While the rolling bluegrass hills have made Kentucky famous, this state contains a diverse array of terrain and climates that support a vast number of terrestrial and aquatic species. The mountains and valleys of the east to the flat bottomlands and sloughs in the west, the winding creeks to the huge flows of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers make up a state rich in natural resources. Kentucky is also home to more than 670,000 hunters and anglers, who spend $1.3 billion a year on their activities, generating $132 million in state and local taxes. Conserving these natural and economic resources is an important challenge for Kentucky’s Wildlife Action Plan. One of the more unique challenges is that 93 percent of the state is privately owned, resulting in the need for incentive and volunteer-based partnerships to conserve and restore healthy, clean streams and aquatic habitat, vital to the quality of life for all Kentuckians and the fish and wildlife in the state.

Kentucky State Wildlife Action Plan

More about conservation in Kentucky

SARP Contact:  Mike Hardin, Assistant Director of Fisheries

Key Focus Areas:

PUBLIC USE
Big South Fork Recreation with Habitat Protection
Habitat Data Collection on Buck Creek
Green River WMA Enhancement

IMPERILED FISH AND AQUATIC SPECIES RECOVERY
Big South Fork Recreation with Habitat Protection
Habitat Data Collection on Buck Creek

INTER-JURISDICTIONAL FISHERIES
Big South Fork Recreation with Habitat Protection

AQUATIC HABITAT CONSERVATION
Big South Fork Recreation with Habitat Protection
Habitat Data Collection on Buck Creek
Green River WMA Enhancement

AQUATIC NUISANCE SPECIES (ANS)
KENTUCKY ANS Management Project
Current Status of ANS Management Plan: Completed and in implementation stage.
SARP ANS Contact: Ryan Oster, Fisheries Division, Kentucky Dept. of Fish and Wildlife Resources
For more information: http://fw.ky.gov/nuisancespeciesplans.asp
SARP ANS Coordinator:  Marilyn Barrett-O’Leary

Program Activity:

SOUTHEAST AQUATIC HABITAT PLAN (SAHP) & NATIONAL FISH HABITAT ACTION PLAN (NFHAP)
Big South Fork Recreation with Habitat Protection
Habitat Data Collection on Buck Creek
Green River WMA Enhancement
 
SOUTHEASTERN INSTREAM FLOW NETWORK (SIFN)
Kentucky Instream Flow Project
Current Instream Flow Policy:  Through statute, ‘normal flows’ are protected. Although 7Q10 is most often used, site specific studies are required on large projects. Permits incorporate site-specific conditions such as conjunctive use of water sources, and may limit withdrawals to percent of flow or ‘hands-off’ flow.

SIFN State Team participant organizations:  (under development)

• Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources
• Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet
• US Fish and Wildlife Service
• US Corps of Engineers
• Kentucky Wildlife Association
• Stantec
• The Nature Conservancy

SARP Contact:  Nathan Richards, Fish Biologist, KDFWR

SIFN Coordinator:  Mary Davis

Instream Flow Update:

1. A draft drought mitigation plan has been submitted to a joint legislative committee on water resources.
2. TOPMODEL hydrologic models are being developed for major watersheds as a water supply management tool.
3. The Watershed Steering Committee is actively overseeing water management issues in the state.