Northern Kentucky Sierra Club

Join us at our 1st public meeting in 2025 for a presentation about the status of streams in Boone, Kenton and Campbell Counties. Our presenter will be Matt Wooten, Director of Kenton County Conservation District whose mission is to encourage natural resource protection through technical assistance, land conservation, public outreach and education. Matt holds BS and MS degrees in Biological Sciences from Marshall University in Huntington WV. He has a 25-yr professional career studying aquatic communities, including terms with the US Geological Survey in West Virginia and the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission in Cincinnati. He is currently an Environmental Program Manager with SD1, having spent nearly 18 yrs focused on the interactions of stream ecology and urban hydrology to more effectively manage impacts of stormwater runoff.

This meeting will be held in the Charlotte Meeting Room of the Erlanger Branch of the Kenton County Library. Our public meetings officially start at 6:30pm and last until 8pm, but the meeting room is reserved 6 – 8:30pm so attendees can arrive early to socialize with Sierra Club friends or stay late if desired. Ending the reservation at 8:30 also allows a speaker’s presentation to run past 8pm if necessary. The library closes at 9pm.

Erlanger Branch is located at 401 Kenton Lands Rd, Erlanger KY 41018 . Kenton Lands Rd goes west off Dixie Hwy about 0.9 miles south of Exit 83 from I-275 to US-25, US-42, US-127 and Dixie Hwy.

This nature trail began in 1992 when Falmouth resident and Sierra Club member Barth Johnson blazed a riverside path to give local teachers an outdoor education opportunity. The 1997 Licking flood washed out the trail. Many river-side properties beyond it were condemned, acquired by the county and turned into a park. Barth has been extending and maintaining the South Fork Nature Trail ever since, now about 1.3 miles long, extending from Southern Elementary School northeast to the South Fork Dam. This is an easy nature walk along the river with very little elevation change, crossing several feeder streams and staying mostly in the shade of trees. Expect to walk the trail both ways, over 2.5 miles. As we walk, Barth will pause often to tell us about the 1997 flood, the trail’s future and the natural features we pass on our hike.

The trail is in Pendleton County Athletic Park in the city of Falmouth. There are no restrooms along the trail, but there are portable potties in the adjacent park. For more info about the park, goto https://pendletonathleticpark.com/hiking/

RSVP here, or phone or email the leader with your name, email address and a last-minute phone #. Expect email or phone message by 8am Saturday if event gets cancelled.

Wear shoes with grippy soles since the dirt trail might be wet, muddy or slippery. Bring your own liquid and snacks. Dogs are allowed on-leash only.

Children are welcome! A parent or legal guardian must accompany and sign a waiver for minors 12 or under. Parent or guardian must sign a waiver for unaccompanied minors at least 13. All participants except minors 12 and under must sign that they read and agree to Sierra Club’s liability waiver and acknowledgement of self-risk – please read in advance:

https://www.sierraclub.org/sites/www.sierraclub.org/files/sce/bluegrass-group/Waiver%20JAN%202020.pdf

Park in the lot next to Southern Elementary School, 320 Fairgrounds Rd,
Falmouth KY 41040 . If coming south on US-27, turn right (west) at a caution light onto Woodson St. Turn left onto Fairgrounds Rd when you see tennis courts on the right. Continue to the school and park on the school's right (west) side. The trail head is just beyond the south edge of the lot.

Leader is John Robbins, 859.363.0376 (voice or text), john@johnfrobbins.com