Boyd County Almanac

What a healthy friend!

2007-07-07T19:10:00.000-07:00

Check this guy out! He has been hanging around for the past few days - showing up in the craziest places. It's a little eery, but we know what a good job he does for the farm. Black snakes are mostly harmless to humans. Still, though, we've been trying to keep the kids away from him - just for good measure! We figure him to be about 5 1/2 feet long. That's a lot of mice!

Blugrass On-Demand

2007-05-29T07:08:00.000-07:00

I listen to a five-hour bluegrass music show every Sunday called D-28+5. I just found their website today. They offer lots of music to stream over the web and I think it is relatively high-quality sound. Check it out - they know bluegrass!

Nearby Places of Worship

2007-04-30T12:56:00.000-07:00

These two churches are fairly close to us. I could not help but share them with the world, as they show some of the, well, unique characteristics of our county. By the way, I fired off a knee mail to the Old Gal this morning. I thanked Her for the fillup!

Beaver Dam - New Neighbors

2007-04-09T19:19:00.000-07:00

We've got some new neighbors down the street. Beavers, which we had not seen in the area previously, have made a lodge on our creek. It showed up in the late fall and they appear to like our neighborhood.

This is the main beaver dam. The stream flows in from the right. There has been a lot of sediment buildup in just the few months they have lived at this spot and slowed flow through the area. Below is the secondary dam which showed up only in the last few months.

Between the primary and secondary dam, there is now prime fish habitat. We're hoping some big ones grow up this year (to feed our furry neighbors!). The secondary dam is interesting in that it apparently keeps the head of water flowing off of the first dam relatively modest. So, if beavers truly do not like the sound of flowing water (research has backed this up somewhat), then the purpose of the secondary dam is to keep their little pond of water upstream even quieter!

No one around the neighborhood has seen an actual beaver yet...

Deer in Winter

2007-02-15T09:19:00.000-08:00

November salad

2006-11-20T08:07:00.000-08:00

Thanks to our friends Erin and Dan, we have fresh salad greens this week. Erin and Dan (aka Lefty and Ancho of The Owingsville Outlook) gave out lettuce seeds at their wedding this summer. Ella planted them this fall and we covered the whole bed with tobacco cloth. Kale and spinach will be ready after Thanksgiving (if it's still alive!).

What a nice, fresh treat to beat off all of this cold we've been having!

Falling Water

2006-11-18T11:34:00.000-08:00

This happens to be one of my favorite places right now. It's about a five minute walk from the house. I spend a lot of time these days listening to this water falling in a trickle. After a good rain, however, there is a nice splash, as was the case on the day I took this picture.

This is a nice place where two small streams converge on a wide, flat rock. The newly-formed stream flows down and out the holler and past the house.

Nothing runs like a deer

2006-11-12T07:59:00.000-08:00

This is the first buck I have ever taken. It was a great morning and I took hiim on the hill above the house. He is a nice size and provided quite a bit of meat. I smoked and dried most of the meat already. I fashioned a smokehouse out of a couple of drop cloths. William and Amanda helped by bringing down a couple of hickory saplings when they were here.

I love hunting for deer. It gives me an opportunity to reflect on life and nature. On the morning I took this buck, I watched a young fawn munch on acorns for about 20 minutes. As the sun came up, the woods came alive with movement all around. The horses really do have a great home up there!

Sammy Adkins

2006-11-05T13:00:00.000-08:00

The Fox Hunter's Lodge hosted Sammy Adkins and the Sandy Hook Mountain Boys last night. They played a bunch of old standards. Sammy has played with Ralph Stanley and I believe was once a Clinch Mountain Boy.

Here is Michael with Sammy. You can check out the Fox Hunter's Lodge website here.

Autumn Color

2006-10-27T07:28:00.000-07:00

This has been an excellent year for fall colors. Maybe it is because we have consistently had rain every three days all summer.

I found a bunch more Adiantum pedatum (maidenhair fern)
this week. I have been making new trails and clearing a little brush. It's nice to find some treasures in the process!

Here is the rockhouse at the back of the property. Much easier to see from afar without leaves on the lower trees.

Inez, Kentucky Coal Slurry Disaster, October 2001

2006-10-09T08:09:00.000-07:00

[Note: October 11, 2006 is the sixth anniversary of the Inez Coal Slurry Disaster. Inez, Kentucky sits on the border of Kentucky and West Virginia, in the heart of Appalachian coal mining country. A containment berm which held millions of gallons of toxic coal slurry, a by-product of coal production, failed. The slurry spilled out into the Big Sandy River via several tributaries, including the Tug Fork.

Interestingly, Inez also holds distinction for another reason. In 1964, President Johnson declared war on poverty on the front porch of Tommy Fletcher, an Inez resident.]

Long live the Tug Fork Bluegill!

Anybody want to go fishing? This week marks the sixth anniversary of the Inez Coal Slurry Spill that dumped over 300 million gallons of thick, toxic coal sludge into the Tug Fork of the Big Sandy River. This environmental disaster, arguably one of the worst in Southeast U.S. history, killed 1.6 million fish and stained an area 20 times that of the Exxon Valdez oil spill.

Did we learn our lesson here? Maybe, or maybe not…

Massey Coal Company spent $46 million to clean up the mess and more to re-stock the fish killed in the disaster. That put a big dent in their pocketbook. In retrospect, that money would have been much better spent employing local citizens to prevent disasters like this (and it would have cost the company much less!).

Maybe if the folks from Massey Coal went fishing with their grandkids on the Tug Fork, they would get a better idea about why this was such a devastating event for the folks in Inez.

Unfortunately, nothing has been done to prevent disasters like this from happening again. Massey Coal and other mining companies operate hundreds of other coal slurry impoundments in Kentucky and West Virginia that are weaker than the one that failed in Inez. What improvements have been made to those? Nothing. What’s up with that?

Companies like Massey Coal should employ local residents to regularly inspect coal slurry impoundment sites for structural weaknesses. When those weaknesses are found, more locals should be put to work fixing the weak spots. This would be much cheaper than another cleanup and more jobs means a better economy.

Just last August, 300 feet of Ohio’s pristine Captina Creek were fouled with coal slurry that spilled from a pipeline, resulting in a massive fish die-off and cleanup. Cleanups really just cover the mess over. Look underneath the pretty green grass, and the slurry is still there, leaching contaminants into the ground and water.

The United States’ supply of coal, projected to last at least 250 years, is comparable to Saudi Arabia’s supply of oil. Yeah man! Since the coal companies are going to be around for a while, let’s all put our heads together and make this a great place to live while we extract these resources. There is no sense desecrating our land to benefit Big Coal’s shareholders.

I am not against coal mining. I like the cheap source of electricity and I am proud that this area provides so much of the energy for the Southeast U.S. In fact, it is my local pride that drives my irritation. We should be proud of the local coal mining industry, rather than having to live in constant fear of its unregulated consequences.

According to the Kentucky Division of Water, acid from coal mines is responsible for toxic conditions in at least 35 streams across the state. These streams are currently unfit for fishing and swimming and will probably remain that way for a long time. I take my kids fishing on these streams!

The people of Kentucky and West Virginia deserve better. While coal mining does give much-needed employment to this region, this should not enable coal companies to run rough-shod over the area in its goal of maximizing profit and minimizing costs. Those “costs” are part of doing good business and being a respected corporate citizen. In addition, adding environmental safeguards would create more jobs for the region.

American Electric Power recently announced plans to install air quality ‘scrubbers’ on its Big Sandy Number Two Power Plant near Louisa. The scrubbers (which clean toxins out of the exhaust of the plant) are being installed as part of a $3.7 billion plan to improve environmental performance at several AEP plants around the U.S.

When he announced plans for these installations, Michael G. Morris, the AEP President and CEO stated that these improvements would not hinder the company’s ability to offer low-cost power to its customers. In fact, those environmental installations will employ hundreds of Ashland-area residents over the next few years.

It is time for Kentucky coal mining companies to be more proactive in their approach to environmental safety. They depend on this region to supply them with a steady supply of able workers. We are proud of our land because it provides jobs and recreation opportunities. At some point, we are going to have to stand up and speak, or lay in wait for the next coal slurry dam failure. Oh well, I’m going fishing…

Late Summer Creek Bank

2006-09-13T20:12:00.000-07:00

That's the creekbank next to the house. Wild and free! In the foreground is Lobelia siphilitica (Great Blue Lobelia, also pictured in detail below). The orange is Impatiens capensis (Spotted Jewelweed). Far in the background is Veronia altissima (Ironweed). I was not able to capture the tops of the Eupatorium fistulosum (Joe-Pye Weed), but the blooms are big and gorgeous.

July Fauna

2006-08-25T13:25:00.000-07:00

Actias luna (Luna moth) on Daucus carota (Queen Anne's Lace or Wild Carrot)

Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Weed or Orange Milkweed)

Monarda fistulosa (Bergamot)

Goodyera pubescens (Rattlesnake-Plantain). This is an orchid.

Forest flora

2006-08-23T07:20:00.000-07:00

I will upload photos of flora and fauna from in and around Boyd County Kentucky on this site. These pictures were taken at Carter Caves in Carter County, which lies adjacent to Boyd. We also see these species on the farm.

Sedum ternatum (Stonecrop)

Possibly Onoclea sensibilis (Sensitive Fern) or Pedicularis canadensis (Wood-Betony).

I'll have to get back to you on this one...

Adiantum pedatum (Maidenhair Fern)

humble beginnings

2006-08-15T11:12:00.000-07:00

There are several purposes of the Boyd County Almanac. Let me enumerate:

I am living in Boyd County, Kentucky for the time being. I love the character of the land on which I live, and from which I gain nurishment.
I recently read Aldo Leopold's Sand County Almanac. To be honest, it was my first assignment for grad school. I was impressed with the book, to say the least, and I wanted to carry the spirit on as I begin my new journey of enlightenment.
I want to post photos and reflections of life while living on the farm.
What a great way to share my experiences!

OK, a woman just stopped to tell me that I am sitting at a table where a black snake was spotted recently. Oh Leopold! How can I explain that snakes are beneficial and that black snakes, of all things, are to be tresured for the noble duty to which they were assigned by our creator? I told her that I like them- and she smiled and moved on.

What a telling experience as I pen my first almanac entry (on my new laptop furnished by Duke, a Dell Latitude D620)!

Well, off to class. Look for upcoming photos of flora and fauna I have experienced at 22803 Long Branch Road!