Wendell Berry wants your help

Wendell Berry has a question for all Kentuckians who live near or spend time on the Kentucky River. "What has happened to our black willow trees?"

Berry, who is a noted Kentucky farmer, author, poet and truth-teller, has noticed a dramatic change in the vegetation along the banks of the Kentucky River where it flows past his land in Port Royal. The native willows that once grew at the water's edge are gone. "They used to be thick as hair in some places. But now there are none at the waterline," he observed.

And it makes him wonder. Have other people noticed this change? Is the decline widespread and, if so, what is the cause? How does this change affect the stream ecosystem? And what does the loss of black willow trees tell us about the ecological health of the river?

Berry says that he's asked many people these questions. So far, he has found no satisfactory explanation about what is happening to the willows and why.

So now he is asking for help from KFTC members and others who care about the health of the river. He is hopeful that we can help document the trend, since many KFTC members live along one of the three main forks of the Kentucky River, or further downstream.

Here's how you can help:

1) Put a note in the comment section below to tell us what you've observed. Are there black willows living at the water line along the sections of the Kentucky River you know best? Were there ever? Are they now gone? If so, when did you notice the change?

2) Put us in touch with stream ecologists or other researchers who might have useful information about these questions.

3) Ask these questions of other people you know who spend time along the river, and let us know what you learn.

Wendell Berry notes that it is harder than it used to be to find people who are aware of changes in the river's condition. "It's a good indication of how little we live in our country now. People in Port Royal used to live outside day and night. Not so any more."

KFTC will gladly pass along your stories and information - so let us hear from you!