Lick Creek Project

Contact Information

OSM/VISTA:Vacant
Supervisor: Martha Chapman
Sponsoring Organization: Dante Lives On, Inc.
Address: PO Box 336, Dante, VA 24237
Phone: 276.495.1903
Fax: 276.495.1904
E-Mail: martha.chapman@dcr.virginia.net (Martha)
U.S. Congressional Districts: 9th
County: Russell, Dickenson, Wise

Background:
Dante Lives On, Inc. is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to revitalize their community and region by preserving, restoring and promoting the culture and heritage of the Virginia coalfields. Once the center of the thriving Clinchfield Coal Company, the Lick Creek watershed suffers from pollution which affects both public health and aquatic life. The Lick Creek Project seeks to address the needs of the watershed by focusing on environmental quality, community development and tourism efforts.
In addition to the urgent need to reduce the amount of sewage entering the watershed via straight pipes and failing septic systems, the legacy of large-scale extractive activities presents its own challenges to environmental efforts in the area. Sedimentation from coal mining (historic and contemporary) logging, and gas extraction has disturbed streambeds, damaging or destroying many aquatic habitats.
The OSM/VISTA member will work with Dante Lives On to accomplish goals primarily related to community revitalization and capacity building. He/she will assist the organization with efforts to create water quality monitoring teams, plan and construct a trail system, manage grants for the Dante Coal and Railroad Museum, recruit volunteers, write grants and assist with community strategic planning.
Addressing poverty in the area will also be a major focus of the work of the OSM/VISTA. According to the United States Census, the poverty rate of Dante, Virginia is 29.9 percent which may be take as an indication of the watershed as a whole. This far exceeds the poverty rate of 16.3 percent for Russell County as well as the 9.6 percent poverty rate for the Commonwealth of Virginia. The federal poverty rate lies at 12.4 percent for individuals.

Goals and Accomplishments:
The proposed project will strengthen the capacity of Dante Lives On to address community needs by focusing on board development, project selection, and project management. The Lick Creek OSM/VISTA will assist in recruiting and training volunteer water quality monitors to determine the sources and extent of water pollution in the watershed in order to develop education and remediation projects. By engaging local residents in the process of choosing and implementing remediation projects, the OSM/VISTA will help ensure that the stakeholders' priorities are represented at all stages of the work.
The OSM/VISTA will also work with Dante Lives On to develop economic opportunities in the area through heritage and ecotourism as well as partnerships with organizations working towards economic diversification in the coalfields. The Lick Creek Project seeks to build new local partnerships between businesses, government, and regional agencies to address issues of mutual interest, such as wastewater infrastructure, access to fresh foods, and adult education.
Outreach will be central to the goals of the Lick Creek Project; the OSM/VISTA will coordinate press releases, water quality advisories, and other publicity for Dante Lives On in order to educate area residents about the watershed and efforts to improve the quality of life in the region.
The Lick Creek Project will measure the success of the project through the submittal of grant proposals, the number of volunteers recruited, the submittal of press releases and successful completion of projects and milestones.

Partners and Contributors:

• Dante Lives On, Inc.
• Upper Tennessee River Roundtable
• Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation
• McClure River Restoration Project
• Russell County Water and Sewage Authority
• Russell County Board of Supervisors
• Cumberland Plateau Planning District
• Russell County Chamber of Commerce
• Clinch Valley Soil and Water Conservation District
• Lonesome Pine Soil and Water Conservation District

• Stacy Horton with Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation
• Executive Board of Dante Lives On