Martinsville-Henry County, VA
Southside Rivers as Revitalization
©SELC
Anglers and canoeists enjoy the Smith River
In 2004, SELC embarked on a truly unique project - a grassroots effort to revitalize the economically distressed Martinsville-Henry County community in Southside Virginia. For the past two years, SELC Senior Attorney Kay Slaughter has lent her natural resource expertise, facilitating skills and love for Virginia's lands and communities to this effort.
In close collaboration with local citizens, SELC has helped develop a
project to preserve and promote the area’s abundant natural resources.
This initiative is part of a larger effort with the National Trust for
Historic Preservation and the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities and
Public Policy to bring a natural, historic and cultural resource perspective
to community revitalization.
Rivers and Trails:
©SELC
A recent Virginia Outdoor survey shows that 66% of Virginians walk regularly and 40% bike.
After extensive interviews within community members and several on-site visits to special natural and historic areas, SELC brought together a group of people who have become the backbone of the Martinsville-Henry County Rivers and Trails Group. This racially and culturally diverse group of people represents business, government, education, and numerous other social, cultural and outdoor groups in the community.
Early in the process, the group decided that its mission is protect, enhance and promote of Martinsville and Henry County’s natural resources for the benefit of its residents and businesses, as well as to attract visitors to the area. The group aims to work for improved outdoor recreational opportunities, such as enhancements to the trout fishery habitat, public access for fishing and boating on the Mayo and Smith rivers, stewardship of the rivers, their tributaries and adjoining lands, and increasing education about the area’s rich natural, archeological, historical and cultural resources.
While retaining its local identity, the Martinsville group has affiliated with the Dan River Basin Association (DRBA), a nonprofit organization serving Virginia and North Carolina communities in the Dan River Watershed. Both the Mayo and Smith rivers are in the Dan River Basin.
Achievements from 2004-2007
- DRBA has hired Katherine Hebert as Virginia Program and Planning Director and Katherine Mull as Executive Director.
©David Jones
SELC's Kay Slaughter and Trip Pollard joined Governor Tim Kaine in June, 2007 to witness a release of trout into Henry County's Smith River, the highlight of a Trout Unlimited program.
- Congressman Rick Boucher has secured federal funding to acquire abandoned rail line right-of-way for trail development.
- With the help of the group, Henry County has opened a demonstration trail at Fiedale on the Smith River close to the boundary between Martinsville and Henry County.
- DRBA is working with Henry County to create the Gravely Park on the Smith River.
- DRBA
and Henry County have created three river access points for
canoeists and kayakers and four more are in various stages
of development.
