457 acres added to Clinch River State Park in Russell County
RUSSELL COUNTY, Va. (WJHL) – The Clinch River State Park in Russell County has expanded by hundreds of acres.
According to the Virginia Department of Conservation & Recreation (DCR), 457 acres of riverfront mountains in Russell County have been added to the state park. The addition will provide guests with new public access to the river for recreation.
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A news release from DCR states the department acquired five parcels along a 2.5-mile stretch of the Clinch River. The parcels connect to the town of Cleveland and are part of the park’s Artrip Bent Unit.
The largest of the parcels is known as the Owens Preserve. The DWR reports it was previously owned by the nonprofit, The Nature Conservation. The nonprofit and DCR have worked together using the property for years, and the DCR stated it took full ownership of the property in April.
“The Nature Conservancy seeks to connect our conservation work to the needs of local communities along the Clinch River,” said Meg Short, land protection program manager for The Nature Conservancy in Southwest Virginia. “Our transfer of the Owens Preserve to Virginia DCR supports both the conservation of an important natural area and the expansion of outdoor recreation opportunities in our region.”
The expansion to the park includes more than 4,000 feet of riverfront as well as numerous natural streams and a waterfall into the Clinch River.
“We know outdoor enthusiasts are looking forward to taking in the views of the rugged hills and hollows along the Clinch River, which is a global biodiversity hotspot,” DCR Director Matthew Wells said in the release. “This addition to Clinch River State Park will allow us to showcase our natural resources to the millions of individuals who live in Virginia and nearby states and play an even greater role in the expansion of Southwest Virginia’s outdoor economy.”
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Outdoors Appalachia
The Clinch River State Park has the distinction of being Virginia’s first “blueway” state park. The DCR describes a blueway state park as a recreational water trail system.
The DCR’s master plan for the state park includes improvements such as trails, entrance roads, a ranger station and more at the Artrip Bent Unit, one of the park’s anchors.
As of Wednesday, the Artrip Bent Unit was closed to the public, but visitors can visit other existing parts of the river and state park.
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