Dunford Park- Tazewell, VA

Dunford Park is located in the town of Tazewell, VA and includes soccer fields and a youth fishing access.  Flowing through the park is the South Fork Clinch River.  The project was carried out by CVI and our partners during the Fall 2017- Winter 2018.

The South Fork Clinch River was experiencing accelerated streambank erosion along segments throughout the town park reach, as evidenced by unstable meanders, excessive streambank erosion, and fine sediment embeddedness. The degraded meander bends were migrating into the floodplain and eating away at the precious recreational spaces of the park.

Actively eroding segments of the bank were identified and prioritized for restoration.  The restoration preformed included streambank shaping, the installation of lower benches, root wads in the meander bends to provide toe protection, and the planting of hundreds of livestakes and bare root plants.

This project is a major success in many ways.  Not only was CVI and our partners able to create a more stable system for the park and those who recreate here, but we were able to create a significant amount of new habitat for the wildlife here.  In time, CVI will be monitoring the site to see how this project continues to benefit the local flora and fauna.

 

CVI’s partners in this project include:

  • Town of Tazewell
  • Upper Tennessee River Roundtable
  • Department of Game and Inland Fisheries
  • Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program

Partner Efforts:

So many partners pitch in to make one of these habitat restoration projects a reality.  Pictured below are a few photos of a mussel relocation that happened prior to the construction.  The members of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries came by to move the state endangered Tennessee Heelsplitter, and others, so that we would not disturb them during the restoration.

In order to find all of these partially buried mussels, the biologists have to use the view scopes that see below the water surface.  With the cold temperatures, it is easiest to use a grabber to reach down into the water and scoop them up.  The mussels are put into a bag that hangs in the water until the biologist are able to move them out of the action area and to safety.  In time, the mussels will naturally move back to their starting points in search of their preferred habitat.