Section 3: Narratives

Highlights
• Canoe the Clinch – co-coordinated a public recognition day for
AmeriCorps*VISTAs of southwestern Virginia and their partners in conservation

• OSM/VISTA – Welcomed the new OSM/VISTA to the Guest River Restoration

Project. Also, helped solidify a site move, new supervisor, and housing for this
position. A significant amount of time was spent this quarter preparing for this
new position.

• Guest River Restoration Project meeting – coordinated and helped facilitate an

important GRRP meeting, where ideas were exchanged about future planning and
direction of the Guest River Group.

AMD Monitoring and Data Collection

During this fourth quarter of my OSM/VISTA term, navigation of the watershed

ensued. Unfortunately locations cited earlier for possible AMD features have turned out
to be bacteria sources rather than AMD discharges. This is not to say that AMD does not
exist in the region, but as for preliminary mapping is concerned it is hard to say where
they might lay, further networking and field work will be needed to reflect a full
assessment of the watershed.

Challenges

During this quarter challenges were met head on, because after all – this was the
end. Challenges with project appropriateness, leadership, and supervision were dealt with
in numerous settings. Although these situations presented numerous headaches, those at
ACCWT thankfully came to my rescue sporting their own preverbal machetes to help cut
through this mass amount of red tape; such that now, the new OSM/VISTA can begin
without these worries looming overhead. Much adieu to April Trent, and Savanna Lyons.

Training/Technical Assistance Needs

As mentioned previously, any assistance with the creation of a project website

would be very helpful. This is a tool that many groups in southwestern Virginia rarely use
to their benefit. At the Guest River Group meeting in May, ideas were presented such as
posting outdoor events, and outreach information such as “bite size” TMDL
Implementation facts for watershed community members. Therefore with many ideas at
hand the group could use any available technical assistance that ACCWT might have for
this website project (acquisitioning the template, further help explaining the template,
etc).

Partnership/Collaboration Development
• Lonesome Pine Soil and Water Conservation District (LPSWCD) – Although the
GRRP is a project of LPSWCD we are a separate entity. Thus the GRRP
collaborates with LPSWCD to provide technical support, environmental
educational support, office space and office materials.
• Keep Wise County Beautiful (KWCB) – Lonesome Pine SWCD elected this
OSM/VISTA to dually represent the District as well as the GRRP on the board of
KWCB. KWCB collaborates with the GRRP to help secure citizen outreach
within the watershed. Participating in community activities like the Keep America
Beautiful Litter Index of Wise County.
• Keep Southwest Virginia Beautiful (KSWVB) – GRRP is on a committee to re-
evaluate goals for KSWVB working alongside KSWVB’s partners. KSWVB
collaborates with the GRRP to increase environmental stewardship throughout
Southwest Virginia.
• Upper Tennessee River Roundtable (UTRR)- The UTRR is working with the
GRRP to enhance community outreach through education initiatives.
• Wise County Litter Control (WCLC)- The GRRP partnered with Wise Co. Litter
control at a Girl Scout event, as well as utilizing WCLC as invaluable resource for
environmental issues within the Guest River watershed, as well as throughout
Wise County. Due to current OSM/VISTA office arrangements, the WCLC have
been more than helpful in bridging the gap.
• F.R.O.G.S (Friends of the Greenbelt)- the GRRP works alongside F.R.O.G.S to
help preserve water quality within Wise County.
• McClure River Restoration Project (MRRP)- MRRP and new OSM/VISTA
Kristina Allen, and former OSM/VISTA Melissa Robinson have continually
provided support, as well as helping the GRRP out by taking photographs and
filling in when needed. The GRRP helps monitor MRRP sites, as well as attending
each MRRP monthly meeting. Most importantly throughout this year the MRRP
has been an invaluable resource and model for sustainable project development.
• USDA Natural Resource Conservation District (NRCS)– NRCS provides
technical support by way of Integrated Pollution Source Identification (IPSI)
maps, as well as GIS training, and acts as a general guru of natural resource
information concerning: hydrologic concerns, soil management, and best
management practices (BMP).
• Trout Unlimited (TU)- GRRP partnered with TU and the VDIGF for a Guest River
watershed stream bank restoration project, and various other forms of project
development.
• University of Virginia at Wise (UVA Wise)- Former OSM/VISTA Ray Mullins has
continued to work with the GRRP OSM/VISTA. Currently this OSM/VISTA is
working to finish the Wetland signage project for the university. The GRRP hopes
to see long term success by working with the new UVA Wise OSM/VISTA and
ensuring completion of the project.
• Hands Across the Mountain – the GRRP works alongside Hands Across the
Mountain to help preserve water quality within Wise County.
• Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) – The GRRP has collaborated
with DCR primarily for success of the 2006 WQIA grant, as well as with other
 watershed issues such as grant writing, TMDL status, procedural analysis, and
watershed development resources.
• Wise County Health Department (WCHD)– GRRP is currently collaborating with
the Wise County Health Department to ensure the 10 septic tank
installation/repairs are completed as per requested in the 2006 WQIA grant from
DCR.
• Department of Mines Minerals and Energy – The GRRP is currently working with
DMME to complete the abandoned tipple site location defined in the 2006 WQIA
grant from DCR.
• Dickenson County Litter Control (DCLC)– The GRRP partnered with DCLC at an
area Girl Scout event. Also GRRP worked alongside Dickenson Co. Litter Control
at the Dickenson County Fair as an advocate for an eco-friendly environment by:
handing out information, talking to children about the perks of a sustainable
world.
• Virginia Department of Forestry(VDOF) – The GRRP worked with VDOF in
future planning of watershed Educational and cleanup events, as well as helping
at the Envirothon workshops as a station administrator for Wildlife.
• Dante Lives On - the GRRP utilizes the watershed and community development
tools of Dante Lives On as a model for future development.
• Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) – TVA has funded the UTRR such that they can
consult the GRRP on educational outreach ideas helping to mobilize this
OSM/VISTA for a sustainable presence in the watershed.
• Upper Powell River Project- The GRRP is partnering with the UPRP to co create
the county wide water testing team, WWTT.
• Virginia Department of Inland Game and Fisheries (VDIGF)- The GRRP along
with TU is shaping a stream bank restoration project for VDIGF along the Guest
River watershed.

Community Outreach and Volunteer Engagement

Community outreach and volunteer engagement is by far the most crucial and
easily the hardest part of watershed development. During this quarter my efforts have
included:

• Set up a booth at the “Clinch River Days” in St. Paul, VA to exhibit environmental
education by creating soil babies. This is a great tool to help teach a very young
crowd about the environment, while having a great time!

• Assisted Ray Mullins at a 6th grade education day in Moccasin Creek, VA, where
we spoke to the children about fish habitats and non point source pollutant
loadings that can affect their vitality.

• Assisted Keep Wise County Beautiful by setting up a booth at the Wise County
fair, in Wise, VA. This was a great way to speak to the citizens of Wise County
about the importance of recycling and watershed conservation.
 • Attended the Keep Wise County Beautiful meetings for the months of April, and
June.

Resource Development
At this time, resource development included short campaigning for monies to help
with the Canoe the Clinch event and OSM/VISTA housing. Unfortunately due to this
quick quarter, along with end of term responsibilities (ie: closing out other grants), long
term monetary development was not pursued. Therefore grants such as the DCR WQIA
and DCR mini grant were closed out, therefore allowing for funding of wetlands
educational equipment to be used by the incoming OSM/VISTA for UVA Wise, septic
installations, tree planting, and water monitoring equipment (benthic and chemical
testing).

Sustainability
On May 12th 2008, Guest River Project (GRRP) partners came together under the
auspices of strategic planning for the GRRP. Many of the members in attendance were
valued veterans of the Guest River Group (the technical advisory panel to the GRRP). It
was during this meeting that important looming issues were dealt with such as, “Do we
want to continue as a watershed group?” “How will be the most effective for the project
and the community?” “What are our priorities?”. Thankfully with the assistance of a
valued regional facilitator, Blaine Delaney, these questions were asked and dealt with.
Although to say that the technical advisory panel (Guest River Group members) are all on
the same page would be assuming too much. For now we are looking ahead on smaller
goals such as citizen engagement, and citizen attendance of quarterly meetings. The
Group would like to meet again soon, at the end of August for further planning. Although
this might not seem like a grand feat, this was in many ways a leap of faith that turned out
to be satisfying for the time being. Thus things are moving ahead, even if it is only an
inch at a time.
Also, to highlight AmeriCorps week, as well as the achievements of Southwestern
VA OSM/VISTA members, a canoe trip was planned. This trip “Canoe the Clinch” was
the brainy idea of OSM/VISTA member Dan Wilson. I helped to coordinate this event
with him. It is our hope that this trip will become an annual event. We hoped to offer this
event to our regional leaders, and valued conservation partners to recognize these
commitments to our waterways, with the utmost sincerity. Hopefully this event will serve
to help the sustainability of OSM/VISTA work within the region, not only as an outreach
tool, but also as a way to solidify political and local conservation partnerships.

Stories
Up to the day of the rapidly put together “Canoe the Clinch” trip, much planning
and time were spent on the details. Conference calls, site visits, and designing went into
significant details such as location analyzing water depth and relative waterway safety,
food preparation, guest list, and letterhead. Although this event was planned in 2 weeks,
Dan and I figured all of our “ducks” were “in a row”… There we were, a beautiful day,
all of the RSVP’d partners had shown up. People were milling about, chatting, small
talking, checking out the river, but where were the boats? For the people in attendance,
we would be covered, because thankfully we had planned on getting boats from two
sources, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), and Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). TNC
had showed up on time, but where was TVA? Quickly we grabbed our cell phones, and
began to analyze what route TVA would have had to embark on to make it to St. Paul.
However our cell phones didn’t have coverage, which would invariably mean that if TVA
were close- they too would not have had coverage, so we waited… and waited, and
waited. After about an hour we gave up and decided if need be someone could triple up.
Which brought us to plan B, grab the directions to the private property boat put in, write
out a copy, and strap it to a vehicle, in hopes that TVA would know to grab the note.
Problem, I had forgotten the directions… so off the top of my head I tried to remember
back road street names in a hope to steer these “out of towners” to this hideaway. Later
on at as we floated down the river, chatting and philosophizing about a greener world, I
found myself almost forgetting about TVA completely, TVA who? It was at this time that
I heard an unfamiliar “DANIELLE!” screeched behind me, who would be on the river
that I didn’t know, oh great. As I turned, I saw the unfamiliar boat, and placed the voice
with the face of TVA. It turns out, TVA got mixed up, tried calling us by coercing an
older lady to let them use her house phone, almost lost their house keys, and scavenged
the inconspicuous note, following the odd directions to our put in spot. The water
currents were fairly slow, which was evident at their tired demeanor. They had paddled
hard to find us. This day, this situation, these genuine people are indicative of the great
relations that OSM/VISTAs have with their conservation partners, that of a work-like
family of good folks.

Attachments and Links

(photographs are included on enclosed disc)

- Guest River OSM/VISTA manual containing information about important the

geography, Guest River Restoration Project, TMDL/IP, SMCRA laws,
wastewater, regional support and contact information.
- Guest River Group meeting minutes
- Guest River Restoration Project brochures that were commissioned and illustrated
for the Group
- Canoe the Clinch brochure
- SOS monitoring pictures using equipment bought from grants, labeled with
OSM/VISTA