In March 2026, several of our dedicated KWW Board Members gathered at FloraCliff Nature Preserve in Fayette County to reflect on what makes Kentucky Watershed Watch strong today — and to imagine what the organization could become.  Through collaborative discussions and Appreciative Inquiry activities, one message came through clearly: KWW’s greatest strength is its people--our samplers, support hubs, donors, and collaborators.

Participants highlighted the values that continue to drive our success – inclusion, collaboration, passion, leadership, and strong community connections. Board members also identified the key ingredients that “give life” to KWW: supportive leadership, meaningful partnerships, accessible information, in-person connection, and the fun and purpose that come from protecting Kentucky’s waterways together.

Looking ahead, the group envisioned a future where KWW has the infrastructure, partnerships, and support needed to sustain and expand our impact across the state. That vision includes more support hubs, more accessible public data, streamlined volunteer resources, and empowered samplers who can connect local water  quality data to meaningful community action.

One of the biggest priorities identified during the retreat was volunteer and sampler engagement. Board members emphasized that community connection, storytelling, training, and clear communication are essential to keeping volunteers energized and involved. As a result, KWW will continue exploring ways to strengthen local support networks, simplify communication, and help volunteers share the story of why clean water matters in their communities. Do you have a story to tell about your water monitoring work? Get in touch and we will help tell your story and increase community awareness!

The retreat was an energizing reminder that KWW’s future is built on the dedication of volunteers, partners, and supporters across Kentucky. Thank you to everyone who continues to sample, advocate, educate, and help protect our waterways — your work is shaping the future vision of KWW every day.

December 30, 2025

By Kentucky Watershed Watch Program Coordinator, Lauren Kallmeyer, and photos from Ron Eskerden

Contextual note: Kentucky Rural–Urban Exchange (RUX) is a statewide network that brings together artists, cultural workers, organizers, and community leaders from both rural and urban areas of Kentucky. RUX fosters collaboration, dialogue, and creative projects that strengthen relationships across geography, identity, and lived experience. RUX is rooted in place-based work, shared learning, and the belief that meaningful change happens when Kentuckians from different backgrounds come together to exchange ideas, skills, and stories.

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.  

The project

As Program Coordinator for Kentucky Watershed Watch, my role centers on statewide water quality monitoring and volunteer education. With over 90,000 miles of streams throughout the state, water is a great connector between urban and rural. KWW maintains Support Hubs in 33 counties across the state, providing volunteers with access to sampling equipment in urban areas like Louisville, Lexington, and Bowling Green and rural areas like the Berry Center farm in Henry County and Cowan Community Action Group in Letcher County.

 Each year, more than 100 Kentuckians complete our water sampling certification, which includes a series of online and in-person training modules. While we’ve developed videos for nearly every part of the process, one important piece was still missing: a video training module that teaches our volunteers how to assess the quality of a creek’s habitat.

The RUX microgrants offered an opportunity for KWW to partner with Ron to create a video that would capture the beauty, complexity, and importance of Kentucky’s streams. We discussed how a thoughtfully produced video could help volunteers better understand how things like bank erosion, pollution, and streamside tree plantings (aka riparian buffers) contribute to water quality and watershed health, while also fostering a deeper emotional connection to Kentucky’s waterways.

For Kentucky Watershed Watch, which relies entirely on grants, donors, and volunteers, this kind of partnership is both necessary and exciting. It allows us to extend our reach, improve our training materials, and connect with volunteers across rural and urban Kentucky in a more engaging way. We were thrilled to be awarded the RUX microgrant, which was made possible via Kentucky Waterways Alliance, who provided funding to RUX to specifically provide microgrants for water protection. 

 What I appreciate most about this collaboration is how naturally it came together – meeting people on a hike, talking about Kentucky’s biodiversity, art, and community. That spirit of connection is at the heart of what RUX gatherings make possible, and it’s the same spirit we hope this video will pass on to viewers: a sense of curiosity, care, and responsibility for Kentucky’s 90,000 miles of streams.

We’re excited to see where this project leads—not just in terms of a finished video, but in what it teaches us about creative partnerships, storytelling, and how art can strengthen environmental education across the commonwealth.