Whitley Extension hosts Earth Day event
Apr. 25—WILLIAMSBURG — The Green Space on Main in Downtown Williamsburg played host to an Earth Day celebration on Monday afternoon.
The event was well attended by both institutions of the community as well as residents looking to celebrate Earth Day.
At the event, the University of Kentucky's Whitley County Extension Office brought out representatives from the 4-H Club, Agriculture and Natural Resources department, and the Horticulture department.
Agriculture department representative Frannie Patterson was at the Earth Day Celebration with live Corn Snakes — which are non-venomous — to entice participants to listen about the importance and dangers of snakes in the Kentucky ecosystem.
According to Patterson, corn snakes are a vital part of rodent population control, preventing populations of rats and mice from growing to levels which would cause issue.
Additionally, Patterson also had information at the ready about invasive plant species that are present in Kentucky.
For many years, Eastern Kentucky has been ravaged by an invasive plant called Kudzu, which originally hails from Asia.
The plant overtakes naturally occurring fauna and grows at such a substantial rate that it is extremely difficult to control the spread of the plant.
According to Patterson, UK has attempted to utilize various methods to eliminate the harmful species, including the utilization of insects to eat the plant. She also noted that they are constantly researching for better methods of controlling the plant.
The UK Extension Office also gave out free tree saplings to those who wanted one, providing a great opportunity for one to exercise their green thumb.
