am learning everything I can. I just find that it is a wonderful way to enjoy some down time, to unplug, get out and really enjoy nature. Kayaking or canoeing can be a calming experience where you really take in your surroundings. For adrenaline junkies it can be an adventurous sport and great exercise! I personally enjoy a little of both from time to time. The problem I have? I live in Southwest Virginia in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains amongst the Clinch River Watershed. So finding places to kayak should not be an issue, right? Wrong! A current issue is the lack of public access to the waterway. People in cities are actually known to exercise outdoors more than people here, surrounded by the great outdoors. I think a large part of this is that people in the large cities place a high value on what small portion of nature they do have. They hike, bike, camp, kayak whatever they can. Here, any people take our natural assets for granted.

http://clinchriverva.com/

 The good news is that the Clicnh River has the opportunity to be a wonderful asset to everyone. To local people, as well as, those traveling who just need to unwind and get out of the day to day hustle and bustle. How is this going to happen given the lack of access to the river? The good news is that the Clinch River Valley Initiative (CRVI), has a special committee working on access points. Previously, there were no public access points along the Clinch River. In June, 2012, CRVI acquired three access points and are working on more everyday. This is a long process because it requires easements from landowners to access the waterways. In the November meeting, the piolt project region was further expanded upsteam and downsteam to include a targeted access location in Cleveland, VA. They have taken steps to hire an outdoor recreation specialist.

If you want more information regarding the CRVI's work or access points click here

Many people along the Clinch River Watershed have not realized that they have such a magnificent resource literally in their own backyards. It will be wonderful to have these access points available so we can enjoy what the Clinch River has to offer. 

-Lindsey

Mussels and Mining

 On December 2, 2012, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), wrote about working with mining regulators to update the Clinch Vallley's inventory of abandoned mine lands, and to rank priorities for restoration. At Flint Gap in Russell County, they partnered with the Virignia Department of Mines, Mineral, and Energy and with Virginia Tech to rejuvenate compacted soils, replant native trees and capture carbon emissions. The Clinch River's rare river and inhabitants overlap with valuable energy resources, including natural gas and an estimated 250 million tons of coal. 

 “If coal does have something to do with that, I want to be part of the solution,” says Alpha’s John Paul Jones. Jones joins others in voicing support for a working group to push for a shared research, funding and land-restoration agenda. “We just need somebody leading the team, a quarterback,” Jones adds.

Brad Kreps, head of the Clinch Valley Program portion of the TNC, acknowledges the range of conservation and restoration activities occurring throughout the Clinch Valley. He stated “We need to build on the momentum of this symposium and develop a clear, shared conservation vision that balances natural resource development with the protection of these globally important rivers.”

The participants also conclude that the complex causes behind the mussel declines go beyond historic and active coal mining. As further discussed under the "issues" tab in this blog there have been many contributions to the decline of the quality of the Clinch River over the years.

The full article can be found here. 

It is wonderful that the two entities were able to come together for the goal of preserving the endangered species and natural assets in the Clinch River Watershed as well as restoring the quality of the Clinch River. Unfortunately, we did not always know the effects that pollution, coal mines and acid drainage could have on the watershed. Now that this knowledge is available it is great to see the coal industry's concern and involvement. 

-Lindsey