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Clinch River State Park is home to water recreation.
The Clinch River in far Southwest Virginia, long known as an ecological hotspot, is now also known as the first blueway state park in the commonwealth. Governor Ralph Northam and other leaders launched Virginia’s 41st park, which entails almost 700 acres along 100 miles of the Clinch as it flows through Russell, Wise, Tazewell and Scott counties.
“Located in the heart of Appalachia, this park will be a highlight of the robust outdoor recreation economy in Southwest Virginia and draw even more visitors to the region,” the governor said. The park includes a network of hiking and biking trails, as well as river launch points, camping sites and points of interest for canoeists, paddle boarders and watermen.
“This park could not exist without the landowners who shared our vision and the efforts and partnerships of the communities along the Clinch River,” said State Parks Director Melissa Baker.
The river is among the most biodiverse waterways in the Northern Hemisphere, with more than 48 vulnerable animal species, including 29 varieties of rare freshwater mussels and 19 species of fish.
And speaking of river critters in the Clinch … conservation groups in July sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect eastern hellbenders as an endangered species, which agency had denied in 2019. The freshwater salamanders—also called “devil dog,” “snot otter,” “river monster,” —range from New York to Georgia and west to Missouri, and can grow up to two feet and live 25 to 30 years, sometimes more. Scientists believe 80% of their population has been lost or is declining.
“This ancient species is now almost gone from many Appalachian streams because they are incredibly sensitive to pollutants and the destruction of their habitats when smothered by sediment,” said Morgan Johnson, a staff attorney at Waterkeepers Chesapeake.
Protection under the Endangered Species Act would include designation of critical habitat spots to ensure the hellbender species returns from the brink of extinction.
governor.virginia.gov/newsroom/all-releases/2021/june/headline-897785-en.html
The story above first appeared in our September / October 2021 issue.
