KNLT Highlights: 2023 Year In Review
Thanks to your partnership Kentucky Natural Lands Trust (KNLT) continues to protect, connect and restore wildlands in the Commonwealth. Here are a few highlights from 2023: —KNLT protected 2,200 acres of wildlands that safeguard vital forests and headwater streams in Appalachian Kentucky. We had several notable acquisitions, including the Queen Maggie Bailey Addition to the […]
KNLT Expands to Cumberland Mountain with Panther Gap
Kentucky Natural Lands Trust (KNLT) is proud to announce the establishment of the Panther Gap Preserve on Cumberland Mountain. The 426-acre preserve on the north face of the mountain is named in honor of the mountain lions that once called Kentucky home but were driven from the state and disappeared from the Eastern United States […]
Warbler Ridge Queen Maggie Bailey Addition
Kentucky Natural Lands Trust (KNLT) is proud to announce the Queen Maggie Bailey Addition to Warbler Ridge Preserve. The 89-acre tract expands the preserve to 3,324 acres. The addition, on the north slope of Pine Mountain, in Letcher County, is a link in the planned route of the Great Eastern Trail, a contemporary to the […]
Wildlands Inspire: Joanne Price Spotlight
The Pine Mountain wildlands are home to so many things I love: mountains, mountain life and culture, hemlocks, clear rivers and creeks, black bears, and a diverse population of birds are just the tip of the iceberg.
Warbler Ridge Expands to Over 3,200 Acres
Wildlands News: Kentucky Natural Lands Trust (KNLT) protected more wildlands on Pine Mountain through a land purchase in Harlan County. The 42-acre John L. Creech addition expands the Warbler Ridge Preserve to 3,236 acres, protecting forested habitat at the headwaters of the Cumberland River. “The John L. Creech heirs are grateful to KNLT for working […]
Central Appalachia Inspired an Orchestral Tour
Wildlands Blog: by Sarah Lempke O’Hare, Director of Education & Community Partnerships, Louisville Orchestra Over the last two years, Sarah and the Louisville Orchestra (LO) team embarked on a unique tour of the Commonwealth, gaining inspiration from the Central Appalachian Mountains of Eastern Kentucky. Read her story below about how the small seed of an […]
Laurel Gap Preserve Expands
Kentucky Natural Lands Trust (KNLT) protected new wildlands in Whitley County this summer with the Davis addition to the Laurel Gap Preserve. The recently safeguarded 36-acres expands KNLT’s preserve to more than 300 acres. The new tract, on the south face of the Pine Mountain, secures important forested habitat at the headwaters of the Cumberland River. […]
Gift of Land Expands Warbler Ridge
Kentucky Natural Lands Trust (KNLT) protected more wildlands on Pine Mountain through a land donation in Harlan County. The 29-acre Bettie Lewis Noe addition expands Warbler Ridge Preserve to 3,195 acres and protects additional wildlands at the headwaters of the Cumberland River. For more than 25 years, KNLT has worked to safeguard Pine Mountain, a biodiverse and climate […]
Protect Wildlands With a Donation Today
Wildlands Blog: by Kelly Bartley, KNLT Board Chair Spring has arrived and with it we are reminded of one of the many amazing functions of wildlands: a path for birds and other species traveling to spend summer months north of their winter homes. During peak migration, as many as five million birds fly over Kentucky on […]
Warbler Ridge Expansion for Earth Day
In celebration of Earth Day, KNLT is pleased to announce the Lliam Sumpter addition to the Warbler Ridge Preserve. KNLT recently protected this 65-acre tract on Pine Mountain in Harlan County. The tract safeguards vital wildlands and expands the preserve to 3,166 acres. The Lliam Sumpter tract has important forest habitat utilized by some of the […]
Alternative Spring Break on Pine Mountain
Wildlands Blog: As part of an immersive, 7-day trip to Eastern Kentucky, students from Georgetown University took to the trails on Pine Mountain this March with Kentucky Natural Lands Trust to learn about the beauty and ecological importance of Kentucky wildlands. And they didn’t just hike. Eleven students like sophomore Miranda Xiong also helped KNLT with […]
A Wild & Stellar Link In the Great Eastern Trail
Wildlands Blog: Pine Mountain is a vital migratory path for birds, butterflies, bears and even plants! It is like a “wild superhighway,” said Preston Lacy, Conservation Director for Kentucky Natural Land Trust (KNLT). The mountain has a spring flux of returning songbirds, fall hawk migration and at times rivers of butterflies. Pine Mountain also has […]
Warbler Ridge Expands To Over 3,100 Acres
Wildlands News: In late December, Kentucky Natural Lands Trust (KNLT) protected another 54 acres of wildlands along Pine Mountain in Harlan County. The tract expands the Warbler Ridge Preserve to 3,101 acres and links multiple state lands to form 9,000 acres of contiguous protected wildlands. Along with protecting essential forested habitat that sustains a diversity of plant […]
2022 Year In Review
Thanks to your partnership we’ve had another great year protecting, connecting and restoring wildlands in the Commonwealth. The following are a few highlights from 2022: – KNLT protected 2,100 acres of wildlands adding landscape connectivity and resiliency across Kentucky. We had several notable Pine Mountain acquisitions include establishing Laurel Gap Preserve, expanding Salt Trace Gap and safeguarding wildlands next […]
KNLT Protects Wildlands Near Blanton Forest
This fall, Kentucky Natural Lands Trust (KNLT) protected an additional 68 acres of wildlands along Pine Mountain in Harlan County. The mountain is home to towering forests over 100 feet tall that provide habitat for thousands of plants and animals, some of them found nowhere else on the planet. The newly acquired land contributes to a […]
A Weekend on Pine Mountain: A Birder’s Perspective
Wildlands Blog: by Ronan O’Carra, Editor of The Kentucky Warbler, Kentucky Ornithological Society publication This fall The Kentucky Ornithological Society (KOS) hosted a meeting at Pine Mountain State Resort Park and I was glad to be able to attend. It was the second time I have attended a KOS meeting at Pine Mountain and it […]