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