Stream Restoration
Location
Located within the Upper Tennessee River Basin, the Virginia portion of the Clinch River originates near the Town of Tazewell and flows approximately 135 miles, reaching portions of Tazewell, Russell, Wise, and Scott counties, before eventually crossing the Tennessee state line.
The diversity
Many of our projects are focused in the upper Clinch River watershed, which is well known for its global biodiversity significance, containing the most species of rare and endangered freshwater fish and mussels worldwide.
This incredible diversity of aquatic species includes 12 freshwater mussel species federally and state listed as endangered.
An additional three state listed threatened and endangered mussels are present in this watershed, including the Slippershell mussel (Alasmidonta viridis), and the Tennessee heelsplitter (Lasmigona holstonia). There is one federally listed threatened fish, the Yellowfin madtom (Noturus flavipinnis), and two state listed threatened and endangered fish, the Tennessee dace (Chrosomus tennesseensis) and Sickle darter (Percina williamsi).
The upper Clinch River watershed is also a priority area for the eastern hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis) with known habitat and occurrences in the watershed.
Big thanks to all of our project partners:
Featured Project
Dunford Park- Tazewell, VA
The project
Location
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 Problem
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.18.
The solution
Actively eroding segments of the bank were identified and prioritized for restoration. The restoration preformed included streambank grading, 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:
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.
