Undoing the past

By MIKE JAMES
The Independent

RUSH August 20, 2008 10:21 pm

— Undoing the supposed improvements of an earlier era will be the subject of a stream restoration demonstration Wednesday.
Scientists with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Resources Conservation Service will discuss the progress of a stream project started a year ago on the property of Ronnie and Stephanie Young in rural Boyd County.
The project uses stream mitigation funds to restore waterways to their natural state, said Clark Allison, a coordinator for the conservation service.
The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife, which administers the restoration program, focuses on degraded streams on private lands.
The restoration is done at no cost to the landowner. However, the owner must grant a permanent easement on both sides of the stream, Allison said.
The event, which is open to the public, will be at 1035 Old Trace Road. The stream there had previously been dredged straight, Stephanie Young said.
The straightening removed the vegetation and meanders that control flow, which resulted in the stream cutting deeper each year into the earth and left the property subject to flooding, Young said.
The restoration, which included both the stream on the Youngs’ three acres and a longer stretch on the property of her father-in-law, brought engineers and heavy equipment to recreate as closely as possible the original path of the stream.
Also, restorers planted trees and other vegetation. Although the restoration program requires only a 25-foot easement on each side, the Youngs granted 50 feet per side, she said.
The terms of the easement preclude development, so the program isn’t for everyone, but the Youngs are happy because they want to leave the area natural and no longer worry about flooding.
Restoration creates habitat for aquatic life in the stream and for wildlife on its banks, Allison said. The restoration employs native species for replanting of flowers, grasses, shrubs and trees.
Allison said he hopes the event will attract gardeners, environmentalists and those with properties that may be suitable for restoration.
“We’re looking for people who like to work with nature instead of against it.” he said. “For the right people, it’s a marriage made in heaven.”
MIKE JAMES can be reached at mjames@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2652.