Clear Fork Watershed Council

Background:

The Clear Fork of the Cumberland watershed inhabits geologically rich areas along the Pine Mountain fault near Jellico. The region on the line of present day Kentucky and Tennessee is an area was once the domain of Early Native Mound Peoples. This area was a major game trail South of South Fork north to Lexington, where it meets the Wilderness Trail. Native villages were seen clearly at several locations until the early 1800's.

One of the prominent physiographic features on the northeastern rim of the plateau is Elk Valley, a straight, narrow valley that was created by the same system that created the much larger Sequatchie Valley on the southern part of the plateau. The valley lies between Walden Ridge and Pine Mountain on the eastern edge of the Cumberland Block, and extends from the community of Elk Gap on into Kentucky for a distance of about 100 miles.

The Elk Valley was also another breach in the formidable eastern escarpment of the plateau, but unlike one farther south near Rockwood, it was not discovered by Europeans until after Cumberland Gap became the mainstream route for settlers moving west into Kentucky and Tennessee.  The gap and drainage of the Cumberland River played an important part in the shaping of several cultures.

In earlier years the area around Jellico, a town at the northern end of the Tennessee portion of the valley, produced large amounts of high-grade bituminous coal. The coal was strip-mined until the resource was exhausted in the 1950s, leaving more than 200 acres of scarred land.   Indian Mountain State Park in Jellico, TN was one of the first state parks in Tennessee to be made from a reclaimed mining area.  The area still has an undetermined number of streams affected by Acid Mine Drainage (AMD).  Incomplete information and maps aggravate the environmental issues facing the region.

The town of Williamsburg first grew on the banks of the Cumberland River. An early KY Settler named Sam Cox ran a ferry at a fork in the river that came to be called Coxe's Crossing. The early industry of logging made strategic use of the Cumberland River and its many headwaters. Kentucky Lumber set up at the mouth of Briar Creek. Jones Lumber Company was at the mouth of Watt Creek.

The first coal company, Main Mountain Coal Company, was established in 1883 on the border near Jellico, TN.  It later became the East Tennessee Coal Co.  Mines were frequently operated by several companies over the years. One company might lease from the land owner for a time and when the lease expired it was often leased to another company offering a better deal. Also, mining companies were sold, traded and consolidated on a regular basis. At one time, Whitley County was headquarters to ten large coal mining companies. They were addressing the Jellico, Blue Gem, and River Gem seams of coal.  AMD exists in many places, but the history and culture of the coal camps is an asset that locals hope will energize clean-up and remediation efforts. 

Nearby Mountain Ash was named after a town in Wales. Welsh coal developers opened a mine in Whitley County c.1890.  Other coal camps were Proctor, Kensee, Maxie, Klondike, Bird Eye, Cane Gap, Wofford, Wilton, Gatliff, Packard, Mt. Morgan, and Bon Jellico.

Derek Douglas contacted the Appalachian Coal Country Watershed Team (ACCWT) in December 2006 about the possibility of starting a watershed project in his hometown of Jellico, TN that would help diverse stakeholders find common ground in identifying leadership around the local watershed.  ACCWT placed him as a Summer Associate in 2007 with the hopes that a sponsor for a project could be found.

Derek was encouraged to submit a proposal by Deborah Bledsoe, Watershed Director of Appalachia—Science in the Public Interest (ASPI).  She supported sponsoring a Jellico project where she was already working with community volunteers on the Upper Cumberland Watershed Watch (UCWW).  

ASPI has a thirty year track record of working with neighboring communities.  They have worked with thousands of university and local students over the years. 

The Jellico project is called the Clear Fork Watershed Council (CFWC) which seeks to build on the area’s assets using a watershed based approach. CFWC, while very young, has demonstrated an aptitude in identifying and helping to develop local leaders.  The CFWC has been supportive of recent OSM/VISTAS in the field, including Gary Garrett, Thor Bahrmann, and Alexandra Ash.  ASPI recently gave water a priority in their mission by establishing a permanent Watershed Directorship in the capable hands of Bledsoe.  

 

Goals and Objectives of the OSM/VISTA

ASPI is proposing to use an OSM/VISTA to manage a Community Watershed Project to serve the Clear Fork Basin of the Upper Cumberland River. The Clear Fork basin includes areas in Campbell, Claiborne, Scott Counties in Tennessee, and Bell and Whitley in Kentucky.

This project will initially focus on identifying and documenting areas of historic mining in the Clear Fork Basin.  This will be carried out through regular weekly visits to county historical societies, court houses and other partners in the Basic Engagement. The OSM/VISTA will promote the recognition of historic mining in the Jellico region and contribute to the early development of the area.

Efforts will shift toward developing a scoping study necessary for fulfilling the long-term goal of a watershed assessment for the Clear Fork of the Cumberland Watershed.  The scope or boundaries of the project will be determined by assessing:

• The geographic area of the watershed
• The issues affecting our waterway; and
• The challenges of restoring and protecting it.

A priority will be given to assessing the water quality of the first and second order streams.  A continuing partnership with Upper Cumberland Watershed Watch is expected to have increased success with an OSM/VISTA on the ground.  Volunteers are being recruited for the annual “Big Dip” water quality testing project in association with Eastern Kentucky Environmental Research Institute (EKERI). Work is underway to identify potential sites for the upcoming assessment of local rivers and stream health.

The OSM/VISTA volunteer will organize The Clear Fork Watershed Council (CFWC), a local watershed organization serving the Jellico, TN area. The CFCC will work to identify stakeholders in the Jellico area as well as set up framework AMD screening over the full watershed in partnership with EKERI and UCWW. 

The OSM/VISTA is working toward identifying local natural, human, cultural, and historical assets.   Asset Based Community Development and the Watershed Approach are being used in the Jellico area.   

 

Major Accomplishments of the VISTA:

The major accomplishments of the VISTA include organizing an event with 80-100 very diverse representatives of the community.  By valuing the importance of diversity, Douglas helped create a place for people to come together to work on problems facing the watershed.  Contacts with several local organizations, such as historical societies have yielded a large group of volunteers working for the success of the project. 

Besides community organizing, Douglas has been busy documenting the watershed with photos and recording early industrial history.  Future projects will depend on the will of the local people to decide their priorities.  Douglas is working on a “Water Attitude Questionnaire” to achieve a more participatory approach to watershed organizing.  Future community meetings are planned.

Water quality tests will be performed in the spring.  Douglas hope to test more streams that ever tested before with the upcoming “Big Dip”.

 

Community Support and Grants

The OSM/VISTA’s first project had wide ranging support from all sectors of the community.  The King Day of Service and the Obama-Biden Transition team event drew over eighty citizens ranging from those had been historically denied a voice to race or class  to city aldermen, physicians, and even three reporters. 

Further support was voiced when Jake Bennet, Jellico Tourism Director said that he would work with the OSM/VISTA any way possible in a recent discussion with Deb Bledsoe, Watershed Director and OSM/VISTA Supervisor. 

In kind benefits have been generous and demonstrate support.  Besides people donating their time, Mrs. Frankie Ensley, a former surface mining owner has agreed to provide a temporary office in her home for one year.  This large office space is located in Newcomb, Tennessee and includes computer, printer, as well as a separate entrance and phone line.  The office’s proximity to an AMD site has provided education to the public several times. 

As mentioned above, Clear Fork Watershed Council has strategic partnerships with EKERI and UCWW.