Winter Hummingbird from Wildlife Matters on Vimeo.

History

Dedicated Dec. 10, 1996, John B. Stephenson Memorial Forest State Nature Preserve in Rockcastle County protects a 123-acre wooded gorge with a rich spring floral display. The preserve honors John B. Stephenson, the former president of Berea College who enjoyed the area’s beauty and solitude and worked hard to preserve the forest surrounding Anglin Falls. Long open to the public, the preserve will remain a significant source for education, interpretation and inspiration for the people of Kentucky and the students and faculty of Berea College.

• Features – Anglin Falls (75 feet), spring wildflower display, Anglin Creek, forested gorge.
• Access – one-mile foot trail over uneven terrain, moderate to strenuous
• Activities – hiking, nature study, birding, etc.
• Directions – Rockcastle County. From Exit 76 on I-75, go east 3.5 miles on KY 21 to the center of Berea. Turn right at the light (staying on KY 21), past the Boone Tavern, and travel another 5 miles. Turn right (south) on to US 421 and travel 2.6 miles. Turn right on Burnt Ridge Road and travel .2 miles, then left on Himanns Fork Road and travel 3.4 miles. Look for a red brick house on the right (box 530); approximately one-tenth of a mile past the house make a sharp left turn down a steep hill on to Anglin Falls Road.  Travel .9 miles on Anglin Falls Road to a sign that says “Anglin Falls” next to a mailbox marked “542 R2″. Turn left and travel .2 miles to the parking area/trail head.

NaturePreserves.ky.gov

Media

I’m a big GPS fan and am always looking for ways to marry technology and nature together.  Garmin has found yet another way:

Save Gas and Money

Now more than ever, we’re all looking for ways to conserve both money and fuel. Whether we’re taking fewer trips or carpooling with family and friends, saving resources is a top priority. It was that thinking that led to the creation of ecoRoute – our free software update for compatible nüvi products that allows users to find more fuel efficient routes when navigating and even track their fuel usage. With ecoRoute, you may be able to save gas and money by adopting smarter driving habits and finding more fuel-efficient routes.

Select Fuel-efficient Routes

With ecoRoute, users will have a “less fuel” option as a routing preference. When selected, nüvi will determine if more fuel efficient routes exist based upon road speed data and vehicle acceleration data for a given route.

Get Fuel and Mileage Reports

Through ecoRoute’s Fuel Report and Mileage Report, drivers can focus on their habits even when they’re not behind the wheel. Fuel Report tracks fuel usage over time, and Mileage Report monitors mileage and fuel usage on a per-trip basis. In addition, Mileage Report makes it easy for business travelers to keep track of distance traveled for company reimbursements. You’ll have a detailed report for each trip and the miles driven. You can also customize your nüvi by entering your car’s fuel economy and the current price of gas.

Under the agreement, Kentucky Utilities, a unit of E.ON US, will cut emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides at its E. W. Brown Generating Station in Mercer County, Kentucky, by more than 31,000 tons per year.

The company will also install controls to reduce particulate matter emissions by approximately 1,000 tons per year.

Source: PlaneTark.org

For the first time ever during a campaign, both presidential candidates urged a moratorium on mountaintop removal mining. This once-regional issue now has the attention of the nation. Help us build on this momentum to end this destructive practice.

In his first 100 days as President, Mr. Obama has the power to stop most current mountaintop removal mining. Here’s how:

• Reverse the Bush Mine Waste Giveaways: In the 11th hour, the Bush administration weakened the Stream Buffer Zone, allowing companies to dump mine waste into streams and rivers, worsening an earlier Bush ruling that has accelerated the pace of mountaintop removal coal mining.

• Enforce the Law: The coal industry has routinely ignored the Clean Water Act and the Stream Buffer Zone Rule. President Obama should demand that these and other rules be enforced, and hold the EPA, the Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation, and Enforcement, and the Army Corps of Engineers accountable.

• Urge Congress to Pass the Clean Water Protection Act: The Clean Water Protection Act is necessary to both permanently protect clean drinking water for many of our nation’s cities and to protect Appalachian coalfield residents who face frequent catastrophic flooding and pollution as a result of mountaintop removal.

• Prioritize Appalachia in America’s Clean Energy Future: Some mountaintops in Appalachia have huge wind power potential and would be more beneficial in that regard than as flattened landscape. President Obama should make Environmental Impact Assessments and economic analyses mandatory as part of his New Energy for America Plan. With finite and declining coal reserves and jobs, Obama needs to ensure Appalachia receives attention and support in the Administration’s new energy plan that includes $150 billion dollars invested in green, union jobs.