Fall 2013 • VOL 7 • NO 2 Disturbance Gina Tate, with seasonal- and Renewal turned-employee Missy Hatfield very so often, perhaps once every decade or so, some form of major disturbance has occurred in the Forest. In 1996, it was a devastating tornado which cut a nearly Emile swath through the woods. In 2004, it was severe thunderstorms and high winds which felled thousands of mature trees. Both of these events It is not possible in this limited space to adequately represented a great challenge to the natural system detail all that Gina and particularly Tonya (due to and also those managing the Forest at the time. her longevity and leadership role), have meant to In terms of the ecological impact, these events the Forest’s growth and development. Tonya was changed the landscape, removing a layer of the the first staff person in the Forest’s history solely canopy that had been in place for years and largely dedicated to program development. In her position defined the condition of the forest. With that she was instrumental in a number of the major layer removed, the forest canopy was opened and improvements that have occurred at the Forest since the process of renewal began with other species 2001, many of which have been sustained now able to fill the void thus created. These events for a number of years. These include development further required those involved with the Forest to of the Forest summer camp offerings, our annual come together in response to the change. In both Forest Fest bluegrass festival, and perhaps most cases, many hours were spent by Forest staff and importantly, development of a wonderful group volunteers to deal with the impacts in keeping with of volunteers who assist with Forest programs the Forest’s mission. regularly. And these are just a few of her many While the analogy is less than perfect, the Forest accomplishments during her tenure. is currently undergoing a period of renewal as a Gina, in her relatively short tenure at the Forest, result of changes that, while not devastating, are accepted a great deal of responsibility and was at once a challenge and an opportunity. Two key instrumental in improving the quality of service that Forest employees have moved on recently to take other positions. Tonya Swan, the Forest’s Public we offer at the Welcome Center. As a result of her Education Supervisor in charge of all Forest efforts we’ve seen visitors to the Welcome Center programming and a key staff member for nearly 12 increase substantially and we are grateful to her for years, left this spring to take a new position with the her work to keep things moving smoothly as she Louisville Free Public Library. Similarly Gina Tate, constantly worked to standardize procedures. our Business Clerk in charge of Welcome Center Many of you are no doubt familiar with both Gina operations, recently took a higher position with the and Tonya and we hope you’ll join us in both Iroquois Amphitheater. recognizing their memorable contributions to the Their absences are Forest and wishing them future success. Both leave certainly felt and a legacy of accomplishment and will be sorely it has taken the missed. At the same time, as with any staffing efforts of the change we must take it as an opportunity to build entire Forest upon the accomplishments of those who have staff to fill moved on. Both Tonya and Gina were able to take the void this their areas to greater heights and so it is from this summer. fortunate position that we look forward welcoming the individuals who will soon join us. Tonya Swan Bennett Knox, Parks Administrator Volunteer News Many thanks to this Corporate Spotlight: enthusiastic and hard- The LG&E volunteer t-shirt says it all! Louisville Gas & working group! We gave them a big task and they Electric Volunteers knocked it out in record On Saturday, June 15, LG&E sent 58 time. We appreciate their employees to the Forest to mulch the Tom generosity and can-do Wallace Lake shoreline, trails, fishing spots spirit! Together, the group and newly planted trees. Some volunteers performed 174 man-hours hit the trail with our Trail Team members of labor, valued at $3,852. to assure nearby trails were safe by clearing Now that’s worth bragging encroaching plant life and overhanging about! Check out our branches. A few others did a litter sweep Facebook album for photos ahead of the mulch and picked up trash in the of the day at facebook. play and picnic areas. com/jmfnaturalareas. members to assist with our continued focus U of L Students on litter removal from the Louisville Loop. Fiscal Year 2013 Report Have SOUL This effort also centered on the riverfront, You’ve heard it before: Volunteers are a big donating an additional 42 hours of work and part of what we do. How big? From July Twenty-two students from University of effort to cleaning up this area. 1, 2012 to June 30, 2013 (our fiscal year), Louisville SOUL celebrated the Mayor’s the Natural Areas division has hosted 291 Give A Day week by spending a morning Metro Corrections individuals for one-day service projects removing litter on the Louisville Loop. These and 929.25 service hours. This includes Many thanks to Louisville Metro Corrections generous young people donated 66 hours to corporations and community groups doing for the continued support at Beargrass improving a downtown portion of the Loop single day service projects and individuals Creek Greenway. The Corrections training from 10th Street to the K&I drawbridge. who chose to join one of our regularly department adopted the Greenway and each We applaud their love of community and scheduled project days. willingness to help us keep our riverfront class performs a service day to celebrate their clean! impending graduation. On Saturday, July We also had 80 ongoing volunteers who logged an amazing 3,884.7 service hours! Spaulding University sent 14 staff and faculty 27, 18 graduates, several officers and few of their children pitched in to remove a mini These dedicated individuals give their free dump truck worth of trash time to the Forest to make sure the trails are in good condition for all the park guests, Corrections graduates volunteer and trim back overhanging the invasive plant species are controlled, at Beargrass Creek Greenway. limbs from the trail, for a total of 56 hours of service! the facility landscaping is well maintained, We congratulate the group the office runs smoothly, the nature center on their graduation and animals are cared for and our programs have appreciate the hard work! leaders. We literally could do not do all we do without them. We sincerely thank the groups mentioned above Put another way, these volunteers offered for their hard work and 4,813.95 hours, equivalent to 2.3 full time dedication to enhancing our workers for the entire year. Using the national city and park system. Their average value for the volunteer hour, they selfless donation of time and donated $106,580.85 worth of service. Now energy is what makes our that’s worth bragging about! city stand out among others. Heartfelt thanks to each and every person These groups are proof that who gave of themselves to make our parks we are a compassionate city! cleaner and safer, our ecosystem stronger and our programs the best in the land. Does your group have what it takes to make a difference in a Natural Areas park? Give us a call! We would love to coordinate a volunteer event especially for you. We have projects suitable for single-day service projects as well as Eagle Scouts. If you need a project, contact Volunteer Coordinator Sherry Wright at 380-1753 or at [email protected]. 2 memorialforest.com Volunteer News Congrats to Our Shining Stars! The Natural Areas Division held a Volunteer Appreciation Picnic on April 13 in the Forest’s Horine section. Many thanks to the Fairdale Dairy Queen for donating hot dogs, burgers, buns and all the paper goods in support of our amazing volunteers! In addition to good food, there were games, great conversations and service hour awards for milestones accomplished within the last year. Congrats to our milestone achievers: 50 HOURS Mike Blair, Thomas Davis, Hannah Kalbhin, Stephen Kendra, Karen Klapheke, Bradley LeGrand, Larry Lewis, Kristi Meier, Ed Olliges, Elzie Peacock, Rickey Singleton and Mike Tate. These volunteers received a 50-hour pin and a $10 Forest gift certificate. 100 HOURS Mike Blair, James Carter, Thomas Davis, Josh DeGeorge, John Hatton, Debbie Houpt Blocker, Steve Freeman, Diana Howlett, Bradley LeGrand, Larry Lewis, Richard Mazzoli, Sally Nielsen, Caleb Payne and Eric Weidner. These volunteers received a 100-hour pin and a Natural Areas ball cap. 250 HOURS Nick Blocher, Billy Davis, Jean Gawarecki, Susan Hatton, Pam Henninger, Dann Higgins, Cynthia Payne and Candice Puckett. These volunteers received a 250-hour pin, a copy of Chicken Soup for the Volunteer Soul, and a certificate for free camping. 500 HOURS Rick Bywater These volunteers received a 500-hour pin and a $25 Forest gift certificate. 1,000 HOURS Margie Jones and John Buchenberger. These volunteers received a 1,000-pin, a logo duffel with their name embroidered on it and a tree planted in their name within a Natural Areas park. Congrats to all the service hour milestone award winners and to all our volunteers! You’re the best volunteers we could imagine! memorialforest.com 3 Public Program Calendar: August to December The Forest offers programs for all ages.