--- title: What If Every Lexington Stream Had a Steward? description: Imagine if every stream in Lexington had a dedicated steward, fostering conservation and community connection. Discover how small efforts can lead to big changes. image: https://bobolink-greenspace.com/hubfs/Every%20Creek%20Needs%20a%20Friend%20Bob%20O%20Linkk%20Greenspace.jpg --- [Skip to content](https://bobolink-greenspace.com/blog/what-if-every-lexington-stream-had-a-steward#main-content) [![Greenspace Logo copy (1)](https://bobolink-greenspace.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Greenspace%20Logo%20copy%20(1).png?width=1452&height=474&name=Greenspace%20Logo%20copy%20(1).png)](https://bobolink-greenspace.com) - [GOALS](https://bobolink-greenspace.com/the-big-picture-goals) - [ACTIONS](https://bobolink-greenspace.com/action-goals) - [PLAN](https://bobolink-greenspace.com/5-year-conservation-plan) - [ZONES](https://bobolink-greenspace.com/management-zones) - [JOURNAL](https://bobolink-greenspace.com/chronicle-of-activities) - [PHOTO GALLERY](https://bobolink-greenspace.com/stewardship-photo-gallery) - [INVASIVES](https://bobolink-greenspace.com/invasive-species) - [NATIVES](https://bobolink-greenspace.com/restoration-plantings) - [CONTACT US](https://bobolink-greenspace.com/contact-us) - [COMMITTEE](https://bobolink-greenspace.com/greenspace-stewardship-committee) - [CALENDAR](https://bobolink-greenspace.com/bol-greenspace-calendar) - [BLOG](https://bobolink-greenspace.com/blog) [JOIN THE CAUSE](https://bobolink-greenspace.com/contact-us) # What If Every Lexington Stream Had a Steward? 4 November 2026 [Jennifer](https://bobolink-greenspace.com/blog/author/jennifer) [Nature Steward](https://bobolink-greenspace.com/blog/tag/nature-steward) Behind the homes on Bob O Link Drive, a small stream winds through acres of private greenspace. On most maps, the Big Elm Tributary of Vaughn's Branch barely registers. To the neighbors who care for it, it's a place we know well: where the honeysuckle keeps trying to come back, where the garlic mustard shows up each spring, and where a hawk might be watching from above. Lately I've been wondering what would happen if every greenspace along every waterway in Lexington had someone who knew it that well. ## How it started here. Our effort didn't begin with a grand plan. Since 2010, neighbors have worked with [Friends of Wolf Run](https://www.wolfrunwater.org/) to win matching grants to strengthen the stream banks. Volunteers walked the stream, learned to tell bush honeysuckle from native plants, cut it back, and planted native trees, shrubs and flowers along about 1,200 feet of streamside. City partners hauled away the brush. The Sigafus family's generosity in sharing their 3-acres of flood plain made that work possible. Over time, it grew into a five-year conservation plan, and its success still relies on volunteer conservation stewards. We've also learned what a steward really is, and how to make it less daunting than it sounds. Through our Adopt-a-Spot program, a steward is "a knowledgeable advocate and extra set of eyes," not a sole caretaker. Stewards visit regularly, notice what's changing, and speak up when something needs attention. Some pull invasives or help at planting events, and some learn, watch and report. All of it counts. ## Now picture it citywide. Imagine that kind of attention along every creek in Fayette County, from the HOA common area behind a subdivision to the strip of trees beside a church parking lot and the buffer along a neighborhood park. Invasives would get caught early and soon native species would soon outnumber them.  Hundreds of people who already walk the same greenways and stream banks every week would make an early warning system no agency could afford to staff. ### Work upstream would stop being undone. Water connects all of us. Our tributary feeds Vaughn's Branch, which feeds Wolf Run. What we plant or clear here affects the neighbors downstream, and what happens upstream comes to us. One restored stretch is a good thing, but a connected corridor can change how a whole stream behaves. ### Neighborhoods would know their waterWAYS. Most of us couldn't name the stream closest to our house. A steward on every stretch would mean a neighbor who can, and who can tell you what lives there and why it matters. ### The city would have partners on the ground. Lexington's Greenway Master Plan calls for a countywide network, including nine conservation corridors along major streams, and Wolf Run is one of them. The plan is candid that today's greenways are largely small, disconnected fragments. It also recognizes that greenways are both public and private, and it includes guidance for residents, HOAs and neighborhood associations. A network of stewards could help bring that map to life, one small piece of land at a time. ## What would it take? A dream this size wouldn't require every steward to become an expert. It would take the things that made our project possible: - Someone to call when a question comes up - Education and technical partnerships - Simple training on what to look for and what to do - Grants and access to native plants - A way to get the brush hauled away - A shared map, so each steward can see they are part of something bigger Most of all, it would take neighbors who are willing to go outside, pay attention and care. ### Start with your stretch of water OR GREENWAY We don't know exactly what thousands of small acts of attention would add up to. But we've seen what they can do along one tributary, and we'd love to see what they could do across Lexington. Is there a stream or greenway near your home or work? Walk it this week and notice what's growing there. If you'd like to learn how we got started, or you'd like to adopt a spot in our greenspace, write to us at [steward@bobolink-greenspace.com](mailto:steward@bobolink-greenspace.com). > *Every creek in Lexington could use a friend, and it might as well be you.*   ### Related Post [![AI Generated image depicting volunteer stewards meeting about grant opportunities](https://bobolink-greenspace.com/hs-fs/hubfs/AI-Generated%20Media/Images/Meeting%20to%20Look%20at%20Federal%20Grants.png?width=352&name=Meeting%20to%20Look%20at%20Federal%20Grants.png)](https://bobolink-greenspace.com/blog/federal-state-grant-opportunities) ##### [Federal & State Grant Opportunities](https://bobolink-greenspace.com/blog/federal-state-grant-opportunities) Meeting with Heather Silvanik to talk about the Federal Grant Opportunities **Saturday, August 16,...** [![Stream Walk Volunteer Stewards](https://bobolink-greenspace.com/hs-fs/hubfs/FY%202025%20Grant/FY2025%20Grant%20Stream%20Walk.jpeg?width=352&name=FY2025%20Grant%20Stream%20Walk.jpeg)](https://bobolink-greenspace.com/blog/stream-walk) ##### [Stream Walk](https://bobolink-greenspace.com/blog/stream-walk) ## Stream Walk – August 16, 2025 2 pm – 3 pm [![photo of winter creeper](https://bobolink-greenspace.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Slide2.jpg?width=352&name=Slide2.jpg)](https://bobolink-greenspace.com/blog/winter-creeper-is-taking-over) ##### [Winter Creeper is Taking Over!](https://bobolink-greenspace.com/blog/winter-creeper-is-taking-over) Winter creeper (*Euonymus fortunei*) is a fast‑growing evergreen vine that was introduced to the... ![Greenspace Logo copy (1)](https://bobolink-greenspace.com/hubfs/Greenspace%20Logo%20copy%20(1).png) steward@bobolink-greenspace.com Copyright © 2022 MakeWebBetter All Rights Reserved. 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