Background:

Clinch Valley SWCD serves Russell County, VA. Russell County is composed of two watersheds. The Clinch/Powell Watershed comprises 88%, while the Holston Watershed comprises 12%. Russell County population in 2000 totaled 30,308; unfortunately the 2004 population was estimated to decrease by 1.2% for a total of 28,893. Note that the VA population was estimated to increase by 5.4%. The median household income for Russell County totals $26,834, whereas the state median is $46,677. 3.3% of the civilian population is unemployed. The percent of individuals below poverty level was 16.3%, putting Russell County far below the state average income level and poverty level. Only 62.5% of the population reported graduating from high school, compared to 81.5% statewide. The data shows that the county suffers from below average wages, low educational attainment, and lack of economic diversity. (The statistics provided in this section were obtained from the 2000 U. S. Census Report.

The two watersheds are inflicted with problems such as failing septic systems and/or straight-piping, illegal dumping, stream bank pollution, and erosion. Many of the citizens are unaware of what a watershed really is and how their daily actions affect the health of the watershed. Also citizens are unaware of Abandoned Mine Lands and the pollution that may be coming from these sites. The OSM/VISTA project is addressing these issues by developing new and building on existing educational partnerships, increasing community awareness, and assisting with development of outreach programs. Community events, advertisements in the local newspapers, workshops and mailings will still be a catalyst for spreading the word about the watershed. We hope the OSM/VISTA will be able to implement innovative methods of community education.

Goals and Accomplishments:

Environmental Education Outreach- 700 students have been given an environmental education lesson, with the majority learning about watersheds. Two new environmental lessons plans, meeting the VA Standards of Learning, were developed to be taught to 4th and 5th graders.

Watersheds of Southwest Virginiaä Poster Contest was a success with 89 High School students submitting a poster! The winning poster will be reproduced and distributed throughout the schools in Russell County.

Along with county citizens the OSM/VISTA has mapped 47 Illegal Dumpsites in Russell County, and is coming close to mapping the entire county for illegal dumpsites.

Working on the Watersheds of Southwest Virginia Poster contest and seeing the idea come to be was a good experience. The Art Teachers I worked with on this project were very helpful and open to the idea. They were able to use this project to fulfill the VA Standards of Learning requirements for there classes. Using art as a way to teach about watershed education proved to be a good idea, because the students spent a good amount of time working on their posters. The contest gave them a chance to really learn about the watershed found in their own backyard and the other watersheds found throughout southwest Virginia. I look forward to using art again in future watershed education lessons.

 

The OSM/VISTA also organized an Acid Mine Drainage Testing Training/ Certification with Richard Davis of Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals, and Energy. Ronnie Vicars of OSM lead the training and three other OSM/VISTAs attended the training

Partners and Contributors:

• Russell County Schools
• Dante Lives On
• VA Department of Health
• VA Department of Recreation and Conservation
• Black Diamond Resource Conservation & Development
• Cleveland Rural Development Inc.
• Upper Tennessee River Roundtable
• Cumberland Plateau regional Waste Management Authority
• Appalachian Sustainable Development
• Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
• United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service