Clinch River Recreation Opportunities Subject of Community Workshop

Residents of Russell, Scott, Tazewell and Wise Counties are invited to participate in a community workshop that will help guide the strategies for outdoor recreation opportunities in the Clinch River Valley.  Workshop planners are hoping residents will share information, personal stories and old or new photos of the Clinch River that highlight recreation, community spirit, natural beauty or history.

The community workshop will be held Tuesday, October 4th from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Oxbow Center, 16620 E. Riverside Drive, St. Paul, Va. 24283. Dinner will be provided at 5:30 p.m. with the workshop running from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Reservations are requested by September 30th. Reservations can be made online at www.surveymonkey.com/s/PX9VZ25; via email at ksteika@vt.edu or by phone at 540.231.5644.

“The Clinch River Valley is an incredible place,” said workshop organizer Kim Steika. “This community workshop will help ensure it remains that way for generations to come.”

Claiborne Woodall, Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, said, “The biodiversity of the Clinch River is of global significance. The Clinch River watershed supports more rare species of freshwater mussels and fish than any river system in North America. Promoting land conservation and recreational opportunities on the Clinch will help preserve that biodiversity and will enhance the quality of life for communities along the Clinch and throughout southwest Virginia.”

The Community Design Assistance Center at Virginia Tech and the Institute for Environmental Negotiation at U.Va. have partnered with a number of organizations (The Nature Conservancy, the Virginia Department of Forestry, Scott County, the Policy Consensus Initiative, the Andrus Family Fund and the Southwest Regional Recreation Authority) to host this important program.

Steika said, “The community workshop is in direct response to a suggestion offered during a focus group discussing the potential Clinch River Linear Park. We want to use this workshop to capture stories about the Clinch River; highlight outdoor recreation needs and opportunities, and raise awareness of the significance of the Clinch River. Only through the input of residents of Russell, Scott, Tazewell and Wise counties can this be accomplished.”

Additional information is available at http://www.clinchriverva.wordpress.com/