Making Waves: Youth Use KWW Sampling Techniques to Support A Cleaner Future

When we ask Kentucky Watershed Watch volunteers what motivates them to protect our waterways, the most common response is deeply personal: "my kids," "my grandkids," or simply "future generations." This desire to leave behind a healthier planet is a driving force for environmental activism, and the best way to sustain this movement is by engaging youth in conservation early on. Children are naturally inquisitive, and when we give them the tools to explore, they often end up teaching us a thing or two.

Summer camps and nature programming offer the perfect gateway for youth to connect with the environment while having fun. Across the state, several of our support hubs provide exceptional summer opportunities—and a few even integrate official Kentucky Watershed Watch sampling methods directly into their curriculum! Below, read more about how organizations like New Pioneers in Springfield and Red Oaks Forest School (serving central and eastern Kentucky) are inspiring the next generation of watershed stewards.

Spring Sampling Results

Thank you to everyone who participated in spring sampling this May. 135 distinct sites were tested and 143 individual samples were collected. We would like to recognize our top 7 Support Hubs who had the highest levels of sampler engagement: KY RiverKeeper/LiKEN Clark County, Boone County Conservation District, Town Branch Wastewater Treatment Plant, Joe Ford Nature Center, Somerset Community College, City of Danville, and Kentucky Division of Water. Way to go!

REGISTRATION NOW OPEN

Registration is now open for the statewide Kentucky Watershed Watch meeting, occurring immediately prior to the KWN Summit (see below).

Samplers, Support Hub contacts, and leadership through the river basins have asked for a statewide meeting to share successes, network and get to know each other, hear KWW updates, and engage in organizational planning.

KWN SUMMIT REGISTRATION

Registration is also now open for the Kentucky Watershed Network Summit - which will begin immediately following the KWW meeting. 

UPCOMING IN-PERSON TRAININGS

Paddling Opportunity on the Kentucky River

Paddlers will be returning to the Kentucky River October 3-4 for the 8th Annual Voyageur Canoe Outing. This year's event will be celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. You can read more about last year's outing and the history of 'Little Jamaica' on the KY River here.

Interested in participating? Click the link below to sign up. 

Other Water Quality Topics of Interest:

PFAs have been in the news as a threat to water quality due to their negative effects on aquatic life and human health. PFAs (per-and polyfluoroalkyl compounds) are a family of man-made chemicals widely used for their ability to resist heat, oil, grease, and water due to their strong carbon-fluorine bonds.

The Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet has developed a PFAs Explorer mapping tool to share findings from their PFAs monitoring in state waterways.

The USEPA's PFAs Analytic Tool allows you to see facilities that handle PFAs and testing locations.

The USEPA map consolidates voluntary and available public records. This data is not uniformly reported nationally and does not offer a complete or statistically representative map of all locations. Please read the disclaimers before using either of these tools.