Success StoryKayak Tours of A.J. Jolly Lake Attracts Wild Birds and Educates Bird-watchers



Kayak Tours of A.J. Jolly Lake Attracts Wild Birds and Educates Bird-watchers

Author: Michelle Simon

Planning Unit: Campbell County CES

Major Program: Water and Soil Quality and Conservation

Plan of Work: Agriculture and Natural Resource Education - Agriculture Awareness

Outcome: Long-Term Outcome

Campbell County is host to many wonderful parks and green spaces, but none have the spark and appeal of the 1,000 acre A.J. Jolly Park with its jewel, the 200 acre recreational lake! Campbell County Extension property borders this wonderful lake which provided an opportunity for Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent, Michelle Simon, and Environmental Education assistant, Aubree Dawson, to offer tours of A.J. Jolly Lake to Campbell County. The park offers a variety of options for guests to enjoy while visiting the park, including kayak and canoe rentals that are offered by Campbell County Fiscal Court, Parks department and the Jolly Park Community Development Council. Campbell County Extension recorded registration sign-ups for the interested participants and the kayaks and canoes were rented from the park to support that amenity offered. There were three tours offered to 22 participants overall and a variety of skills were learned. ANR Agent taught water safety, how to kayak, and gave an overview of the park and its amenities in addition to the history of the lake, surrounding farmland and the growth of the park over the years. Environmental Assistant identified waterfowl, migratory birds and information about the water quality of the lake. 3 of the participants had not kayaked before and were proficient with balance and paddling by the end of the tours. All of the participants now know of the opportunities available to them at the park as citizens and 100% intended on returning to rent kayaks again in the future. During the tours the wild birds were active and put on quite a show for the participants to learn how to identify them! A juvenile osprey flew in during a tour and dove several times attempting to catch fish in front of the kayaks! In addition to the osprey, several great blue herons were spotted safe-guarding their nests along with green herons, wood ducks, kingfishers, Canadian geese, sandpipers, killdeer, a rare igrid, loon and a flock of cormorants diving for fish. Most of the participants were interested in the program because of their interest in birdwatching but none had seen igrids, osprey or cormorants so it was a unique opportunity for them to learn about these wild birds up close! The program was well attended and boasted such high reviews that the Kentucky Livability magazine sent professional photographers to tour the lake and photograph the kayak tour. At the end of the programs, 100% of the attendees were capable of kayaking safely on their own and increased their knowledge of wild, migratory birds by 80%. A.J. Jolly Park also increased their revenue by 60% from the income of the rental which directly funds improvements to the park.






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