Last week, the Kelley's Landing Master Plan received the @kentuckyasla Merit Award at the first ASLA + APA conference. In collaboration with our client @fundforgreaterlex and our partners @explorekentucky , @civiclex.ky , @palacio.collaborative and Wilson Water Ways, this transformative plan was shaped by extensive community engagement and input, reaching over 2,000 individuals and more than 60 stakeholder groups. Congratulations to the project teams!
#Louisville #KelleysLanding #GenuineIngenuity
URGENT UPDATE: SB 178 committee hearing rescheduled for tomorrow, Wednesday, February 25 @ 10:00 AM in Annex Room 129.
Last week, they scheduled a hearing. You showed up—hundreds of emails and phone calls. The meeting was just rescheduled for tomorrow morning. We need you to help us spread the word.
Here's what you can do RIGHT NOW:
Go to kyrc.org/stop-sb178 (link in bio). Read the fact sheet and send a message to the FULL committee urging a NO vote.
Call the Legislative Message Line at 1-800-372-7181 and leave a message for the full Senate Natural Resources Committee telling them to VOTE NO on SB 178. LINES OPEN AT 7 AM!
Share this post. Tell your friends. Keep the pressure on.
If you're in Frankfort, be in that room. This is the people's house and you belong there. Make sure legislators know the people of Kentucky are watching. #stopsb178
URGENT: Last year, SB 89 stripped away critical protections for clean water. Now polluters are back for more with SB 178—a polluter's dream and a Kentucky public health nightmare.
🚨 SB 178 will be heard TOMORROW at 10am in the Senate Natural Resources & Energy Committee (Annex Room 129).
Here's what to do:
1️⃣ Go to kyrc.org/stop-sb178 (🔗 in bio). Read the fact sheet and send a message to the FULL committee urging a NO vote on SB 178.
2️⃣ Then call and leave a message for the Full Natural Resources & Energy Committee AND your own senator as their constituent telling them to vote NO on SB 178.
📞 Legislative Message Line: 1-800-372-7181. Lines open at 8am.
Don't know who your senator is? Send us a DM—we got your back.
#StopSB178
Protesting matters — but so does organizing, learning the process, and building leverage.
The 2026 Kentucky General Assembly will be long, high-stakes, and full of fights that will shape our energy, water, and communities for years. Join Kentucky Resources Council and Sierra Club Kentucky for a kickoff action meeting to discuss what’s already on the table this session, what’s coming next, and how you can plug in — whether you’ve got five minutes at home or time to show up in Frankfort.
🍻 Lexington: Jan. 19, 6–8 pm, West Sixth Brewing
🍻 Louisville: Jan. 26, 6–8 pm, West Sixth NULU
Grab a drink. Get the tools. Meet new people. Move things forward. REGISTER NOW via the link in our bio or at bit.ly/ky26action
This weekend I was awarded the Sue Anne Salmon Community Advocacy Award by @kyresources with my family, friends, and colleagues. KRC is an incredible organization that provides pro bono legal and advocacy support to protect natural resources and advance environmental justice across the Commonwealth of Kentucky. I am truly humbled. I am also grateful to Crystal Fox for nominating me. Her leadership and commitment continue to inspire me.
With the rollback of environmental protections, the dismantling of the EPA (my favorite federal agency, and I know that makes me a nerd), and the broader assault on efforts to build a more just and equitable society, there have been moments when I wondered if I was doing enough or if I should keep going. Awards are not the goal, but they remind you that the work matters. They honor the hours, the setbacks, and the hope you carry even when you are tired.
In my acceptance speech, I talked about my movement philosophy called tactical environmentalism. I began shaping this idea years ago when I founded Explore Kentucky from my dorm room. Tactical environmentalism blends disciplined social art, social science, environmental science, and advocacy. It means listening to people on the ground and understanding the history and ecology of a place. It means using technical and spatial tools, working across geographies and political ideologies while staying rooted in justice, equity, and inclusion. When these pieces come together, you strengthen local power and create access, belonging, public health, and environmental protection that endure across generations.
This way of working did not develop in isolation. It reflects my upbringing and years of collaboration, mentorship, and shared effort with people across Kentucky and beyond who have shaped how I think, listen, and show up. Their wisdom and partnership have carried this work forward in ways no one person could have accomplished alone.
The work ahead belongs to all of us.
📷: @sarah.elizabeth.reeves
@_r.visuals amazing shot of Rock Bridge at red River Gorge! I love this spot it is one amazing feature of the gorge. @onlyinkentucky@explorekentucky There is nothing like Red River Gorge!! Thank you for the amazing shot. @kentuckyhikerproject
#tristatehikinggroup #tristatehiking #rrg #redrivergorgeous #redrivergorgeky #redrivergorgehiking #danielboonenationalforest #hikeky #hikekentucky #kywildlands #kyhiking #exploreky #explorekentucky #hikertrash #hikertrashforlife #hikemoreworryless #hikemore #kentuckyphotography
Shared public lands are America’s common ground. The stories they tell should reflect all of us. Secretarial Order 3431 puts that at risk. It directs parks and historic sites to strip away exhibits and interpretation labeled “ideological” or “divisive.”
More than 100 organizations including environmental organizations, outdoor recreation groups, history and preservation advocates, cultural institutions, and community-based organizations signed a letter to @dougburgum and @usinterior urging its rescission.
#ProtectWhatConnectsUs
ALERT — 🔔🚨🔔🚨🦇🦇🦇🦇
The Bureau of Prison’s (BOP) proposed prison will likely destroy summer AND winter habitat for four endangered bat species.
Bats are possibly one of the most misunderstood animals. Sheryl Ducummon from Bat Conservation International, Inc explains that “bats are key predators of night-flying insects that cost American farmers and foresters a billion dollars annually, and they are pollinators of several keystone desert plants in the American southwest and Mexico. Despite their importance, bats are often persecuted both intentionally and unintentionally, and their numbers continue to decline from habitat loss, environmental toxins, and disturbance at key roost sites. Bats currently represent the most imperiled order of land mammals in the United States and Canada.”
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service, “bats play an essential role in pest control, pollinating plants and dispersing seeds. Recent studies estimate that bats eat enough pests to save more than $1 billion per year in crop damage and pesticide costs in the United States corn industry alone. Across all agricultural production, consumption of insect pests by bats results in a savings of more than $3 billion per year. While many bats eat insects, others feed on nectar and provide critical pollination for a variety of plants like peaches, cloves, bananas and agaves. In fact, bats are the sole pollinator for the agave plant, a key ingredient in tequila!”
Why then is the government trying to build a prison where endangered bats live? Thats why bat biologist Jonathan Hootman of @borealis_biological submitted testimony to the US Senate Appropriations Committee asking Congress to rescind the over $500 million allocated to build this monstrosity.
#NoNewLetcherPrison #buildingcommunitynotprisons
What we learned yesterday from the override of the Governor’s veto of SB 89: Your voices were heard—and dismissed.
💧Legislators admitted SB 89 sparked more calls and emails to protect clean water than any other bill this session.
💧Legislators seemingly ignored thousands of Kentuckians to serve corporate industry interests.
💧When the science is scary, they call it a “scare tactic.” Calling the truth "scare tactics" is like blaming fire alarms for fires.
💧They'll call us liars rather than admit corporations are burning this state down. Kentucky deserves better than "ignore the smoke."
❤️ What we learned from you.: You raised your voices because the stakes are real. Because Kentucky’s workers and families deserve the truth. Because you shouldn’t have to choose between a job and clean water.
The stakes are high, but together we can protect what matters: our water, our land, our community.
We’ve heard from many of you that legislators supporting SB 89 are sending nearly identical responses—straight from industry talking points. We’ve fact-checked their claims with real experts—hydrologists, legal scholars, and state environmental officials—and they don’t hold water.
Lawmakers keep repeating misinformation, but they must hear the truth before it’s too late. The next 24 hours are critical—speak up NOW!
Link in our bio to the full 'SB89: FACT CHECKING THE FACT CHECK'
