Kentucky’s spectacular environment and beautiful landscapes have helped to shape our economy, culture, and history.  The demand for information from Franklin County residents has risen sharply as the society has focused more on climate change and failing ecological systems.  These residents understand that it is everyone’s responsibility to be good stewards of the land to protect and restore our natural resources’ quality and diversity that make Kentucky a great place to live, work and play.

In order to address this need, Franklin County Extension office and Capital Area Extension Master Gardeners organized a Leopold Environmental Program workshop. The Leopold Education Project (LEP) is an interdisciplinary environmental education curriculum. Its goal is to create an ecologically literate citizenry by heightening student awareness of the natural world; fine-tuning the skills necessary to read the landscape; and instilling a love, admiration, and respect for the land so that each individual may develop a personal land ethic. Twenty participants completed the program and received their certificates.  Half the participants were Extension Master Gardener volunteers that intend on using the information to conduct additional programs around the county.