Project Details

with Christine Gyovai

December 2009 - Current

Utilizing a consensus-based approach, project partners will articulate and prioritize goals for connecting downtown revitalization, outdoor recreation, entrepreneurship and environmental education along the Clinch River, and then develop an action plan to realize the prioritized goals as part of the effort. Strategies will be identified to connect downtown revitalization with outdoor recreation along the Clinch River, particular in the towns of Honaker, St. Paul, Dungannon, and Cleveland (and potentially Clinchport, Pocahontas, Richlands and other towns). The project, utilizing a regional planning approach, will connect to cultural assets in the Southwest Virginia region and networks including Heartwood: Southwest Virginia’s Artisan Gateway, Round the Mountain, Crooked Road, and other artisan networks as part of the effort. The project will recognize and build upon the unique nature of the Clinch River as a driving force to benefit Southwest Virginia, as the Clinch River contains some of the greatest aquatic biodiversity in the United States. Finally, the effort will build upon the unique cultural and ecological assets of the Clinch River to distinguish and create new possibilities in the communities along the Clinch as distinctive cultural and ecological areas, particularly around environmental education and entrepreneurship opportunities.