Northern Kentucky Sierra Club

This nature trail began in 1992 when Sierra Club member Barth Johnson blazed a riverside path in Falmouth to give local teachers an outdoor education opportunity. The 1997 Licking flood washed out the trail. Many river-side properties 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 porta-potties in the adjacent park. For more info about the park, go to 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 but a parent or legal guardian must accompany and sign the waiver for minors. All adult participants 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 . From US-27 turn 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

Join us at our January meeting for a presentation by our Environmental Health Chair Andrea Ankrum about her final report on Northern KY Sierra Club's air monitoring campaign around the River Metals Recycling (RMR) facility adjacent to the Licking River in west Newport! That facility buys and recycles a wide variety of scrap metal, but as the metals are being crushed and ground into fine particles, very small (PM 2.5) particles were often released into the air. Sierra Club members in Newport asked for our help. They also had health concerns since there had been fires and explosions at the facility for many years.

So Andrea got US EPA to loan us air-monitoring sensors to locate around the facility. She and Preston Knibbe got training on how to handle the equipment and data. Then all the sensors were installed with the help and support of the City of Newport. Andrea monitored and analyzed the air quality data as it came in for 12 months and the study ended this last summer. Now Andrea has written a final report!

For this meeting we reserved the Kinsella Room in the Newport Public Library starting at 6pm. Feel welcome to arrive early to meet and socialize with other members and friends! Our reservation ends at 8:45pm. It is okay to bring and eat your own food or drink, but clean up and leave no trash. The Kinsella Room is on the library’s main level, on the left as you enter the front doors.

We’ll cover most of the unpaved trails in the park, around 3 miles mostly in woods, including 2 trails blazed many years ago by Northern KY Sierra Club. There's a wood bridge over an intermittent stream and a section of trail along fenced pastures where a bison herd can usually be seen. Expect a few 100'+ ups and downs along the trail!

Coralberry Trail is still closed, so we'll replace that portion of our old winter hike with Big Bone Creek Trail with commentary by park naturalist Claire.

https://parks.ky.gov/sites/default/files/listing_documents/b51b3c9fa7da2fefc032445956fc49b0_BigBoneLickLakeClosed.pdf

RSVP by 5pm Fri Feb 20. To RSVP by email or text, give a phone number for last-minute notices. Expect notification by 8am Sat if postponed or cancelled. We will not cancel for moderate cold or already fallen snow.

What To Bring: Long sleeves and pants, sturdy shoes with good treads are recommended. Walking stick if desired, since trails can be muddy, slippery or tricky. Bring your own liquid and snacks. If weather is very cold, wear layered clothes, gloves, hat and scarf.

Children are welcome but a parent or legal guardian must accompany and sign a waiver for minors. All participants except minors must sign that they 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

Restrooms in the museum will be available before and after the hike, but we will hike more than an hour away from restrooms. Dogs are allowed but only on-leash and if not disruptive or threatening to others.

Location: 3380 Beaver Rd, Union, KY 41091. Park entrance is 15-20 minutes west of I-71 / 75 exit # 175 on KY-338. Going west from 71 / 75 this route changes streets a couple times, so follow the 338 signs. Eventually descend into a big valley where cell service wanes. Look for the park entrance on the left. Turn in, cross a concrete bridge, then wind around a big bend to reach a 4-way stop below a big hill. Turn right. Drive to the parking lot near the museum. Park phone: 859-384-3522.

Level: Moderate

Cost: None