FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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                                                 Kathy Melvin, Business Integrated

                                                 Communications   502.609.9813

  River Fields Offers Free Public Tour of Edyalmoor

Event Scheduled for Saturday, October 10

Louisville, KY (September 29, 2009)—The public is invited to participate in a free, guided walking tour of Edyalmoor, an historic, Olmsted-designed estate in the River Road corridor at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Saturday, October 10. The event is sponsored by River Fields, a land and river conservation/preservation organization.  These tours are a part of River Fields’ celebration of its 50th anniversary of work in the Ohio River corridor.

Dave French, member of the American Society of Landscape Architects, and other River Fields staff will conduct the tour. The Olmsted firm developed plans for the estate in the early 1900s, and some landscape remnants created through that plan remain today.

Originally estimated at 4,000 acres, Edyalmoor is the last remaining segment of the Bate Plantation, once the largest plantation and land holding in Jefferson County. In November 2006, Kenneth W. and Edythe Moore preserved the property forever when they granted a Historic Preservation, Conservation and Scenic Easement, now held jointly by River Fields, Inc. and the Kentucky Heritage Council/State Historic Preservation Office.

This property, preserved forever through a conservation easement, is one of 23 properties preserved forever by partnerships and easements between landowners and River Fields.  Over 2,200 acres of land have been conserved through this continuing conservation initiative.

Conservation easements are a means of protecting environmentally significant land. Easements provide permanent protection from land use that could damage or destroy its scenic, recreational, ecological, and natural resource values.  The donor transfers development rights of the land, generally to a qualified land trust such as River Fields, which takes responsibility for enforcing the development restrictions in perpetuity. The donor retains ownership of the property. The land trust monitors the easement to ensure that the restrictions are maintained forever.

Reservations for the tour are required and space is limited. The tour is of the grounds only and does not include the house. Contact Melody Raidy at (502) 583-3060, or e-mail her at melodyraidy@riverfields.org to reserve a spot or for additional information. The deadline for reservations is 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 7, 2009.

Tour participants will meet on Saturday, October 10 at the Lebanese American Country Club at 3020 River Road.  Participants will be transported to and from the Edyalmoor estate by bus. The tour will last approximately two hours.

Photos from previous tours can be seen on the River Fields website at the following link: http://riverfields.org/EdyalmoorTour.htm

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River Fields is the largest and oldest river conservancy along the 981- mile Ohio River.  For 50 years, River Fields has utilized its resources to effectively protect, preserve and enhance the natural and cultural resources of the land and water around the Ohio River in our region.  Through its programs of land conservation, advocacy, and education, River Fields strives to create harmony between nature, history and the people who live here.  River Fields owns land or holds conservation easements on 34 properties, totaling more than 2,200 acres, most of which is preserved forever. River Fields is one of the nation's few land trusts tackling regional advocacy work and land conservation.