Promoters of Russell Fork Seek Trail to Attract Tourists

By Ron Coleman

276-566-2355

Approximately 60 persons convened April 2-4 for the common purpose of designing and developing a Russell Fork River trail that ultimately could connect the Southwest Virginia locations of Clintwood and Haysi with the Kentucky locations of Elkhorn City and Millard.

An essential concern expressed during the conference was the revitalization of the river towns of Haysi VA and Elkhorn City KY. Appropriately, the conference was held at Breaks Interstate Park, located on Russell Fork River midway between Elkhorn City and Haysi.

The conference was initiated by the Elkhorn City Area Heritage Council, which seeks to preserve certain heritage assets of that town while promote the town and the river as a tourist destination. Individuals representing local, regional, state and national entities participated in what will be a series of meetings to realize the dream of turning the Russell Fork River into a sustainable tourist attraction that will benefit the local economy.

If the conference had a theme, it was that of cooperation among all local, regional and national entities for the purpose of creating a sustainable tourism based on the Russell Fork River itself.

Tim Belcher, president of the Heritage Council, observed that Elkhorn City was uniquely situated, in that it was on Russell Fork River and bordered both Breaks Interstate Park and Pine Mountain Trail State Park, which originates in Elkhorn City.

The Heritage Council planned the conference with assistance from Peggy Pings, an outdoor planner for the National Park Service, and with graduate landscape architect students from California Polytechnic Institute. The National Endowment for the Arts funded the conference.

During the three-day conclave, Jeffrey Hunter of the American Hiking Society presented a $10,000 check to Shad Baker, president of the Pine Mountain Trail Conference, for the development of an additional 18 miles of that trail, which will eventually connect Russell Fork River, Elkhorn City and Breaks Interstate Park with Cumberland National Historic Park.

Hunter told the group that an effort is underway to find an off-road connecting route between the northern end of Pine Mountain Trail through Buchanan County and eastward to connect with the Appalachian Trail in the Pearisburg VA area.

Finding such a connecting route will not be easy, Hunter said, due to the lack of a single acre of public land in Buchanan County.

If such a local connecting route were to be found between Pine Mountain Trail and the Appalachian Trail, it could some day become part of a linear trail stretching from south Florida to Virginia on a parallel route to the Appalachian Trial, Hunter indicated.

The wide-ranging discussion touched on many elements that might be included within the comprehensive Russell Fork River Trail concept. The essential work of the conference focused on design elements, or assets, that might be included, with the work being done by several groups focusing on specific areas of interest..

The several groups focused on identifying recreational assets; water assets; highway access and movement within the trail area; mapping; wild life, bird life and plant life; geological, cultural and historical assets; and those existing or desired assets that would assist in the revitalization of Elkhorn City as a riverside tourist destination.

The overall purpose of the group sessions was to develop ideas that might be included in a developmental plan.

This plan will become the blueprint for locating, constructing, preserving and promoting the river trail, while creating and sustaining a healthy river environment and a profitable tourist business within the areas connected by the river trail.

The three graduate landscape architect students from California State Polytechnic University will write the development plan as their masters' degree thesis and make copies of the plan available later this year. The students, Shelly Mastran, Xinxin Wen and Emy Maloutas, have made several trips from California to the Russell Fork to meet with local promoters of the river and Elkhorn City.

Those assembled at the park expressed a common desire to work across state lines in order to realize the common object of a river trail that would benefit hikers, boaters and others while at the same time preserve, protect and promote the river.

The river trail is seen as an asset that will grow and sustain a tourist business for the riverside towns of Haysi and Elkhorn City.

Such a trail could tie together with an existed system of trails within the 4,600-acre boundary of Breaks Interstate Park; with Pine Mountain Trail currently under development along the crest of Pine Mountain from Breaks Interstate Park to Cumberland Gap National Historic Park.

On the Virginia side, a hike and bike riverside trail has already been designed and partially funded, but not yet constructed, between Flannagan Dam and Breaks Interstate Park, according to Gene Counts, who serves as both president of the River to Ridges non-profit organization and as an elected member of the Dickenson County Board of Supervisors.

Counts initiated the hike/bike river trail concept between the dam and the interstate park, and obtained all the right-of-way and partial funding, before turning ownership of the project to the Dickenson County government.

During the weekend conference, Keith Viers, county administrator for Dickenson County, said a trail is also in the works that would connect Clintwood with Flannagan Lake.

A fund of about $50,000 is currently available for development of this trail, according to Gene Counts, a county supervisor, who also said that some funds are available to develop the trail from Flannagan Dam downstream to Breaks Interstate Park.

Among the other individuals and/or entities taking part in the conference:

Tom Horsch, a Damascus businessman involved in bringing tourists to enjoy that town's six intersecting trails; Grant Jones, a Seattle WA landscape architect, who spoke on sustainable tourism; Dr. Shelley Mastran, a preservation planning consultant representing the National Trust for Historic Preservation; Paula E. Nye, bicycle/pedestrian program coordinator for the KY Transportation Cabinet; Ted Withrow of the KY Department for Environmental Protection; Phillip N. Pregill, chairman of the Landscape Architecture Department at California State Polytechnic University;

Also, Joanna Hinton, executive director of Preservation Kentucky, Inc.; Mark Dennen, architect, KY Heritage Council; Susan Simmers, state bicycle coordinator for the VA Department of Transportation; Shad Baker, President of Pine Mountain Trail Conference; several members of the Elkhorn City Town Council and Mayor Hank Salyer; Robert Salyr, an Appalshop film maker; Sue Ratliff, deputy judge executive of Pike County; Jennifer Wampler, VA trails coordinator for VA Department of Conservation and Recreation;

Also, Don Stosberg, executive director of the KY Recreation & Parks Society; Vicky Salyer, president of the Elkhorn City Womens Club; Terry Owens, Breaks Interstate Park interpreter; Ron Coleman, freelance writer/photographer; Kenneth Mullins, Cumberland/Pine Mountain Trail Riders; John Kern, VA Department Historic Resources; John Michael Johnson, project manager, KY Transportation Cabinet; M. Rodney Holbrook, resource manager, US Army Corps of Engineers at Fishtrap Lake; Eric Thomas, assistant director, East KY Science Center;

Also, Chris Abbett, program leader, National Park Service; Father Al Fritsch; Joan Woodward, professor of landscape architecture, California State Polytechnic University; Stephanie Richards, Artists Collaborative Theater; James Stapleton, environmental consultant with American Whitewater; Suzanne Savell, traditional music coordinator, Appalshop; and several members of the Elkhorn City Council and Elkhorn City Area Heritage Council.