For more information:
• The Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission keeps records on rare plants and animals. The Web site also offers a Rare Plant Database, where you can find which rare plants exist in your county.
• Kentucky Natural Lands Trust
• Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources

Producer/Videographer/Editor: Brandon Wickey
Audio Post: Chuck Burgess

An Intricate Web

Biodiversity

Kentucky is home to river swamps and mountain forests, black-throated green warblers and yellow lady's-slippers, and one of the nation's most diverse aquatic populations of fishes, mussels and crayfishes—a rich mosaic of life.

Scientists coined the term "biodiversity" in 1986 to draw attention to the threat of extinction facing many life forms and the benefits of conservation for everyone. Environmental awareness has grown, and the United Nations has declared 2010 the International Year of Biodiversity. To recognize this milestone, Kentucky Life will document the state's biodiversity throughout the year.

Why is biodiversity important? Offering their insights in this segment are experts at the Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission, the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, and the Kentucky Natural Lands Trust. Places we highlight include Black Mountain, the Licking River, and the Ballard Wildlife Management Area.

For more information:
• The Kentucky Division of Waste Management offers a list of recycling facilities by county.

Producer/Editor: Tom Bickel
Videographer: Frank Simkonis
Audio: Noel Depp

Dave Does It!

Lexington's Recycling Material Recovery Facility

Dave Shuffett does his part for Earth Day by helping out on a garbage truck's suburban route and working at Lexington's Recycling Material Recovery Facility.

The days when every bit of household waste was hauled to the landfill are long gone. In Fayette County, paper, plastic, steel, aluminum, and glass are recycled; yard waste is turned into mulch. Even the garbage carts themselves are recycled and turned into compost bins.

The year 2010 marks the 40th anniversary of the first Earth Day, held April 22, 1970. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Americans recycled over 33 percent of their garbage in 2008. While many larger cities enjoy the convenience of curbside pickup for recyclables, drop-off centers serve those who don't have curbside pickup or who want to dispose of tougher-to-recycle items like electronics.

For more information:
• Smokey Valley Truck Stop, 60 Bond Court, Olive Hill, Ky. 41164 (606) 286-5001

Producer/Videographer/Editor: Brandon Wickey
Audio: Noel Depp

Today's Special—Smokey Valley Truck Stop

It's not really in Smokey Valley and it's not a truck stop anymore, but Carter County's Smokey Valley Truck Stop does serve up some delicious food.

This Olive Hill restaurant has been featured on the Food Network's Diners, Drive-ins, & Dives program. Dave Shuffett talks to owner Juanita Flannery and samples the coconut cream pie and the Smokey Valley burger with cheese.

Smokey Valley started out as a traditional truck stop with gas pumps and diner, but Juanita took a gamble and shut down the pumps. That decision paid off handsomely. Now the crowds come for her country cooking—melt in your mouth biscuits, sausage gravy, hot dogs with meat sauce, and fried chicken. Juanita makes her towering coconut cream pie from scratch, from the crust to the meringue, and she does it the old-fashioned way, without measuring cups and spoons. Join us for some real country cooking.

For more information:
• Brigadoon State Nature Preserve

Producer/Videographer/Editor: Brandon Wickey
Audio: Noel Depp
Audio Post: Chuck Burgess

A Volunteer by Nature

Brigadoon State Nature Preserve

Harold Kelley found the 181-acre woodland that is now Brigadoon State Nature Preserve while looking for places to photograph. Now he helps protect this old-growth forest as a volunteer preserve monitor.

Harold, who won the volunteer steward award from the Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission in 2006, is an avid photographer who appreciates the natural beauty of Brigadoon, named by its last owners for the mythical Scottish land that appears only once a century. Harold cherishes the land and even had his wedding at the preserve entrance.

The preserve is located on the backwaters of the Barren County Reservoir. A one-mile hiking trail is open to the public. Joyce Bender of the Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission tells us what makes this place special from a naturalist's point of view. The rich woodlands contain an impressive array of spring wildflowers and the ravines contain old growth stands of beech and tulip poplar.