Martinsville Bulletin
2.17.06
Speaker: Great outdoors are great for development
Matthew McCormick
Hiking and biking, kayaking and canoeing -- they're not just fun, they're economic development.
That was the message given Thursday evening to about 50 area residents gathered at the Fieldale Community Center for a public outreach meeting of the Martinsville-Henry County Rivers and Trails Group and its parent organization, the Dan River Basin Association (DRBA).
The groups updated the community about their past, present and future work in the area with the aim of shoring up involvement in and support for their efforts.
That is important, said DRBA officials, because protecting, enhancing and promoting Henry County and Martinsville's natural resources -- the joint goal of the two groups -- could bring significant benefits to the region.
Part of the impact would be economic. Citing figures from a recent Virginia Outdoor survey, Katherine Hebert, DRBA director of planning and programs for Virginia, said that 66 percent of Virginians walk regularly and 40 percent bike.
"We have the market out there for recreation," Hebert said, adding that if activities are available, people will come.
If they do come, Hebert said tourists not only would spend their money at existing businesses but also would likely spawn new, spin-off enterprises, including outdoor outfitters, bed and breakfasts, restaurants and retailers.
Thriving outdoor recreation opportunities also could help lure corporations wishing to move their operations, she said, noting that quality of life is third on the list of reasons why company executives choose to move to an area.
But whether the trails inspire such moves or not, Hebert said that improved quality of life will touch nearly every aspect of the community, from decreased illnesses to increased community pride, from less congestion to more recreational opportunities.
"Every aspect of life is affected by trails," she said.
And much work has been done to make those paths a reality since early 2004, when the Market Street Study of the local economy recommended the formation of a group to leverage the region's natural amenities, said Kay Slaughter of the Southern Environmental Law Center.
It was Slaughter who, answering the study's call, helped organize the local Rivers and Trails group, which joined forces with DRBA last year.
Among the successes of the organization was securing $400,000 in federal funds for a project that would create a seven-mile-long trail from the Fieldale depot to the former Prillaman Chemical Plant.
In addition, the group received a $30,000 grant from Dominion Resources for a demonstration trail near Fieldale's iron bridge, the construction of which began last fall.
Eventually, the groups hope those two trails, along with other existing and planned parks and paths, will form a web of trails that will connect Henry County, Martinsville and surrounding localities.
That wish will be reflected in a master plan of environmental resources that Hebert is working to compile.
Other projects the group will take on in the coming years include a water quality monitoring program in conjunction with Virginia Tech, increased river access spots, the continuation of a study of the affects of Philpott Dam on fish in the Smith River and the integration of the area into a regional tourism strategy, in part through events such as fall festivals and fishing tournaments.
And while such initiatives will take a significant amount of time and money, those working toward those ends said Thursday's turnout was a sign they are on the right track.
"It makes you realize that there is a need and desire for what we are proposing," said Ellen Jessee, chairman of the local Rivers and Trails Group and a DRBA board member. "I feel like if we build it, it will be used and we'll have people who will help get it done."