The Woods and Waters Land Trust community is full of artists—art and nature go hand-in-hand—and one of the newest artists to share his time and talent with the organization is Levi River House. Levi became involved with Woods and Waters Land Trust at the Sketch and Stroll event this summer at Vaughn Branch and has created art to support several fundraisers since then, including participating in The Farm Art: En Plein Air Event at West Sixth Farm and designing this fall’s Paddle for a Purpose poster.
“I kept getting involved with WWLT after the Sketch and Stroll and Plein Air events because I realized that this is important work, and I really enjoyed and admired the people I met through becoming more involved. I was also at a place in my life where I was realizing that I had ample time to give to things I care about, so I started trying to prioritize doing work that made a difference, even if it was a small one,” Levi says.
He continues: “For me, something I think about when I think about conservation and why it's important is just how easily and quickly it can slip away from us, whether it be through natural disasters/happenings or human interference. Land is a living thing, and it's a thing that people want—it's vulnerable for many reasons. I think of the situation with Bernheim Forest right now, where a proposed pipeline will cut through a legally protected piece of land. ... It makes me think about how quickly and unexpectedly land can be lost and destroyed, even by plants that just sprout up. That's one of the many reasons why this work is so important. When it comes down to it, all we have is what's here on our planet.”
Levi is also involved with the Kentucky Student Environmental Coalition and has worked on invasive-plant removal in our region. Outside of his conservation interests, he’s a multidisciplinary artist and works in communications.
Levi’s favorite native plant: Goldenrod (Solidago spp.) “At a young age I learned all the state's flowers, capitals, etc... and I remember feeling so proud that ours was goldenrod because I thought it was very beautiful and regal-looking. I've been biased ever since,” he says.
Favorite native amphibian: Spring peeper frog (Pseudacris crucifer)
