Stream Clean-Up and Trout Stocking Opportunity at Bark Camp Creek

Volunteer with us to help clean the stream, and stock trout at Bark Camp Creek in Daniel Boone National Forest!  Bluegrass Trout Unlimited is teaming up with "Sun KYst Sticks and Stones" to continue their goal of collecting a "football stadium's worth of trash" from Kentucky waterways!  Immediately following the stream clean-up, KDFWR's trout truck will arrive and volunteers can stock trout in the freshly cleaned stream.

Sun KYst Sticks and Stones website: https://www.cleanerky.org/ 

KDFWR website: https://fw.ky.gov/Pages/default.aspx 

First and foremost, our staff, the trout we are releasing, and the anglers who we are working for, sincerely THANK YOU for volunteering to help distribute trout along Bark Camp Creek!! It is through the assistance of many volunteers that we can provide the excellent resources that we all enjoy.

Date: Wednesday October 7 2026 
Time: Stream clean-up around 11:00 AM EST, immediately followed by trout stocking around 1:00 PM EST( We usually ask that volunteers arrive ~12:30 PM EST) 
Meeting point: Bark Camp Creek Trailhead (GPS coordinates: 36.90444, -84.281025)
Stocking method: Using buckets halfway filled with water and around 10-20 trout to disperse along Bark Camp Creek

• We try to keep to a schedule as close as possible; however, these fish are being transported from Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery and two other streams are also being stocked that day. There are numerous things that can impact arrival time such as poor weather conditions, travel conditions, loading delays at the hatchery, truck mechanical issues, fallen trees, etc. 

• Items that you should consider bringing:
o Lunch and/or snacks.
o Water or other source of hydration.
o Five-gallon plastic bucket with lid. Smaller buckets can only carry a few fish and are not really efficient. Having a lid prevents trout from jumping out of the bucket during hiking. We will have several buckets available to volunteers if you cannot bring one.
o Appropriate footwear and clothing for hiking in remote areas.

• Things you might encounter while hiking at Bark Camp Creek:
o Venomous snakes (although unlikely due to winter temperatures)
o Poison Ivy and other irritation causing plants
o Mosquitoes, chiggers, spiders, and other nuisance insects
o Muddy trails, steep trails, uneven terrain, both in-stream and out-of-stream hiking
o Awesome, like-minded people who share the same passion for our natural resources

• Things to keep in mind:
o Bark Camp Creek is the last stream that will be stocked that day and the trout will have been on the stocking truck for several hours, so getting the trout into the stream in a timely manner is very important due to decreasing dissolved oxygen levels. Feel free to hike as far as you wish, but anything over a 0.75 mile an aerator or “bubbler” should be in the bucket as well to prevent fish mortality.
o Once the stocking truck arrives, everyone will line up with their buckets, get them filled, and begin their hike. We need to get the stocking truck back on the road as soon as possible.

If you have any other questions, concerns, etc., feel free to let me know: Brad Hartman- KDFWR Assistant Fisheries Biologist-Southeastern Fisheries District bradley.hartman@ky.gov