The Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission recently purchased 386 acres in Harlan County, which was dedicated as an addition to Blanton Forest State Nature Preserve during the commission’s March meeting.
This addition connects two previously noncontiguous tracts of the preserve and brings the total protected acreage of Blanton Forest SNP to 3,510 acres of old-growth and second-growth forests. As one of the largest old-growth tracts remaining in the eastern United States, Blanton Forest is a diverse ecological treasure that contains several forest communities, including mountaintop wetlands known as acid seeps and mixed-mesophytic deciduous forest. Many tree species such as sugar maple, tulip poplar, various oaks, hemlocks, beech and several magnolias make up the forest canopy.
The commission purchased the land from the Kentucky Natural Lands Trust, a nonprofit organization directed by Hugh Archer.
“The Gaines tract is one of the best managed forest tracts on Pine Mountain. Sonny Gaines, a Western Kentucky University biology major, and his father were excellent forest managers, as well as commercial timber operators,” Archer said. “The Gaines family observed the conservation efforts going on around them for more than 15 years before agreeing to sell their family forest to KNLT in 2010. Since then, the Gaines family has helped with stewardship and protection of the forest.”
The property was purchased using money from the Kentucky Heritage Land Conservation Fund, which utilize proceeds from the sale of “Nature’s Finest” license plates. The public can help in these efforts by purchasing a “Nature’s Finest” license plate for an additional $10 above the cost of a regular license plate and is considered a tax deductible donation to the Kentucky Heritage Land Conservation Fund. Proceeds from the sale of “Nature’s Finest” plates go toward purchasing natural areas in Kentucky that will be held in trust for future generations.
The mission of the Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission is to protect Kentucky’s natural habitat by (1) identifying, acquiring and managing natural areas that represent the best known occurrences of rare native species, natural communities and significant natural features in a statewide nature preserve system; (2) working with others to protect biological diversity; and (3) educating Kentuckians as to the value and purpose of nature preserves and biodiversity conservation.
Discover more about KSNPC and KNLT through these websites here or here.
From Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet