Weinberg Addition Protects More Wildlands

Kentucky Natural Lands Trust is pleased to announce newly protected wildlands on Pine Mountain in Letcher County. The 243-acre Weinberg Addition expands KNLT’s Hurricane Gap Preserve to 1,248 acres and protects forested habitat at the headwaters of the Kentucky River. The newly safeguarded wildlands were among several projects in late 2025 that led KNLT to the mountainous milestone of safeguarding more than 64,000 acres (100 square miles) of wildlands since 1995.  

The Weinberg Addition is located on the north face of Pine Mountain in Central Appalachia within one of the most biodiverse temperate regions on Earth. The Appalachian Highlands Wildlands Corridor is home to thousands of plant, fungi, and animal species, more than 250 of which are rare, and a few are found nowhere else on the planet.  

These newly protected wildlands secure forests along a continental bird migration route and also serve as a swarming habitat for endangered bats. Additionally, they safeguard the headwater streams of the North Fork of the Kentucky River which is habitat for notable mussel, fish, crayfish, and invertebrate species.

Hurricane Gap Preserve is a significant quilt piece in KNLT’s large-landscape conservation efforts along Pine Mountain, which have connected thousands of acres of contiguous protected wildlands in Letcher and Harlan counties. The preserve stretches along the Pine Mountain State Scenic Trail, part of the planned 1,800-mile  Great Eastern Trail, which provides important access to nature while contributing to the economy of Central Appalachia. 

We’re grateful for the support of individual donors, foundations, and partners.
We thank the Imperiled Bat Conservation Fund (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Kentucky Field Office), James Graham Brown Foundation, Atira Conservation, Aceso Foundation, and the Louisville Audubon Society for making this project possible.