Kentucky's Adopt-A-Wetlands Program

Public participation is playing an increasing role in the Commonwealth of Kentucky's efforts to protect and regulate its public waters. The state has instituted a citizen participation program which allows interested groups to adopt lakes, wetlands, and streams. It is modeled after North Carolina's "Stream Watch" program. To date, the majority of officially adopted waters have been streams. However, four groups have completed the procedure for adopting wetlands and several more groups have made inquiries or initiated procedures. This is an encouraging start for a state in which most citizens traditionally have been unaware of the values of, and functions performed by, natural wetlands.