From: The Kentucky Standard

By STAFF REPORT

This Saturday the Bardstown Boaters, a local whitewater paddling and water conservation group, will host its fourth annual “Paddle Pick up.”

Each year the group cleans up a different four-mile section of the Beech Fork River. This year the group will pickup between KY 49 and The Nelson County Fairgrounds. Those interested can meet at 9 a.m. at Keene’s Depot at 8 Old Bloomfield Pike. Canoes will be available to those who do not have their own kayak or canoe, provided by Central Kentucky Canoe and Kayak. A shuttle will take the cleanup crew to the put in, the event is expected to last until 3 - 4 p.m.

The Bardstown group strives to meet water conservation, sustainability, energy conservation, and habitat conservation goals in Nelson County.

The local initiative is to clean up local waterways and promote awareness that coincides with National River Cleanup, a year-long initiative that kicks off May 31- June 8.

In the past three years the Bardstown Boaters and other volunteers have cleaned four tons of garbage and more than 300 tires out of the Beech Fork River.

“People should come out to clean out local waterways,” and no experience is necessary, said Bardstown Boaters president, Spalding Hurst.

Those interested in learning more about white water, canoeing or kayaking should visit www.bardstownboaters.com.

Tags: Paddle Pickup | Beech Fork | Environment

The Paddle Pickup is this Saturday, May 31st. Participants will meet at 9 a.m. Keene’s Depot at 108 Old Bloomfield Pike in downtown Bardstown. Boats will be provided by Central Kentucky Canoe and Kayak for those who do not have their own.

The Bardstown Boaters along with local Boy Scout Troops and members of the community will be paddling the Beech Fork in Nelson County and removing garbage from the waterway.

For more information visit the Paddle Pickup page of the website or visit the the forum. But what ever you do, just be sure to join us this Saturday.

Press: The News-Enterprise | American Rivers

Tags: Environment | River Cleanup | Paddle Pickup | Beech Fork

Wired magazine is running a very interesting article about re-thinking what needs to be done to reduce global warming. Below are 10 views on the new environmental approach.

For the entire article visit Wired.

1: Live in Cities
2: A/C Is OK
3: Organics Are Not The Answer
4: Farm the Forests
5: China Is the Solution
6: Accept Genetic Engineering
7: Carbon Trading Doesn't Work
8: Embrace Nuclear Power
9: Used Cars — Not Hybrids
10: Prepare for the Worst

Tags: Environment

Many have often wondered about what happens to the tires retrieved from the Paddle Pickup? Well now we know the entire life cycle of the these tires.

Tires are made at the factory. After they are done being raced with at the local speedway, they are conveniently pitched into the Beech Fork. Once a year the Paddle Pickup rolls around and local boaters not so conveniently retrieve them from the river. These tires are then taken to the Nelson County Landfill and separated from the other garbage. A company from Marion County then picks them up for a fee paid for by the Landfill. They are then recycled into either mulch or used as a supplement for burning coal which in turn powers the factory so it can produce some more tires.

Learn more by joining us at this years Paddle Pickup!

Tags: Paddle Pickup | Environment

Final Master Plan Presentation

April 22, 2008

6:30pm - 8:30pm

Eastern High School
12400 Old Shelbyville Rd.

21st Century Parks, Inc. invites you to attend the fourth in a series of public meetings managed by Wallace, Roberts and Todd, LLC, selected master planners for the Floyd's Fork Greenway Project (The Fork). Attendees will be able to review the final Master Plan for the parks and trails along Floyd's Fork. The meeting will be held at the Eastern High School auditorium on Tuesday, April 22nd. Doors will open at 6pm with a presentation to follow. You can also view the final presentation at www.21cparks.org after April 22nd.

As part of the "City of Parks" initiative, the Floyd's Fork Greenway Project (The Fork) will encompass a system of parks, trails and open spaces roughly following Floyd's Fork from Shelbyville Road to Bardstown Road.

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), if anyone has a disability and requires assistance, or if you have a general question regarding this meeting, please notify Janice Hogue on (502) 583.0350.

Tags: Floyds Fork | Environment

The 2008 flyer for the Paddle Pickup is here. Download it, print it out and tell all your friends!



Download Flyer (8mb)

Tags: Paddle Pickup | Environment | Beech Fork

Tags: Environment

The second public meeting concerning what can be done locally to positively affect and decrease global warming was Monday evening at the Bardstown-Nelson County Civic Center.

Results from small-group discussions at the last meeting, which outlined things individuals can do about climate change were shared with attendees. Some of the ideas included: recycling, growing backyard gardens, composting, supporting the local Farmer’s Market, walking more and driving less, bringing bags to the grocery store and recycling rain water.

The next Climate Change meeting is set for 7:30 p.m. April 24 and will focus on what churches can do to lead in the effort for reducing the effects of climate change.

Tags: Environment | Bardstown

The Nelson County Recycling Center is open on Monday from 7:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m., Wednesday from 4:00p.m. - 6:00 p.m. and on Friday from 7:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. You can also go anytime and leave your recyclables by the gate. The center accepts all plastic soda bottles, milk jugs and laundry detergent bottles. For paper they only accept newspaper. No office paper or magazines. For aluminum they only accept coke and beer cans. Click on the picture for more info.


View Larger Map

Tags: Recycling | Environment | Bardstown

This blog entry is a brief guide for all Bardstown and Nelson County residents who may be looking for a place to recycle their used goods.

There are 4 recycling facilities in Nelson County and each deals with specific materials. Download this PDF file for the Nelson County list of recycling centers. These recycling centers except different types of recyclable materials, from car batteries to paper, plastics and aluminum.

Another way to to recycle is to Freecycle!

The Freecycle Network is a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (and getting) stuff for free in their own towns and thus keeping good stuff out of landfills. Click on the Freecycle logo to go to the Bardstown & Nelson County Freecycle group page.

And for more good information on how to recycle your junk, visit the Kentucky Division of Waste Management.

We'll see you on the river and at the local recycling center!

Tags: Environment | Recycling | Bardstown

The Salt River Basin Team, a group consisting of Div. of Forestry and Div. of Water officials along with a pack of tree huggers, are coming to Nelson County June 4 at 9 a.m. at the old courthouse to school local officials on the state of streams in Nelson County. The group will also address any forestry concerns. Since Ag is big here, there are stream concerns relating to fecal coliform and nutrients from fertilizers and plant stuff getting into the water and polluting it.

The Salt River Basin Team has been working to inform local officials about the state of their rivers and creeks since 2005 when their first meeting took place in Bullitt County. Since they've been making their way around the 10-county Salt River Watershed (which Beech Fork is part of) and checking the quality of streams etc.

Additional upcoming meetings include one in Meade Co. June 21 at 9:30 at the courthouse and one in Henry Co May 22nd at 1 p.m. at the courthouse.

Tags: Environment

On Tuesday I attended a taping of The Oprah Winfrey Show where she had Al Gore as her guest. He was presenting information from his documentary An Inconvenient Truth. Now I don't know how much stock I take into this film and the way it portrays the Earth's climactic demise, but I do certainly believe we as human being need to reduce our carbon dioxide output.Read More...

Tags: Environment

I just ran across a very interesting website that I had not known existed. The Nelson County Gazette, an enhanced weblog that examines news, politics and life in and around Nelson County.Read More...

Tags: Bardstown | Environment

I saw a bald eagle during the Thanksgiving break at our house in Frankfort along the Kentucky River. Very cool to see such a majestic bird. I only got this long range picture above, of her.

Tags: Environment

This was taken from a post at BWA's forum:

Premium Coal Co., a coal company from Kentucky, wants to blow up Buffalo Mountain in the New River watershed. Not only will the mine destroy five intermittent streams, it will destroy the watershed on the mountain and result in a massive release of sediment into Ligias Fork.

Ligias Fork is a direct tributary of the New River, which was recently designated critical habitat for five species of endangered mussels. Mussels require pristine waters and will die if the water becomes sedimented. That means that Governor Bredesen and TDEC are about to violate the Endangered Species Act (applicable to state agencies) by issuing a permit allowing Premium Coal to murder five endangered species and annihilate their critical habitat.

Even worse, however, the New River joins with Clear Fork to become the Big South Fork, one of Tennessee's (and Kentucky's) most beautiful wild rivers and the centerpiece of the Big South Fork National Recreation Area, managed by the National Park Service. Designated an Outstanding National Resource Water by TDEC, the Big South Fork is supposed to be protected against pollution and degradation. Indeed, federal law and TDEC's own rules forbid new discharges of pollutants, including sediment, into the Big South Fork, unless the discharger can affirmatively demonstrate that the discharge will not result in degradation or pollution.

Unfortunately, however, TDEC and Gov. Bredesen have embarked upon a pattern and practice of throwing the Clean Water Act, the Tennessee Water Quality Control Act and TDEC's own rules out the window. TDEC and Bredesen have already issued illegal permits to allow the destruction of tens of thousands of feet of headwaters in the New River watershed and for the discharge of untoward amounts of sediment. In doing so, they've ignored both the plain language of the Tennessee Water Quality Control Act and the pleas of the Park Service to address the cumulative impacts of the mining in the watershed on the Big South Fork.

Premium Coal's mine will destroy even more headwaters and result in the release of even more sediment into the New River and the Big South Fork. This will cause pollution in violation of the Water Quality Control Act and degradation in violation of the Clean Water Act, the Water Quality Control Act, federal regulations and TDEC's own rules. In other words, the only way that TDEC and Bredesen can issue these permits is to flagrantly break the law.Don't let them continue to get away with it. The only way to make them stop is to speak out and tell them "No."

Tell TDEC and Bredesen that their duty is to uphold the law and protect the public and citizens' rights to unpolluted waters and to use and enjoy one of Tennessee's most beautiful wild rivers and National Recreation Areas. Come to the public hearing and stop Premium Coal Co. in its rapacious, coal grubbing tracks.

What: Public Hearing on Premium Coal Co.
When: 7 p.m., November 15, 2005
Where: Cove Lake State Park

Tags: Big South Fork | Environment

This Saturday was not so much a paddling adventure but was certainly an adventure. I never thought we would have pulled out so many tires and the amount of garbage that we did, but with 32 volunteers we certainly put the dent into the cleanup of the Beech Fork that we were hoping for, and more.



We ran 6 canoes from the fairgrounds to 31E and had 4 wheelers, a tractor and trailer shuttling garbage up the hill at the bridge. We estimate that we pulled out 125 tires and around 1 ton of trash from the river. Next year we might go from 49 bridge to the fairgrounds and do it in May to coincide with the National River Cleanup week.
Everyone put in a lot of hard work this day and the preplanning could not have been more perfectly executed. Also the cookout afterwards was a huge success.

Tags: Paddle Pickup | Beech Fork | Environment