Stream Dream Team

From 2011-2014, we called a group of neighbors the “Stream Dream Team” 😊 This group of neighbors worked regularly to improve the stream buffer long the Big Elm fork. Ken Cooke and the Friends of Wolf Run were our guides in this endeavor. FOWR helped with grants to fund the purchase of plants and native trees that would replace the invasive honeysuckle the team removed.

Our neighborhood team was strong and faithful.  We enjoyed the hard work of removing honeysuckle because we enjoyed each other's company and the shared passion. 

Much has happened since then. The native plantings have grown. Invasives have grown. A few members of the team pushed back and negotiated with Kentucky Utilities to avoid mass destruction of much of our previous work. We lost the property owner, Linda Bradford, to covid pneumonia. Linda owns the portion of the flood plain that runs behind 486 to about 390 Bob O Link Dr. Her family is also very generous and supportive of the neighborhood’s use of this land as a place to walk, enjoy nature and run the dogs. They do need help maintaining the land and keeping a healthy stream.

Fast forward to March 2024, Sandy Shaffer got the team back together! Hearing about some grant money that was forfeited by a school, she thought perhaps we could use it along our beloved flood plain.

Since the timing is tight, we unanimously agreed to use it for the purchase of 1-2 larger Tulip Poplars in memory of Linda.

What we ask of the neighbors of Bob O Link.

1. Join us on Saturday, May 18 at 1p in the flood plain to learn about stream buffer restoration, help as you are able with removal of invasives and gathering of debris in a pile for the city to remove.
2. We do need to know if we have a few volunteers who could dig a large hole – 2 feet deep x 3 feet wide. If we cannot dig, we can use grant money to hire professional tree planters with equipment. The flood plain collected rocks and building debris when the houses were built, so it’s not always easy to dig.

"This improvement is accomplished through a financial grant from the LFUCG Water Quality Incentive Grant fund through a partnership with Friends of Wolf Run, Inc. and generous neighborhood volunteers donating their time and effort to improve our environment."