Welcome Woods & Waters Land Trust to the WSFF On Tour Team!
On February 15th at The Grand Theater in Frankfurt, Kentucky our friends from the Woods and Waters Land Trust will be hosting their first Wild & Scenic Film Festival On Tour Event! We are excited to welcome them to the tour and be a part of helping support the Lower Kentucky River Watershed.
At Woods and Waters Land Trust’s On Tour event, audiences can look forward to an unforgettable evening of films that celebrate the beauty, power, and the vital importance of water in our lives and landscapes. These inspiring stories delve into themes of conservation, adventure, and the profound connections between people and water. Held at the historic Grand Theatre in downtown Frankfort, the event offers not only stunning films but also concessions and an opportunity to learn about Woods and Waters Land Trust’s efforts to protect the lands that safeguard their local waterways in the Lower Kentucky River watershed. It’s a chance to connect with like-minded individuals and celebrate a shared commitment to caring for the environment.
In 2005, the Schimmoeller Family purchased land with a mature beech maple forest with soaring trees and a lush understory of wildflowers in northern Franklin County and southern Owen County. They wanted to ensure that it would remain a natural area.
They explored avenues of long-term protection with government agencies, existing land trusts, and local conservation groups and found a gap in opportunities for local landowners to protect their land. With the help of other people interested in preservation, ultimately Woods and Waters Land Trust was created to focus on the lower Kentucky River region in 2007.
Woods and Waters Land Trust permanently protects land in the Lower Kentucky River watershed through conservation easements and connecting people with nature.
Encompassing 600 square miles, the lower Kentucky River watershed includes the land drained by the Kentucky River and its tributaries from the Palisades to the Ohio River. The river’s route passes through the state capitol city of Frankfort and is joined by several significant tributary streams on its way to the Ohio River, including Benson, Elkhorn, Drennon, Cedar, and Eagle Creeks. This region hosts the most significant forestland in the Bluegrass region. Woods and Waters Land Trust’s present core geographic focus is in Franklin, Owen, and parts of Henry, Shelby, Scott, Carroll, Anderson, Grant, Gallatin, and Woodford Counties.
Nationally accredited by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, Woods and Waters Land Trust is dedicated to protecting and connecting forests and streams through voluntary conservation agreements with private landowners. Nationally, privately owned lands are developed almost five-times faster than government-owned lands, and they’re losing habitats for threatened and endangered species twice as quickly as on federal lands. Woods and Waters Land Trust works with local landowners to preserve the flora, fauna, and natural lands in Central Kentucky.
In addition, Woods and Waters Land Trust does the essential work of connecting people with nature at Vaughn Branch Nature Preserve—free and open to the public every day—and by hosting the West Sixth Farm Hiking Club, monthly stewardship days, the City Nature Challenge, National Moth Week, and other natural-history programs.
Hosting a WSFF On Tour Event helps Woods and Waters Land Trust by raising awareness of their mission to protect and preserve the lands that sustain the Lower Kentucky River watershed. This event allows them to engage with new audiences, build connections with community members, and inspire action to support land and water conservation. It also serves as a fundraiser, providing the resources needed to expand their work and ensure the health of their region’s ecosystems for future generations.
Meredith Lawrence, Wood & Waters Administrative Assistant, says, “Our favorite thing about hosting this event is the way it brings people together around a shared love for nature and water. Seeing the audience moved by stunning imagery and powerful stories reminds us why our work is so important. We love creating a space where people can connect with our mission, feel inspired to act, and leave with a renewed appreciation for the lands and waters we work to protect.”