Monument’s Annual Community Grant Recipient Will Cultivate Purposeful Learning Experiences along Buttermilk Falls Trail
November 2nd, 2023
Every season, hundreds of Meade County residents find exploration and solace among the foaming cascade of Buttermilk Creek on the park’s immersive, 2.25-mile trail. But as of this April, their experiences will be enriched by a new level of appreciation and understanding of the plants and wildlife that inhabit it.
And Monument is proud to be part of what’s to come! The Monument Brandenburg Community Advisory Council recently awarded Meade Co. Extension Homemakers with a Community Partnership Initiative (CPI) grant for their “Life on Buttermilk Falls Program,” which will truly take education outside the classroom.
Every year, the Monument invites nonprofits to submit proposals focused on education of youth in the Brandenburg community to receive its annual $10,000 CPI grant. With an unwavering dedication to lifespan and environmental education, Meade County Extension Homemakers is an organization that continues to align with Monument CPI’s commitment to supporting youth education in the local area.
Driven by a personal admiration for Buttermilk Falls among its own employees, the Homemakers plan to use the grant to help cultivate all new opportunities for trail goers to learn and grow with every visit.
“We felt one of the biggest opportunities as we grow and expand our mission within our own community was the education component,” Jennifer Bridge, County Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences at University of Kentucky, explained. “Our goal is to integrate more opportunities to identify plants and animals along the trail, understand what to do in situations where you encounter certain species, and more. Monument’s grant will be used to design seven panels with real, high-quality life photos and descriptions, as well as maps to show visitors where they are and key access points in case of an emergency, which will be placed along the trail.”
To tie in an environmental education aspect, the Homemakers organization is also working with its Recycling Center to include multiple receptacles throughout the park. And their Forestry Division is developing a self-guided activity that will allow children and parents alike to learn more about the trail itself while enjoying it.
The organization’s efforts across Buttermilk Falls have also seen tremendous support throughout the community, as many have volunteered their time and resources to further the project. “Meade County High School’s carpentry department, along with Mr. Boyd Emmert, is helping us build a pavilion to serve as a home base for teachers and youth to gather and classes to be held,” Jennifer added. “We’ve had various donations for high-end materials and labor to help build the panels. The County Executive Judge wrote a letter pledging maintenance support, while many city and county workers have already helped us put in a wild flower planting area and benches made completely of recycled materials.”
Not only does Monument connect with Buttermilk Falls' program based on shared environmental values, but it also feels a direct closeness to the park itself and the joy it brings Meade County residents. In fact, Monument’s Brandenburg site is located just outside the park near the trail’s end.
“Monument understands the value that this educational component can bring to this special space within our community,” Tonya Jeffries, HR Manager at Monument Brandenburg, shared. “We’re excited to help create these important learning moments for children and parents alike, while encouraging more people to get outside and discover the unique beauty that our environment and our community has to offer.”
You can experience the newly improved trail and all its wonderful enhancements just in time for Earth Day at Buttermilk Falls Trail Day in April 2024.