Seven Acres Trail in the Woods
Stay tuned for our progress reports as we wind a trail through the woods and along the creek. Better yet, check the weekly eNews for scheduling and join our work parties!
Our Turtle
We acknowledge that the Unitarian Universalist Church of Lexington gathers on the traditional land of over 20 indigenous tribes, including the Shawnee and Cherokee Peoples. We pay our respects to their Elders: past, present, and emerging. The turtle is a sacred creature among Native American tribes. Each tribe’s cultural view of the turtle/tortoise is slightly different; however, the deeper meaning remains the same: the turtle represents Grandmother Earth, who teaches us to walk our paths in peace. Turtles have long life spans, lay eggs, and are slow moving. They also have shells for protection. This lovely eastern box turtle was photographed in our UUCL woodland. As we care for our seven acres, let us remember we are keeping space for turtles.
Stormwater Quality Project
Rain and snow hit the ground and provide all life with nourishing water. When rain falls onto solid human-made surfaces, instead of filtering into the ground, it rushes off to the nearest creek. Our cars drip salts, grime and other pollutants, and the rain water carries these to our streams. At UUCL, water rushes down the hillside, taking soil with it to the creek. This project will add permeable parking areas with built-in water filtering, bio-infiltration additions at the entrance and along the drive, canopy tree enhancements, and an attractive painted labyrinth area. All of these features together will improve our water quality and decrease runoff.
The new green infrastructure will allow UUCL to be a model for institutions of faith to demonstrate environmental stewardship and will allow UUCL to serve as an exemplar of sustainable site design and management. The project development plan provides a site design that incorporates state-of-the-art demonstrations in stormwater infiltration and control, with native plantings and urban tree care. It will allow UUCL to move forward, showcasing a commitment to sustainability.
Our Fundraising
With Lexington's streams in rough shape from decades of neglect, our city pays 80% of the cost to fund qualified projects to improve water quality. Our UUCL project has been accepted. This means that the city is paying 80% of the estimated $374,347.00 total cost for a new permeable parking lot with built-in water filtering, improvements at the entrance and along the drive, canopy tree enhancements, and an attractive painted labyrinth!
UUCL must raise 20% of the costs, estimated to be $74,870, to finish the deal. This amount is divided over two years, estimated $37,435 in 2022 and in 2023. To help with the fundraising for our 20%, our project was accepted to receive up to $15,000 in matching funds from #doTERRAHealingHands. These matching funds have doubled each donation in the first $15,000, turning your $10 into $20 or $1000 into $2000. Thus our first $15,000 raised has been turned into $30,000! Now that the #doTERRAHealingHands match is completed, we are continuing direct fundraising. Click donate below to give to Stormwater Quality Project.