Defending the Wilderness

Defending the Wilderness Chad Sharber and Alan Mills Throughout the last decade there has been a heightened awareness of the environment. Everyone seems untied against deforestation and pollution, and many people know the three "R's"—reduce, reuse, recycle. However, in the midst of so much raised environmental awareness, industrial logging is still going strong, in America and the world. If not for the early work of environmental crusaders like John Muir (founder of the Sierra Club) and such nature photographers as Ansel Adams, who knows what would have befallen our natural wonders. Far from the altitudes of the Sierra Nevadas, the towering stone meccas of Yosemite or the wildlife-rich Yellowstone lies a community known more for its academic history and handicrafts than for its natural wonders. Berea, Kentucky, home to Berea College, is a small town nestled snugly in the foothills of the Cumberland Plateau. Begun by John G. Fee at the request of philanthropist Cassius M. Clay, Berea College was the first school in the south to educate both blacks and whites, men and women, side by side as equals. Aside from the college and its famous handicraft industries, Berea is also home to a splendid parcel of land locally known as Anglin Falls. Only a few miles south of the town, in adjoining Rockcastle County, the land on which the waterfall (see Cover) is found had previously belonged to Mary Cobb Venable, who for many years had kept the forest open for visitors, especially students of Berea College. Also the favored getaway of late Berea College president John B. Stephenson, Anglin Falls is a veritable treasure chest of all things natural. Upon entering the forest, the spring visitor can observe bouquets of miniature purple irises, violets, jack-in-the-pulpits, columbine, trillium, pink and yellow lady slippers—the splendor of nature unspoiled by the hands of man. Further steps along the trail might reveal many of the thirty-two different types of ferns which grow in the region's rich soil. Continuing up the path that follows the banks of Anglin Creek, hikers can find shade under sugar maples, American beech and eastern hemlock as much as 300 years old. As the path ascends toward the seventy-five foot Anglin Falls, the sound of water splashing onto rocks entices many adventure seekers to climb the boulders for a glimpse of the serene view at the top of the gorge. 10 John B. Stephenson considered the majesty of Anglin Falls a source of enlightenment and returned from his trips to the forest to write poetry reflecting his experience. Of course, Stephenson was not the only Berean to frequent Anglin Falls. Botany professor Ralph Thompson is also a regular patron of the forest. Having conducted biology classes at Anglin Falls for over fifteen years, Thompson remarks of the forest, "It's like a miniature Red River Gorge." The photography classes at Berea College also come to Anglin Falls for nature photography. The students are encouraged to use their photography skills in the effort to ensure that our natural world can survive alongside the world we have made. The popularity of the area is not new. Berea graduates from as far back as 1920 recall riding bicycles out to Anglin Falls on Sunday afternoons to enjoy picnic lunches and quiet walks. Though the landmark is not publicized heavily, students from other parts of Kentucky have found their way to the gravel driveway hidden deep in the hills of Rockcastle County. Classes from the University of Kentucky and Eastern Kentucky University also visit the area, which boasts over 500 species of native Kentucky flora. Despite the beauty and obvious uniqueness of the 124 acres of land which comprise Anglin Falls, its future has not always been certain. In fact, for a while the future of Anglin Falls was quite grim indeed. In March of 1996, a logging company made Mary Cobb Venable an offer to 11 purchase the land. It appeared that the jewel in the community's forest crown was doomed to the same fate as so many other areas surrounding it. However, at about this time the Berea community received news that college president John B. Stephenson had...