Dec 2021 - Future Nature Preserve Entryway Planting
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We wrapped up 2021 with an outpouring of support from the members of the BWC and the Kenton Conservancy. We needed to get plants in before the onset of winter, and on a GORGEOUS December weekend, our volunteers heeded our cry for help! On December 4th and 5th, we hosted work parties to plant, (deer) fence, and mulch the future entryway to the Brushy Fork Nature Preserve. A heartfelt THANK YOU to all who shared this beautiful weekend and event(s) with us.
And thank you to the Duke Energy Foundation for funding this work. |
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Oct 2021 - Wolsing Trail Improvements
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A volunteer from the Kenton Conservancy has installed trail markers and signs along the recently improved Wolsing Trails. These markers provide tail mileage and directions from the parking area to the Wolsing Wetland restoration project near Cody Rd. in Independence. Eagle scouts will soon be installing benches along the path.
These projects were made possible by a generous grant from the R.C. Durr Foundation. |
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Sept 2021 - New Nature Preserve Entry
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The long-awaited day finally came last weekend. After delays for the construction of the road getting to the site, then COVID, then a really wet spring, we were finally able to start moving dirt to create an official entrance to the Kenton Conservancy's Brushy Fork Nature Preserve! It was the perfect weekend for moving the soil and mulch for the future tree lined entryway. A HUGE thank you to our volunteer operators, Art's Rentals, and the Duke Energy Foundation for making this project a reality. Next will be the gravel for the parking area and the concrete driveway off the public street.
In the meantime, our kiosk designer and carpenter took the spec drawing and seem to be evolving it into a live-edge work of art. Stay tuned! |
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Aug 2021 - Electrofishing Demo
It has been well over a year since the BWC has been able to meet in person, so we thought an outdoor activity would be a great excuse to see everyone in person again. SD1 provided a demonstration of electrofishing at Pioneer Park instead of our August 2021 meeting. It was a beautiful day to be outside with friends!
July 2021 - Doe Run Trail Project - Completed!
We are happy to announce the County's completion of the final bridge repairs and the grand reopening of the Doe Run Lake trails! After several months of work, the collaboration between the BWC and County Parks and Recreation has successfully reconnected the trails around Doe Run Lake. A huge thanks to our sponsor, the R.C. Durr Foundation and our excellent trails contractor, Goundworks ORV.
June 2021 - Mapping our Success
This month, KDOW released it's 2021 Update to the 2019 Nutrient Loads and Yields in Kentucky Study and the accompanying interactive map of the data. Since we are a recipient of their Clean Water Act 319(h) grants, it was rewarding to see the improvement that the Wolsing Wetland will have reducing nutrients and our success at the state level. (That's us...the dark red area right under Florence).
We couldn't have done any of this without our partners: The Kenton Conservancy, Strand Associates, and Sustainable Streams.
We couldn't have done any of this without our partners: The Kenton Conservancy, Strand Associates, and Sustainable Streams.
May 2021 - Doe Run Trails
We don't just believe in protecting water...we believe in supporting our community and making natural spaces accessible to people. Using funding from our R.C. Durr Foundation grant, we partnered with the good people at Groundworks Ohio River Valley and Kenton County Parks to repair the trails and bridges around Doe Run Lake. The decking of Bridge #2 is now complete and trail re-alignment is ongoing. Thanks to these young people for all their hard work and job well-done!
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Apr 2021 - Brushy Fork Tree Planting
Our friends over at the Kenton Conservancy reached out to let us know that the sewer line installation at the Brushy Fork Nature Preserve had left a tree-less hillside and that they needed help getting 200 tree whips planted into disturbed area. On April 3, sixteen volunteers from the BWC and Kenton Conservancy installed trees to help reforest the area. A huge THANK YOU to all our dedicated volunteers!
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Mar 2021 - Invasive Removal at Wolsing Trails
While we're not holding public events yet, our members are eager to get back out and keep making a difference. This month, several BWC members unofficially met up at the Wolsing Trails for a little Bushy Honeysuckle removal. This invasive plant not only takes over the landscape, but it can out compete and release toxins that harm our native Kentucky flora.
We chose this site so that summer visitors to the Wolsing Trails will have an unobstructed view of Banklick Creek. Hopefully, it will also help the rare Running Buffalo Clover that has also been spotted in the vicinity.
We chose this site so that summer visitors to the Wolsing Trails will have an unobstructed view of Banklick Creek. Hopefully, it will also help the rare Running Buffalo Clover that has also been spotted in the vicinity.
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Mar 2021 - Doe Run Information Kiosk
Visitors to Doe Run Lake can now learn about the lake's drainage area and water quality, thanks to a new infographic by LINK-GIS! With trail work underway, we're excited for springtime at Doe Run.
A huge THANK YOU to our partner on this project, Planning and Development Services of Kenton County and their LINK-GIS staff for making this project happen. Be sure and check out LINK-GIS's maplab site for some of their outstanding work.
A huge THANK YOU to our partner on this project, Planning and Development Services of Kenton County and their LINK-GIS staff for making this project happen. Be sure and check out LINK-GIS's maplab site for some of their outstanding work.
Jan 2021 - Wolsing Woods Trails
With Funding from the Durr Foundation, the Banklick Watershed Council has partnered with the Kenton Conservancy to improve trail conditions at the Wolsing Woods and Trails, to ultimately connect the recently constructed Wolsing Wetland with the downstream parking area. Groundworks Ohio River Valley is completing the work with the goal to make the trails passable through some boggy areas, reduce erosion along and around the trail, and remove invasive species encroaching on the trail. Using sustainable approaches and onsite materials, these improvements will be natural and blend in with the surroundings. The removal of the invasive species should help the tree canopy and improve the viewscape along the trail. Work began Mid-December and will continue into February 2021.
The Kenton Conservancy maintains information on the property here.
The Kenton Conservancy maintains information on the property here.
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Dec 2020 - Brushy Fork Construction Progress
Pandemic and weather have slowed progress this last summer/fall at the Brushy Fork Nature Preserve entryway. We await the work of a local development partner to install their roadway, which will connect to our newest property. Duke Energy Foundation generously provided funding in 2019 for the entryway and trailhead features. Stay tuned, 2021 is bound to show progress!
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Oct 2020 - Friends of Doe Run Lake Begin Monitoring Program
This summer, the Kentucky Division of Water offered to assist local volunteers with monitoring water quality flowing into Doe Run Lake and to add Doe Run Lake to the Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program. With the assistance of Kenton County Parks, lake residents and other citizens are coming together to form a "Friends of Doe Run Lake" volunteer corps to conduct the monthly monitoring and other volunteer initiatives to improve the area around the lake. If you are interested in the Friends of Doe Run Lake initiative, please contact us and we'll put you in touch with the group organizers.
Sept 2020 - Brushy Fork Nature Preserve Dedication
On September 2, the Banklick Watershed Council, friends, supporters, and community members gathered (virtually) to dedicate the Brushy Fork Nature Preserve to Sherry Carran and present her with an engraved boulder monument.
Ms. Carran's work to protect the property began around 2004, when she advocated for protection of the creek and hillsides within the planned neighborhood on the property. Over the years, she continued to pursue the property and searched for ways to ensure it was preserved for future generations. Her years of work with the landowner, community partners, and other agencies established the relationships necessary, so that in 2014, under Sherry's leadership, the Banklick Watershed Council was able to secure the funding necessary to purchase the first 47 acres along the Brushy Fork Creek. That success ultimately laid the groundwork for the purchase of the remaining 56 acres in Aug 2019.
Without the years of Ms. Carran's tireless advocacy, the Brushy Fork Nature Preserve would not have come to fruition. In honor of these efforts, the Banklick Watershed Council announced the dedication of the Brushy Fork Nature Preserve to Sherry Carran, for her tireless advocacy for land conservation and natural resources protection in Northern Kentucky.
Ms. Carran's work to protect the property began around 2004, when she advocated for protection of the creek and hillsides within the planned neighborhood on the property. Over the years, she continued to pursue the property and searched for ways to ensure it was preserved for future generations. Her years of work with the landowner, community partners, and other agencies established the relationships necessary, so that in 2014, under Sherry's leadership, the Banklick Watershed Council was able to secure the funding necessary to purchase the first 47 acres along the Brushy Fork Creek. That success ultimately laid the groundwork for the purchase of the remaining 56 acres in Aug 2019.
Without the years of Ms. Carran's tireless advocacy, the Brushy Fork Nature Preserve would not have come to fruition. In honor of these efforts, the Banklick Watershed Council announced the dedication of the Brushy Fork Nature Preserve to Sherry Carran, for her tireless advocacy for land conservation and natural resources protection in Northern Kentucky.
May Sherry’s legacy forever live on
as we use and enjoy this land in the same
spirit that she sought to preserve it for us.
Aug 2020 - Basin Retrofitting Program Featured by KWRRI
The Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute's (KWRRI) recent webinar featured the Banklick Watershed Council's program for retrofitting stormwater detention basins.
Beginning in 2015, new development in Northern Kentucky had to consider erosion as part of their design, but that didn't address the basins that are already located throughout the watershed. There may be around ~150 existing detention basins that don't meet the new standards and could be contributing to stream erosion and channel instability. Our retrofitting program goes back into these existing basins to utilize excess capacity and reduce erosive flows. Restoring creeks to more natural 'flow regimes' is an essential component in hydrologic restoration of streams!
The presentation on the Banklick Watershed Council's program can be found on KWRRI's YouTube Channel. There, you can hear about how streams adapt and erode due to increased flows and what we are doing to reverse this trend.
Beginning in 2015, new development in Northern Kentucky had to consider erosion as part of their design, but that didn't address the basins that are already located throughout the watershed. There may be around ~150 existing detention basins that don't meet the new standards and could be contributing to stream erosion and channel instability. Our retrofitting program goes back into these existing basins to utilize excess capacity and reduce erosive flows. Restoring creeks to more natural 'flow regimes' is an essential component in hydrologic restoration of streams!
The presentation on the Banklick Watershed Council's program can be found on KWRRI's YouTube Channel. There, you can hear about how streams adapt and erode due to increased flows and what we are doing to reverse this trend.
July 2020 - Brushy Fork Nature Preserve
With the successful purchase of the Brushy Fork property in August 2019, we then secured funding and began the planning for the establishment of a Brushy Fork Nature Preserve. Using funding from the Duke Energy Foundation, we plan to provide a public access drive, sign, gate, kiosk, parking and trailhead off Canberra Drive in Independence, Kentucky. The Brushy Fork Nature Preserve webpage provides more information and our current conceptual designs for the project.
This June and July, we focused on informing local residents as to our plans and the components of the project. We anticipate our zoning adjustment hearing in August then beginning construction soon thereafter.
We are closely monitoring the progress of the local developer, as they finish the final phase of this neighborhood, which will provide the roadway needed to connect to the future public access drive. The constructions photos below are from the developer's progress this Spring (April - June) in grading for the extension of Canberra Drive.
This June and July, we focused on informing local residents as to our plans and the components of the project. We anticipate our zoning adjustment hearing in August then beginning construction soon thereafter.
We are closely monitoring the progress of the local developer, as they finish the final phase of this neighborhood, which will provide the roadway needed to connect to the future public access drive. The constructions photos below are from the developer's progress this Spring (April - June) in grading for the extension of Canberra Drive.
Developer's Progress on Canberra Dr. Installation
May 2020 - Grants Available
The Banklick Watershed Council is currently accepting grant applications for Agricultural Best Management Practices!
We can help fund bacteria, sediment, or nutrient management strategies. Many of these solutions have a direct benefit to the local streams and waterways, something important to the Banklick Watershed Council. See our informational page on Ag Grants.
We can help fund bacteria, sediment, or nutrient management strategies. Many of these solutions have a direct benefit to the local streams and waterways, something important to the Banklick Watershed Council. See our informational page on Ag Grants.
April 16, 2020 - Wildflowers In Bloom
April is an amazing time of year for hiking and exploring nature! Wildflowers are in full bloom in Early April.
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March 2020 - BWC Awarded KDOW Grant
The Banklick Watershed Council, a local nonprofit, will receive $230,000 over the next three years for projects to continue to improve Banklick Creek. The Clean Water Act 319(h) program funds local groups addressing sources of pollution and improving water quality.
“We are grateful for the continuing support and confidence that the Division of Water places in our organization” says Anna Kirschner, the new Council chair. “These funds will allow us to keep our Watershed Coordinator and the momentum we’ve been building”.
In the past two years, the Council has constructed a wetland along Banklick Creek near Cody Road, purchased a 56 acre property to expand a nature preserve, helped a dairy farmer to improve his manure management system, and retrofitted stormwater management facilities.
“It’s an exciting time. We’re working on a lot of different projects right now and are looking for more” says Nicole Clements, the Banklick’s Watershed Coordinator. “Changing how we manage stormwater is a high priority, especially since we’re seeing so much erosion. The creeks are just being overwhelmed by the amount of runoff.”
The Council is already in talks with the City of Edgewood to use a portion of the new grant to better manage stormwater and reduce erosion along the Horse Branch tributary. “It’s a win-win for the City,” says Brian Dehner, City Administrator. “It saves taxpayer funding and address a critical infrastructure problem.”
The proposed project in Edgewood is based on studies completed by Sanitation District No. 1 of Northern Kentucky (SD1) and will take an innovative approach for reducing erosion. “We’re proposing several small projects in the headwaters, which will hold back more water. Our modeling shows us that the more we can hold back in these areas, the less erosion we’ll see downstream. This is a more sustainable approach that really gets to the cause of erosion – too much runoff,” stated Matt Wooten, aquatic biologist at SD1.
The Council will work in the coming months to identify other green infrastructure and stormwater improvement projects. The Council also hopes to make funding available to Banklick residents to repair failing septic systems and to farmers to help reduce contaminated runoff from livestock manure and feeding areas.
“We are grateful for the continuing support and confidence that the Division of Water places in our organization” says Anna Kirschner, the new Council chair. “These funds will allow us to keep our Watershed Coordinator and the momentum we’ve been building”.
In the past two years, the Council has constructed a wetland along Banklick Creek near Cody Road, purchased a 56 acre property to expand a nature preserve, helped a dairy farmer to improve his manure management system, and retrofitted stormwater management facilities.
“It’s an exciting time. We’re working on a lot of different projects right now and are looking for more” says Nicole Clements, the Banklick’s Watershed Coordinator. “Changing how we manage stormwater is a high priority, especially since we’re seeing so much erosion. The creeks are just being overwhelmed by the amount of runoff.”
The Council is already in talks with the City of Edgewood to use a portion of the new grant to better manage stormwater and reduce erosion along the Horse Branch tributary. “It’s a win-win for the City,” says Brian Dehner, City Administrator. “It saves taxpayer funding and address a critical infrastructure problem.”
The proposed project in Edgewood is based on studies completed by Sanitation District No. 1 of Northern Kentucky (SD1) and will take an innovative approach for reducing erosion. “We’re proposing several small projects in the headwaters, which will hold back more water. Our modeling shows us that the more we can hold back in these areas, the less erosion we’ll see downstream. This is a more sustainable approach that really gets to the cause of erosion – too much runoff,” stated Matt Wooten, aquatic biologist at SD1.
The Council will work in the coming months to identify other green infrastructure and stormwater improvement projects. The Council also hopes to make funding available to Banklick residents to repair failing septic systems and to farmers to help reduce contaminated runoff from livestock manure and feeding areas.
Oct 2019 - Duke Energy Grant
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We are happy to announce that our newest acquisition, the Brushy Fork preserve, was awarded $25,000 from the Duke Energy Foundation. This grant will help us to establish access to the area for public use and enjoyment.
The Banklick Watershed Council and our partner, the Kenton Conservancy, will be working in tandem with an adjacent developer as they complete their subdivision with an easement into the property. More details to come in 2020 as we work on a plan for this exciting new project. |
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Sept 2019 - Dairy Farm Manure Pond
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We were approached in 2018 by the Kenton Co. Extension Service about a local farmer experiencing issues with the runoff from his farm. Once we met Eddie Gibson, the last dairy farmer in Kenton County, and saw his operation at Ed-Mar Dairy, we decided to find a way to help.
This project installed a third manure pond downhill from the barn, to catch any excess flows before it reachs the headwaters of Banklick Creek. The pond was installed the summer of 2019, with design help donated by the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) engineers. |
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Aug 2019 - Brushy Fork Purchase
We are happy to announce that in partnership with the Kenton Conservancy, we acquired the remaining 56acres of the Brushy Fork Woods and Wetland!
This is a huge step towards our vision of a 104 acre nature preserve in the heart of Kenton County, complete with undisturbed forest, wetland and floodplain habitats. Keep watch for future updates as we work on the site and establish public access and trails.
A huge thank you to our funding partners: the KDOW, Kenton County, City of Independence, and the NKY Urban and Community Forest Council.
This is a huge step towards our vision of a 104 acre nature preserve in the heart of Kenton County, complete with undisturbed forest, wetland and floodplain habitats. Keep watch for future updates as we work on the site and establish public access and trails.
A huge thank you to our funding partners: the KDOW, Kenton County, City of Independence, and the NKY Urban and Community Forest Council.
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Aug 2019 - Stormwater Retrofits
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One of the greatest challenges we face in Banklick Creek is too much stormwater runoff. It erodes the creeks and causes flooding in downstream areas. To help, we're making changes to hold back more water in the head water areas, allowing the water to soak in and recharge groundwater.
The process is simple, we install a steel plate to reduce the size of the pipe. This holds back the water during the medium-sized storms that's causing the most damage to our creeks. This summer, our installations were along Vicksburg Lane and Flintrock Bluff in Independence, KY. |
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May 2019 - Wolsing Woods Wetland (Completed!)
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We are happy to announce the completion of the Wolsing Wetland. This project reconnected Banklick Creek to its floodplain and was designed to:
Located near the Cody Road/CSX railroad crossing of Banklick Creek, this project was a partnership between the Banklick Watershed Council, The Kenton Conservancy, and the Kentucky Division of Water (KDOW). A special thanks to the R.C. Durr Foundation, whose support helped us to obtain KDOW funding and add signs and trails to the project. Ultimately, the Wolsing Woods Trails will connect the parking area, wetland, and the Meadow Glen subdivision. For more information on the project and our construction progress see the Wolsing Woods Wetland webpage. |
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