This summer, as my son and I picked up trash along a tributary of West Hickman Creek near Lexington’s Zandale Park, we learned that bison used to roam the area. “Bison,” said my son, wide-eyed. “Wow!”
Later, when our guide pointed out a 300-year-old bur oak towering over the stream, I exclaimed a “Wow!” of my own.
In short, you never know what you might learn when you participate in a creek walk hosted by the Hickman Creek Conservancy. A local nonprofit group dedicated to educating folks about healthy waterways, the Conservancy advocates for participation in watershed monitoring and promotes the sustainable use of our creeks and streams.
About 12 years ago, after purchasing a house backing up to West Hickman Creek in Veterans Park, Dawn Shroyer, another Lexington mother, was exploring part of the Hickman Creek Watershed with her toddler son. As he splashed in the water, Shroyer wondered whether the water was safe for him to play in. A seed of the Hickman Creek Conservancy was sown that day, as the experience inspired Shroyer, a founding member of the group and its current secretary, to learn how to get involved in water sampling.
As other seeds were taking root, a group of advocates formed around improving the water quality of East and West Hickman Creeks.
The group began working with the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, the Kentucky River Authority and the Kentucky River Watershed Watch, formally incorporating as a nonprofit in early 2019.
Dawn Shroyer, whose home in Veterans Park backs up to West Hickman Creek, said that one of the main reasons she got involved with water sampling was so that her sons, shown at right in this photo, could enjoy clean creeks. Photo furnished
Charter members include a diverse group of people who are interested in cleaning up our streams: experts on flora and fauna of the area and other professionals, parents, young people, retired folks and other citizens. No special skills are needed to be involved — only a desire to help.
A watershed is defined as an area of land that drains into a specific body of water. The Hickman Creek Watershed includes both East and West Hickman Creeks in Lexington, but the group’s current primary focus is the Hickman Creek Watershed. This 18-square-mile area covers the Tates Creek and Nicholasville Road corridors, but extends as far north as Idle Hour and also includes neighborhoods from Liberty Road and Fairway in the northeast, down through Centre Parkway and Hartland in the south and back up north through Lansdowne, Southern Heights, Chevy Chase and Waterford.
According to Kelly Taylor, HCC president, the biggest problem facing streams is erosion and the resulting dirt and debris that runs into streams during rain. This silt fills gaps between rocks in the creek bed — habitat that, in a healthy stream, would be home for insect larvae. Those insects, like damselflies and dragonflies, filter pollutants and are food for fish.
Paved surfaces also increase runoff and alter stream channels.
The good news is that excess runoff is a problem with a solution. Streams that have riparian buffers, or areas along the banks that are allowed to grow naturally with native grasses, flowers, and yes, weeds, are much healthier than those that are mowed right up to the creek bank.
Riparian buffers have plants with deep roots — some up to 11 feet long — that absorb water and slow runoff into streams. Slowing the migration of water into creeks lessens erosion along the bank to a more natural and sustainable state. Incorporating coneflowers, royal catchfly and other native plants of various types can help protect streams, as their root systems soak up a lot more water than the shallow four-inch roots of most grasses.
Residents who don’t live next to water can still improve creek health by planting native trees in your yard and encouraging your neighbors and homeowners associations to do the same. Neighborhood trees can help slow rainwater runoff tremendously, potentially making a big difference in the water quality of an area.
The Hickman Creek Conservancy is partnering with the city of Lexington to develop a watershed management plan for Hickman Creek. Planning is a lengthy process, requiring years of creek monitoring and water sampling data. Analyzing the data is followed by prioritizing potential solutions to the specific needs of the watershed.
According to Shroyer, a great way for local folks to get involved is to become a volunteer creek monitor. With a little training, volunteers can take water samples, measure the pH of a stream and conduct other tests. It only takes a couple of hours several times a year, and can be a fun and educational activity for the entire family that also helps contribute to the health of your local waterways.
“What the Conservancy needs most right now,” said Shroyer, “are people who are willing to stand up and make noise for an area they care about.” That kind of interest becomes part of the record and helps to drive funding.
The Conservancy also provides services to homeowners and neighborhood associations, including retrofitting stream banks and retention basins, as well as technical assistance and funding.
As one of our guides said during our creek walk, the purpose of stream health is to “blend humanity and nature.” We can’t ever go back to the way nature was before it was developed. We may never see bison in Lexington again, but we can make simple changes to improve our creeks that might one day ‘wow’ all of us.
Visit www.hickmancreek.org to find more information about upcoming creek walks, volunteer training, and maps.
A shady view of Hickman Creek running behind Belleau Woods Park in south Lexington. Dawn Shroyer, secretary of the Hickman Creek Conservancy, says that while the creek looks serene, it is teeming with life if you know where to look. Photo by Dawn Shroyer