Boone County Conservation District (BCCDKY) is one of 36 Kentucky Watershed Watch support hubs throughout the state. Support hubs serve as a local point of contact for volunteers and help maintain the connection to the program’s overall goals of monitoring, raising community awareness, and moving towards improvements in Kentucky’s waterways.

The level of support in each hub depends upon the available resources of the host person or organization. At BCCDKY, we store equipment including r-cards, an incubator, and refill supplies, offer guidance on site selection and data management, and assist with troubleshooting technical issues (which usually means relaying questions to JoAnn and Malissa!).

Even as a small organization with only a few staff members, the weight of duties as a support hub feels light.  A few days out of the year we dust off the incubator, arrange equipment pick-ups and drop-offs, and correspond with the 5-10 active samplers in our area. For us, the most fun is watching E.coli colonies develop in the incubator – everyone in the office takes a turn counting blue dots! This summer, we were also happy to personally assist with data collection for a long-standing volunteer who was recovering from illness. 

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. The history of the creeks, updates on land use, and stories of people’s connection to water are things that help paint a fuller picture of our watersheds. 

In coming years, BCCDKY would like to maximize the impact of Kentucky Watershed Watch in our community. We hope to host trainings, recruit more samplers, and use their data to identify projects that will improve stream health. 

The communication and knowledge of the staff and volunteer board members of Kentucky Watershed Watch have made our first year as a support hub run very smoothly, and overall the experience is helping us to build a stronger connection with our community.

~Susan Brown, Conservation Education Specialist at Boone County Conservation District and KWW Board Member