KNLT Purchases nearly 1,600 Acres in the Remote "South America"
KNLT has purchased nearly 1,600 acres  of  the Laurel Fork section of Pine Mountain in Whitley County, the second property purchased in an effort to protect an area known locally as “South  America.” Executive Director, Hugh Archer, stated, “This is one of the biggest land conservation acquisitions in the state, and we are not stopping here. We have our eye on another 2,000 acres and are excited that our project connects us with large conservation tracts in Tennessee and provides us with the opportunity to connect those to others in  Kentucky.”

Laurel Fork is completely forested, protects multiple headwater streams, and is part of the Pine Mountain landscape of 150,000 acres of contiguous forestland broken only by six roads along its 110 mile expanse. These landscapes are important for maintaining Kentucky’s biological diversity and providing critical habitat and migratory corridors for plants and animals.
 
(Press Release | Herald Leader story here)

Big Gains in Land Conservation in Kentucky
The first census of land trusts in five years found 10 million new acres conserve
Nationwide since 2005, including 23,976 acres here in Kentucky. The National Land Trust Census, released by the Land Trust Alliance, shows that voluntarily protected
land increased 27 percent between 2005 and 2010. In the same time period, the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund, a major federal conservation program, added just over 500,000 acres and saw a 38% funding cut. The census is online at www.lta.org/census.

A total of 47 million acres—an area over twice the size of all the national parks in the contiguous United States—are now protected by land trusts. A greater percentage of the new acreage comes through local and state land trusts like KNLT. In Kentucky, land trusts conserved 23,976 acres between 2005 and 2010, a 134% increase in land protected.

(Press Release | USA Today story here)

More Good News!
The Indiana Bat Conservation Fund recently provided funding to purchase 355 acres of forestland in Hickman County, Kentucky. The tract provided Indiana bat maternity foraging and roosting habitat and is important for waterfowl, wading birds, and certain species of freshwater mussels. It also maintains a thin forested corridor along the Mississippi River which is beneficial to migratory birds. KNLT manages the fund in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

(Herald Leader story here)

KNLT Purchases Portion of "South America" on Pine Mountain
KNLT is excited to announce the purchase of 247 acres of an area on Pine Mountain known "South America." The site protects native fishes, rare plants, endangered mussels, and the federally endangered Indiana Bat.

(Press Release )

KNLT Pays Tribute to Blaton Forest's Major Donors
On September 17, 2011, KNLT paid tribute to the original major donors to the Blanton Forest campaign by placing a permanent plaque at the entrance to Blanton Forest in Harlan County. Several of the donors or family members of the donors were in attendance. Those honored were David Burns, our first One Square Mile donor, Tom Dupree, Sr., Augusta Wallace Lyons, Herb Emrich, and Sara Shallenberger Brown. These donors and many others have made it possible for KNLT to work in partnership with the Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission to save, protect and steward Kentucky’s largest old growth forest. We are grateful for their leadership and generosity which will benefit present and future generations across the Commonwealth.

(Harlan Daily Enterprise story here)

KNLT assists with Acquisition of Two In-holdings within Clarks River NWR
The Indiana Bat Conservation Fund, managed by KNLT in partnership with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, recently funded the acquisition of two in-holdings within the Clarks River National Wildlife Refuge in Marshall County, Kentucky. These tracts totaling around 453 acres are largely forested and are very important due to their close proximity to a known, occupied Indiana bat maternity colony east of rapidly-growing Paducah in McCracken County. One of the tracts contains mature “Xero Hydric Flatwoods” dominated by post oak and is located within the best remnants of this community type in Kentucky. Both contain a mix of forested wetlands and uplands. The tracts will ultimately be added to the National Wildlife Refuge system.

(Press Release )

KNLT's “South America” Project Featured on KET Kentucky Life
Dave Shuffet of KET traveled to “South America” (Kentucky) with KNLT Executive Director Hugh Archer in May to film for an episode of Kentucky Life. The episode first aired on May 21, and can now be viewed online (click "Watch the Video").

For the past several years, KNLT has been working to purchase properties on the south end of Pine Mountain. This area of the mountain is so remote and wild that locals dubbed it “South America” more than 100 years ago. South America covers parts of Pine Mountain in Bell and Whitley Counties, just before the mountain crosses into Tennessee. We are in the process of purchasing several tracts which will protect Laurel Fork, a mountain stream rich in aquatic species including globally rare mussels and fishes as well as a cave with rare bats and endemic beetles. The segment on South America is the last feature of the show which also includes stories on a raptor rehabilitation center in Pulaski County and the Ale-8-One company.

Visit our Photos & Videos page to watch other videos about KNLT.

KNLT Celebrates White House Report on Land Conservation
President Obama introduced the landmark America's Great Outdoors Report at a reception on February 16, 2011 at The White House. The report proposes the extension of the enhanced tax incentive for conservation easement donations beyond 2011, fully funding the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), and focuses a portion of the LWCF on innovative projects that support urban parks, community green spaces and large-scale land conservation.

The report's vision statement described a future in which "Rural lands - our working farms, ranches and forests - are conserved and restored through local partnerships."

Kentucky Natural Lands Trust works with private landowners to keep farm and forest lands in productive use, protect important fish and wildlife habitat and conserve Kentucky's scenic and historic heritage. KNLT also works in partnership with state and federal agencies to achieve these goals.

KNLT has purchased 3,720 acres, added more than 390 acres protected by voluntary conservation agreements with private landowners and additionally protected more than 2,000 acres. KNLT is currently working on 12 new projects in Bell, Whitley, Bullitt, Letcher, Harlan and Oldham counties. (Full Report | Press Release )

KNLT funds replacement of critical cave gate at Bat Cave
Bat Conservation International recently received funding from KNLT's Indiana Bat Conservation Fund to replace a critical cave gate at Bat Cave State Nature Preserve in Carter County, Kentucky. Thousands of bats hibernate in this cave every year including the endangered Indiana Bat. The cave is considered one of the most important in the U.S. for bat hibernation. (Daily Independent online story here)

KNLT established the Indiana Bat Conservation Fund in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for projects that will protect, conserve and restore Indiana bat summer and winter habitat, and will provide Indiana bat research and monitoring. Pine Mountain is one of the Indiana bat "hotspots" in Kentucky.

KNLT gets two new conservation easements in Bullitt County
KNLT is excited to announce two new conservation easements in Bullitt County, Kentucky. Fort Knox and KNLT have formed a partnership to purchase conservation easements in a one mile buffer zone around the Army installation. The easements allow the Army to realize greater training flexibility by reducing encroachment. KNLT and the public benefit through support of land conservation and endangered species and habitat protection. These easements, totaling nearly 308 acres, will help protect the area’s largest forest block located between Fort Knox and Bernheim Forest.

A conservation easements is a legal agreement between KNLT and a landowner to restrict the land to certain agreed upon uses for conservation purposes. Signing an agreement is strictly voluntary on the part of the landowner who continues to privately own and manage the land. The landowner may receive considerable tax advantages, but, more importantly, the landowner receives the satisfaction of preserving the conservation values of their land for their children, grandchildren, and future generations. KNLT is responsible for annual monitoring of the property and ensuring that the property owners adhere to the terms of the easement.

Fundraiser held for KNLT's "South America" project
Louisville business woman, Nana Lampton, hosted a dinner for Kentucky Natural Lands Trust on September 20 on the rooftop patio of the American Life Building in downtown Louisville. More than 60 guests enjoyed local foods and heard inspiring words about conservation of Kentucky’s wild lands from Hugh Archer, Marc Evans, and Tom Fitzgerald. The event showcased KNLT’s efforts to preserve a remote area known as “South America” and other natural areas and large forest blocks in the Pine Mountain Wildlife Corridor in southeastern Kentucky. KNLT is working to raise $450,000 for the “South America” project.

KNLT gets its first conservation easement
We are excited to announce that KNLT’s first conservation easement was donated by the Taylor Family in McCreary County, Kentucky. The 83 acres is located in the Upper Cumberland River Watershed and is surrounded by Daniel Boone National Forest. This watershed, and McCreary County in particular, includes the highest concentration of state and federal designated rare species occurrences and associated habitat in Kentucky according to aquatic, plant, and animal inventories conducted by the state Natural Heritage program over the last 30 years.

The Property, known as Good Spring Farm, consists of a private in holding surrounded by large tracts of publicly owned national forest land and includes a state record “champion” Service Berry tree, native wood rat colonies, filmy fern, old growth forest, rock outcrop, trails for environmental education, and plantings of native grasses and forbs. The historic farm has been in the Taylor family for over 150 years and was designated by the state as a Kentucky Centennial Farm in 1987. The farm is home to the Farm House Inn, a Bed and Breakfast destination which is frequented by writers, musicians, photographers and other visitors. KNLT is extremely grateful to the Taylor Family for their generosity and their eagerness to protect this land for future generations.

(Lexington-Herald Leader online story here)

Save Kentucky’s Hemlocks received an Earth Day Award
The Kentucky Environmental Quality Commission awarded Save Kentucky’s Hemlocks an Earth Day Award at a ceremony on April 16, 2010. KNLT’s Executive Director, Hugh Archer, and Alice Mandt of the Kentucky Nature Preserves Commission were there to accept the award. Save Kentucky's Hemlocks is a partnership of citizens, non-profits and government agencies working together to save eastern hemlocks from the impacts of hemlock woolly adelgid, an insect that feeds on the needles of the hemlock and can cause death to the trees within three to five years. Save Kentucky's Hemlocks has raised public awareness, provided outreach, organized fundraising efforts and efficiently allocated resources so that combating the hemlock woolly adelgid in Kentucky can be swift and effective. Limited government funds and private donations to Kentucky Natural Lands Trust funded the project. To date, over 19,000 trees have been treated in some of Kentucky's most pristine hemlock forests.

KNLT Forest Steward hired
KNLT is excited to announce that Clint Lester has been hired as KNLT’s new Forest Steward. Clint is a native of Harlan, Kentucky, and has hiked in Blanton Forest and on Pine Mountain all his life. He received his Bachelors of Science in Forestry from the University of Kentucky. In his new position with KNLT, Clint will provide management and monitoring of KNLT’s preserve areas on Pine Mountain including stewardship for the Blanton Forest State Nature Preserve. He will also lead hikes and provide information on Blanton Forest and the Pine Mountain Wildlife Corridor to individuals and groups. Clint replaces former steward, Merril Flanary, who is leaving for New Zealand to further her studies in forestry. We send best wishes with Merril as we welcome Clint to the stewardship position. Clint can be reached at clester@knlt.org.