Progress 12/16/16 to 09/30/21
Outputs
Target Audience:Students, citizens, natural resource professionals, and forest landowners. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project provided training and professional development for KY classroom teachers, state government professionals, and Extension agents on watershed management, water quality, and climate variability. Three NRCS employees received field training as part of consultations done on the property and Eleven Kentucky educators received training during one workshop at the EERC. Furthermore, with the ongoing habitat restoration projects started in 2017, the EERC will have multiple opportunities to demonstrate best practices to KY forest landowners. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The KY River Thorobred and the EERC's educational capacities were promoted at the Kentucky State Fair and the Franklin County Fair. The KY River Thorobred Facebook page resulted in 16,368 contacts for October 2020 through September 2021 alone. Louis Ross, Manager of the EERC, presented information about work conducted at the EERC, climate variability workshops, and other Center-related initiatives at the North American Association for Environmental Education's annual conference. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The Kentucky River Thorobred conducted educational cruises through Central Kentucky forest and agricultural land, providing participants education on watershed protection and best management practices. Some cruises included an emphasis on invasive species and best management strategies for their removal. The cruises reached hundreds of people over the life of the grant. However, due to COVID-19, the cruise season started late and, out of an abundance of caution and for the safety of the crew and passengers, several cruises were cancelled due to unsafe river and weather conditions. Throughout the granting period, programming at the EERC included training programs on watersheds, water quality, and point source/non-point source pollution; Kentucky forestry and forest issues; and climate variability. In 2021 alone, twenty-six educational workshops and trainings were conducted at the EERC focusing on watersheds, forestry, and climate for Kentuckians of all ages (K-12 science classroom field trips and public guided nature walks). In 2021, direct KSU programming at the EERC reached 430 students, citizens, natural resource professionals, and landowners. Throughout 2021, KSU continued a research initiative to establish pollinator tree, wildflower, and native grass species on the abandoned agricultural land at the EERC. This land is used for Extension demonstration purposes for landowners and educational visits. Site preparation was finished in the spring of 2018 and wildflowers and native grasses were planted on approximately 7.5 acres of bottomland fields. The wildflowers and native grasses were planted using a no-till seed drill and included four treatments (planting mixes) based on species and seeding rates per acre. Research as to which treatment (planting mix) performs best is ongoing. Beginning spring 2019, this site began and will continue to be used for landowner and K-12 educational demonstration purposes. Additionally, a pond habitat enhancement project began in the spring of 2018 and with site preparation occurring through fall. Native species of wildflowers and grasses will be planted around the EERC's 1.25-acre pond and, once established, will also be used for landowner and K-12 educational demonstration purposes.
Publications
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Progress 10/01/19 to 09/30/20
Outputs
Target Audience:Students, citizens, natural resource professionals, and forest landowners. Changes/Problems:Covid-19 restricted some in-person educational activities. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project has provided training and professional development for KY classroom teachers, professionals from Kentucky state government, and Extension agents on watershed management, water quality, and climate variability. Furthermore, with the habitat restoration projects started in 2017 that are ongoing, the EERC will have multiple opportunities to demonstrate best practices to KY forest landowners. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The KY River Thorobred and the EERC's educational capacities were promoted at the Kentucky State Fair and the Franklin County Fair in the summer of 2019. The KY River Thorobred Facebook page resulted in 16795 contacts for October 2019 through September 2020. Louis Ross, Research and Extension Assistant and acting Manager of KSU's Environmental Education and Research Center, presented information about work conducted at the EERC, climate variability workshops, and other Center- related initiatives at the North American Association for Environmental Education's annual conference. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Depending on COVID-19 challenges, the KY River Thorobred will continue its annual educational cruises sometimein 2021. The boat Manager plans to continue conducting community education and outreach programs through presentations, workshops, and public events with community partners. Work at the EERC will continue through the year, providing training programs and workshops to a wide variety of stakeholders. Louis Ross, Research and Extension Assistant, will continue his work on the research site for the pollinator project with graduate students throughout 2021 and the pond habitat restoration project will be used as educational demonstration for years to come.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Using the Kentucky River Thorobred, Kentucky State University conducted 35 educational cruises through central Kentucky forest and agricultural land, providing participants education on watershed protection and best management practices. Four of these cruises included special educational emphasis on invasive species and best management strategies for their removal. The educational cruises reached 811 people.Out of an abundance of caution and for the health and safety of the crew and passengers, the 2020 cruise season was cancelled due to COVID-19. Programming at the Environmental Education and Research Center (EERC) throughout the reporting period, even with the challenges of COVID-19, included training programs on watersheds, water quality, and point source/non-point source pollution; forestry and forest issues in Kentucky; and climate variability. Twenty-sixeducational workshops and trainings were conducted at the EERC focusing on watersheds, forestry, and climate for Kentuckians of all ages (K-12 science classroom field trips. KSU reached 156 students, citizens, natural resource professionals, and landowners through direct programming at the EERC. Throughout 2020, KSU continued a research initiative to establish pollinator tree, wildflower, and native grass species on the abandoned agricultural land at the EERC. This land is used for Extension demonstration purposes for landowners and educational visits. Site preparation was finished in the spring of 2018 and wildflowers and native grasses were planted on approximately 7.5 acres of bottomland fields. The wildflowers and native grasses were planted using a no-till seed drill and included four treatments (planting mixes) based on species and seeding rate per acre. Research as to which treatment (planting mix) performs best is ongoing. The site has been (beginning in spring of 2019) and will continue to be used for landowner and K-12 educational demonstration purposes. Likewise, a pond habitat restoration project started in the spring of 2018 and site preparation was conducted in the summer and fall of 2018. Native species of wildflowers and grasses will be planted around the 1.25-acre pond at the EERC and, once established, will also be used for landowner and K-12 educational demonstration purposes. The project has provided training and professional development for KY classroom teachers, professionals from Kentucky state government, and Extension agents on watershed management, water quality, and climate variability. Furthermore, with the habitat restoration projects started in 2017 that are ongoing, the EERC will have multiple opportunities to demonstrate best practices to KY forest landowners.
Publications
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Progress 10/01/18 to 09/30/19
Outputs
Target Audience:Students, citizens, natural resource professionals, and forest landowners Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project provided training and professional development for KY classroom teachers, professionals from Kentucky state government, and Extension agents on watershed management, water quality, and climate variability. 3 NRCS employees received field training as part of consultations done on the property. A total of 11 Kentucky educators received training during one workshop at the EERC. Furthermore, with the habitat restoration projects started in 2017 that are ongoing, the EERC will have multiple opportunities to demonstrate best practices to KY forest landowners. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The KY River Thorobred and the EERC's educational capacities were promoted at the Kentucky State Fair and the Franklin County Fair in the summer of 2019. The KY River Thorobred now also has a Facebook page resulting in 44,634 contacts for October 2018 through September 2019. Louis Ross, Research and Extension Assistant and acting Manager of KSU's Environmental Education and Research Center, presented information about work conducted at the EERC, climate variability workshops, and other Center- related initiatives at the North American Association for Environmental Education's annual conference. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The KY River Thorobred will continue its annual educational cruises beginning a in the spring of 2020. The boat Manager plans to continue conducting community education and outreach programs through presentations, workshops, and public events with community partners. Work at the EERC will continue through the year, providing training programs and workshops to a wide variety of stakeholders. Louis Ross, Research and Extension Assistant, will continue his work on the research site for the pollinator project with graduate students throughout 2021 and the pond habitat restoration project will be used as educational demonstration for years to come.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Using the Kentucky River Thorobred, Kentucky State University conducted 150 educational cruises through central Kentucky forest and agricultural land, providing participants education on watershed protection and best management practices. Four of these cruises included special educational emphasis on invasive species and best management strategies for their removal. The educational cruises reached 3,205 people. We also conducted watershed education, including information on invasive species, at Kentucky State University's Environmental Education Center. In partnership with Kentucky State University's Green Society student organization, we held an invasive species removal volunteer event at the historic spring house on Kentucky State University's campus. KSU also provided planning and assistance for a community-organized invasive species identification and removal volunteer event at a private farm in Peaks Mill, KY. Programming at the Environmental Education and Research Center (EERC) throughout the reporting period included training programs on watersheds, water quality, and point source/non-point source pollution; forestry and forest issues in Kentucky; and climate variability. 26 educational workshops and trainings were conducted at the EERC focusing on watersheds, forestry, and climate for Kentuckians of all ages (K-12 science classroom field trips. KSU reached 430 students, citizens, natural resource professionals, and landowners through direct programming at the EERC. Throughout 2019, KSU continued a research initiative to establish pollinator tree, wildflower, and native grass species on the abandoned agricultural land at the EERC. This land is used for Extension demonstration purposes for landowners and educational visits. Site preparation was finished in the spring of 2018 and wildflowers and native grasses were planted on approximately 7.5 acres of bottomland fields. The wildflowers and native grasses were planted using a no-till seed drill and included four treatments (planting mixes) based on species and seeding rate per acre. Research as to which treatment (planting mix) performs best is ongoing. The site has been (beginning in spring of 2019) and will continue to be used for landowner and K-12 educational demonstration purposes. Likewise, a pond habitat restoration project started in the spring of 2018 and site preparation was conducted in the summer and fall of 2018. Native species of wildflowers and grasses will be planted around the 1.25-acre pond at the EERC and, once established, will also be used for landowner and K-12 educational demonstration purposes.
Publications
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Progress 10/01/17 to 09/30/18
Outputs
Target Audience:Students, citizens, natural resource professionals, and forest landowners Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project provided training and professional development for KY classroom teachers, professionals from Kentucky state government, and Extension agents on watershed management, water quality, and climate variability. A total of 55 Kentucky professionals received training through three separate workshops at the EERC. Furthermore, with the habitat restoration projects started in 2017 that are ongoing, the EERC will have multiple opportunities to demonstrate best practices to KY forest landowners. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The KY River Thorobred and the EERC's educational capacities were promoted at the Kentucky State Fair and the Franklin County Fair in the summer of 2018. Ms. Jennifer Hubbard-Sánchez, Manager of KSU's Environmental Education and Research Center, presented information about work conducted at the EERC, climate variability workshops, and other Center-related initiatives at the Kentucky Association for Environmental Education's 2018 Annual Conference as well as via presentations at the North American Association for Environmental Education's annual conference. She gave updates on the work conducted at the EERC to two Kentucky State Senators and one Representative as well as to the Kentucky Heritage Land Conservation Fund Board in the spring of 2018. The EERC also has a Facebook page on which we regularly post educational opportunities and education materials for the general public. This Facebook page resulted in over 25,000 contacts throughout the year. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The KY River Thorobred will continue its annual educational cruises beginning a in the spring of 2019. The boat Manager plans to continue conducting community education and outreach programs through presentations, workshops, and public events with community partners. Work at the EERC will continue through the year, providing training programs and workshops to a wide variety of stakeholders. KSU recently received funding through the Kentucky Heritage Land Conservation Fund Board to acquire an additional 82 acres of land adjacent to the current EERC site. 2019 will be a year of growth and strategic planning to determine how the additional acreage will be used with and for the public. Dr. Richard Cristan, KSU Assistant Research Professor of Forestry, will continue his work on the research site for the pollinator project throughout 2019 and the pond habitat restoration project should be complete by summer of 2019.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Using the Kentucky River Thorobred, Kentucky State University conducted 103 educational cruises through central Kentucky forest and agricultural land, providing participants education on watershed protection and best management practices. Four of these cruises included special educational emphasis on invasive species and best management strategies for their removal. The educational cruises reached 1,740 people. We also conducted watershed education, including information on invasive species, at Kentucky State University's Environmental Education Center. In partnership with Kentucky State University's Green Society student organization, we held an invasive species removal volunteer event at the historic spring house on Kentucky State University's campus. KSU also provided planning and assistance for a community-organized invasive species identification and removal volunteer event at Frankfort Independent Schools Wilkinson Gym on Ewing St in Frankfort. Programming at the Environmental Education and Research Center (EERC) throughout the reporting period included training programs on watersheds, water quality, and point source/non-point source pollution; forestry and forest issues in Kentucky; and climate variability. There were two Extension Natural Resource field days held in partnership with the University of Kentucky's Cooperative Extension Service; one climate variability curricula training program for classroom teachers, county agents, and other natural resource professionals from KY state government; two water and karst ecosystem training programs for natural resource professionals; a KY Envirothon site practice; a Scouts environmental science merit badge day; and 27 other educational workshops and trainings at the EERC focusing on watersheds, forestry, and climate for Kentuckians of all ages. KSU reached 963 students, citizens, natural resource professionals, and landowners through direct programming at the EERC. Throughout 2018, KSU continued a research initiative to establish pollinator tree, wildflower, and native grass species on the abandoned agricultural land at the EERC that, once complete, will be used for Extension demonstration purposes for landowners. Site preparation was finished in the spring of 2018 and wildflowers and native grasses were planted on approximately 8 acres of bottomland fields. The wildflowers and native grasses were planted using a no-till seed drill and included four treatments (planting mixes) based on species and seeding rate per acre. Research as to which treatment (planting mix) performs best is ongoing and, once results are available, the site will be used for landowner demonstration purposes beginning in late 2019. Likewise, a pond habitat restoration project started in the spring of 2018 and site preparation was conducted in the summer and fall of 2018. Native species of wildflowers and grasses will be planted around the 1.25-acre pond at the EERC and, once established, will also be used for landowner demonstration purposes. Numereouseducational eventswere conducted for forest and range landowners and managers. Nine were on the environmental and economic impacts of invasive species, Fivewere on options to minimize land-use conversion of forest and rangelands, Threewere on forest, range, fish, and wildlife based income-generating opportunities, and Six were on the benefits and opportunities of forest stewardship practices.
Publications
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Progress 12/16/16 to 09/30/17
Outputs
Target Audience:Stakeholders include forest land owners, K-16, parents, teachers, college students, and natural resource professionals. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project provided training and professional development on watershed management and water quality and climate variability for KY classroom teachers, professionals from KY state government, and Extension agents. A total of 47 Kentucky professionals received training through three separate workshops at the EERC. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Mr. Ed Wilcox, Manager of the KY River Thorobred, presented his work on watershed education with a focus on benthic macroinvertebrates as indicators of water quality at the Kentucky Association for Environmental Education's Annual conference in September of 2017. The KY River Thorobred and its educational capacity was also promoted at the Kentucky State Fair and the Franklin County Fair in the summer of 2017. Ms. Jennifer Hubbard-Sánchez, Manager of KSU's Environmental Education and Research Center, presented information about the climate variability workshops conducted at the EERC at the Kentucky Association for Environmental Education's 2017 Annual Conference. Ms. Hubbard-Sánchez also gave a keynote speech on an international online webinar for the North American Association for Environmental Education. She gave updates on the work conducted at the EERC to two KY State Senators and one State Representative, as well as to the Kentucky Heritage Land Conservation Fund Board at their November 2017 meeting. Dr. Richard Cristan, Assistant Research Professor of Forestry, attended the KY Wood Expo in the fall of 2017 and brought KSU's mobile EERC trailer to the event to promote and disseminate information to landowners about research and education at the EERC. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? The KY River Thorobred will continue its annual educational cruises beginning again in the spring of 2018. The boat manager plans to continue conducting community education and outreach programs through presentations, workshops, and public events with community partners. Work at the EERC will continue throughout the year, including training programs and workshops to a wide variety of stakeholders. There are currently 4 trainings for professionals scheduled for early spring 2018, as well as 4-H environmental camps to be held in conjunction with the University of Kentucky Extension Service. The KY State Envirothon Team will also be using the EERC to practice for the annual competition in March 2018. KSU recently applied for funding through the Kentucky Heritage Land Conservation Fund Board to acquire an additional 82 acres of land adjacent to the EERC. The award was approved and will be made within the next eighteen months. Therefore, 2018 will be a year of strategic planning and identifying areas of need for research and education at the EERC. Additionally, a Master of Environmental Studies student research team is currently working designing a 0.4-mile Braille trail that will be installed in 2018 for EERC visitors who are visually impaired. Dr. Richard Cristan, KSU Assistant Research Professor of Forestry, will continue developing the research site for the pollinator project throughout 2018 and plans to begin planting native grasses and wildflowers in early summer.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
KY River Thorobred: Kentucky State University conducted a total of 20 cruises through Central Kentucky forest and agricultural land, providing education on watershed protection and best management practices to participants. Three of these cruises had a special emphasis on invasive species education and best management strategies for removal. The 20 cruises reached a total of 496 people. Watershed education, with an emphasis on invasive species, featuring an invasive species removal volunteer events was also conducted at River View Park, in partnership with the Paul Sawyier Public Library and with an area church group in Frankfort, KY. The Environmental Education and Research Center (EERC): Programming at the EERC throughout the reporting period included training programs on watersheds, water quality, and point source/non-point source pollution; forestry and forest issues in Kentucky; and climate variability. There were three Extension Natural Resource field days held in partnership with the University of Kentucky's Cooperative Extension Service; two climate variability curricula training programs for classroom teachers, county agents, and other natural resource professionals from KY state government; and 23 other educational workshops and training programs focusing on watersheds, forestry, and climate for Kentuckians of all ages. KSU reached 724 students, natural resource professionals, landowners, and members of the general public through EERC programming. In the summer of 2017, KSU began a research initiative to establish pollinator tree, wildflower, and native grass species on the abandoned agricultural land at the EERC that will be used for Extension demonstration purposes for landowners upon completion. Site preparation and tree felling began at the EERC in September 2017. Wildflowers and native grasses will be planted on half the area in late spring/early summer 2018. The other half of the area will continue to undergo site preparation throughout the fall of 2018 and spring of 2019 with planting in the spring of 2019. This plan will allow KSU researchers to evaluate the response of a longer-term site preparation regime. The wildflowers and native grasses will be planted using a no-till seed drill and will include four treatments (planting mixes) based on species and seeding rate per acre. Trees will be planted in February/March 2019 and consist of yellow poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera), blackgum (Nyssa sylvatica), and black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) or basswood (Tilia americana) provided by the Kentucky Division of Forestry State Nursery and American chestnut trees (Castanea dentata) provided by the American Chestnut Foundation.
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