News

Maggie has been involved with Kentucky Watershed Watch as a sampler since 2022 and recently became a sampler trainer. A graduate of the University of Cincinnati, she has called Eastern Kentucky’s Red River Gorge home for the past six years. In addition to her involvement with Watershed Watch, Maggie serves as the Red River Watershed Coordinator for Kentucky Waterways Alliance, where she works to protect, celebrate, and restore Kentucky’s waterways.

With a strong background in environmental education and volunteer coordination, Maggie is passionate about empowering community members to engage in meaningful conservation work.  She looks forward to bringing her experience to her new role as Program Coordinator and to building lasting relationships with Watershed Watch’s dedicated volunteers across the Commonwealth.

When not working, Maggie enjoys trail running, gardening, and paddling in new places.

With over 90,000 miles of streams throughout the state, water is a great connector between urban and rural. The Kentucky Rural Urban Exchange (RUX) microgrants offered a partnership opportunity to create a video that would capture the beauty, complexity, and importance of Kentucky’s streams.  

Read more here! 

Western Kentucky sits within a uniquely water-rich landscape. Few places in North America are bordered by such an extensive network of flowing water: the Mississippi River to the west, the Ohio River to the north, the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers to east, and countless smaller rivers and streams that drain the region. Living here means being constantly reminded of the value of our water resources. 

Watershed Watch sampling in the Four Rivers Basin is conducted by dedicated volunteers who play a critical role in monitoring and protecting these aquatic systems. For more than 25 years, Hancock Biological Station (HBS) – Murray State University’s biological field station – has supported this volunteer effort and continues to do so by serving as a central sampling hub. HBS organizes and loans equipment, provides training and technical expertise, and hosts annual meetings to share findings and keep volunteers informed of important results.

Lastly, because HBS faculty and staff interact with students and citizens of Western Kentucky, recruiting new volunteers is a constant. For more information about sampling in the Four Rivers Basin and information about how to get involved, please visit: kywater.org  or come and see us at HBS or visit our Facebook page for up-to-date information: https://www.facebook.com/MSUHBS/.

Bellarmine University’s biology students are diving into a fascinating real-world challenge— evaluating E. coli detection methods. Guided by microbiology professor Dr. Kelly Carroll, this hands-on project is bridging classroom learning with community impact. Read more here! 

As a conservation district, our role is to stay informed on the state of natural resources in our county. Kentucky Watershed Watch is a wonderful tool for us to keep an eye on water quality data, but for us, the real value lies in getting to know the landowners, neighbors, and concerned citizens. Read more here! 

The 7th Annual Voyageur Outing celebrated 28 years of KWW! Thank you to all the donors and paddlers, and to River City Paddlesports for providing the voyageur boats and captains again this year.  Read more here!