New Pioneers for a Sustainable Future was invited to table and present at this year's first annual Salt River Summit: A Call to Local Action, hosted in partnership with the Kentucky Watershed Watch on Thursday, March 27, 2025.

Julia Gerwe, Executive Director, represented New Pioneers at the event, offering a table of resources and information about the organization and local efforts to promote sustainability. As one of the few organizations in the Salt River watershed based outside of the Louisville Metro area, Julia was proud to represent sustainability in our local, rural communities!

This Summit was a re-brand of the Salt River Watershed Watch Annual Conference, and saw planning support from the Kentucky Watershed Watch, Louisville MSD, Oldham County Soil & Water Conservation District, and the KY Division of Water. The Salt River spans a great region, including all of these entities, plus our communities in Nelson, Marion, and Washington counties. New Pioneers was proud to represent these areas!

In addition to offering information and resources during the networking fair, Julia also presented about New Pioneers' work in light of the theme: A Call to Local Action. Through an engaging presentation with photos, polls, and information; Julia highlighted the role of New Pioneers to promote sustainability in rural communities to ensure a healthy future for all. Julia also discussed New Pioneers' model of change, in which individuals build connections to the natural world, which leads to curiosity and education, and eventually to action - in this case, action to protect our natural environment. This was a resonant theme for all attendees!

New Pioneers is grateful to the Kentucky Watershed Watch for this opportunity, and looks forward to continuing to build partnerships within our watershed. After all, we are all part of the same water community - so working together will always help us go farther.

To view photos from this event, click here.