The Kentucky Heritage Land Conservation Fund (KHLCF) has recognized two partners with its annual Stewardship Award: the Livingston County Fiscal Court was honored for its management of the Livingston County Natural Areas and Logan County conservation districts for work on the Baker Natural Area.

Each year the KHLCF honors partners that have done an exceptional job in managing its properties. Logan is the state’s only county with two conservation districts—North and South.

Both sites have made great strides in controlling invasive exotic species, improving natural habitat, and providing passive recreation and educational opportunities.

The Baker Natural Area, which is located in the northwest quadrant of Russellville between City-County Park and the Highland Lick Road, was the first site owned by a local conservation district funded by the KHLCF. Although it is less than 100 acres, it protects rare plants and habitats and provides hiking opportunities. In addition,

Logan County conservation districts have coordinated an extensive environmental education program for adults and students in grades K through 12. These efforts include hosting environmental and agricultural field days for local school children, the regional Envirothon competition, Logan County Chamber of Commerce’s “Leadership Logan” Environmental Tour, and working with Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. The districts have partnered with Western Kentucky University to install a local Mesonet weather station, which is accessible online.

With more than 2,500 acres in three sites—Bissell Bluff, Newman’s Bluff, and the Livingston County Wildlife Management Area—Livingston County Fiscal Court manages more natural areas on the local level than any other Kentucky county except Jefferson  These sites offer a wide range of benefits, from protecting rare plant species to providing hiking, bird watching, and hunting opportunities.

Livingston County has formed a strong community organization to coordinate its efforts, the Livingston County Nature Board, and by bringing together organizations such as the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources and The Nature Conservancy for support. Their organization is a model for the dozens of other locally owned sites protected by the KHLCF throughout the Commonwealth.

Environmental education is vital to teaching the next generations of Kentuckians the importance of protecting the places that make Kentucky unique. According to KHLCF biologist Zeb Weese, “While the Baker Natural Area and Livingston County Natural Areas are very different sites, they are both excellent examples of how community involvement can really accomplish a lot.

“While the main focus of the KHLCF is protecting and preserving natural habitats, these sites have really done a fantastic job of providing public access to these sites without compromising the natural features that make them special,” he added.

The KHLCF has funded the protection of over 76,000 acres in 62 counties since 1995 by granting funds to local and state government agencies to purchase natural areas. The KHLCF is funded by the sale of “Nature’s Finest” license plates, environmental fines and the state portion of the unmined minerals tax. By state law, all land purchased with KHLCF funds must be managed for the benefit of habitat conservation and passive recreation.

For more information, visit the Kentucky Heritage Land Conservation Fund website at http://heritageland.ky.gov or contact Zeb Weese at 502-573-3080.

History of the Baker Natural Area

The Baker Natural Area is achieving some firsts in Logan County and the state of Kentucky. The area is the first property purchased by the Kentucky Heritage Land Conservation Fund (KHLCFB) in Logan County and the first property in Kentucky where the ownership resides with a local Conservation District. The North and South Logan County Conservation Districts manage and preserve this unique property located in western Kentucky.

The land consists of 66 acres within the city limits of Russellville, Kentucky. The site has not been intensively farmed for more than 20 years and much of the native flora and fauna has returned to the landscape. A biological review has identified a total of 377 plant species on the property. Five of these plants are listed by the Kentucky Nature Preserves Commission (2004) as of special concern in Kentucky. These species include Purple prairie clover, Carolina larkspur, Hairy fimbry, Inland muhly, and Tansy rosinweed.

The Logan County Conservation Districts are extremely excited about the potential this property has for preservation and education. The landscape is quite diverse and contains open prairie, natural regeneration area, limestone barrens, forestland, and a small wetland area. The biodiversity located on the property provides a great opportunity to educate students about the important natural functions of different land formations. The conservation districts currently hosts annual environmental field days for students in Logan County. This site will allow them to expand these field days to more schools and for the first time offer an outdoor learning environment for adults as well. The property will also serve as a valuable public green space in a developing urban setting.

The Baker Natural Area holds a bright future for citizens in this rural Kentucky region. Caution is being taken to preserve the unique plant communities while allowing people of all ages to experience the beauty of nature. The Logan Conservation Districts held their Grand Opening on April 22, 2006.

The Kentucky Mesonet is a network of automated weather and climate monitoring stations being developed by the Kentucky Climate Center at Western Kentucky University to serve diverse needs in communities across the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The Weather Station information can be found by going to kymesonet.org Then click on sites, than proceed to the county you choose for the latest weather information.

For more information about the Baker Natural Area contact the Logan County Conservation Districts at 270-726-1371.