Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission NATURALLY KENTUCKY Number 18, April, May, June 1996 KSNPC Celebrates 20th Anniversary New Preserves by Tim Clarke Dedicated “It is the public policy of the Commonwealth of Kentucky to secure At the March 15, 1996 for the people of present and future generations the benefits of an Commission meeting, KSNPC endur ing r esour ce of na tur al ar eas b y esta b lishing a system of na tur e voted to dedicate a 20-acre tract preserves, protecting these areas and gathering and disseminating information regarding them, establishing and maintaining a registry of Woodburn Glade in Warren of natural areas and otherwise encouraging and assisting in the County. Woodburn Glade is preservation of natural areas and features ” KRS section 146.410(2). home to numerous rare plants including Butler’s quillwort, The Kentucky Nature Preserves Commission (KNPC) was Carolina larkspur, Gattinger’s created in 1976 when Senate Bill 155, drafted by Senator Jon lobelia, Glade cress and Rickert, was approved and compiled as KRS 146.410, the Ken- Perideridia. The presence of tucky Nature Preserves Act. Governor Julian M. Carroll ap- several limestone glades and pointed the first five Commissioners on September 17, 1976, Kentucky’s only known popula- officially forming the Kentucky Nature Preserves Commission. tion of Gattinger’s lobelia make this an ideal area to add to the The Commission hired its first director, Mr. Donald F. Harker, on KSNPC system. Woodburn August 1, 1977. Mr. Harker served until February 1982. Glade was purchased last year Initially, the Commission was comprised of three permanent from The Nature Conservancy. employees: an executive secretary, a zoologist, and a botanist. The number of employees quickly grew to over twenty, as many Also dedicated was Floracliff temporary positions were added to begin the daunting task of State Nature Preserve in Fayette inventorying the state’s flora and fauna. Mr. Harker and the County. The 78-acre sanctuary Commission indicated four priorities of consideration for on the Kentucky River upstream Kentucky’s nature preserves: (1) conservation, (2) interpretative from Raven Run Nature Sanctu- education, (3) scientific research and (4) passive recreation. Mr. ary has been previously known as Harker set the direction for the Commission by adopting the the Mary E. Wharton Nature Natural Heritage Program methodology developed by The Sanctuary. This sanctuary was Nature Conservancy. The Kentucky Nature Preserves Commis- acquired in several tracts from the sion was the twelfth such program in the United States. Today, 1950s to the 1980s by the late there are Natural Heritage Programs throughout the United Mary Wharton, chair of the States, Canada and Latin America, placing the Commission Biological Sciences Department within a network of similar agencies across the North and South at Georgetown College. Dr. American continents. Wharton was an author of “The Wildflowers and Ferns Blackacre State Nature Preserve, a 170-acre gift of land in of Kentucky” and “Trees and Jefferson County from Judge and Mrs. Macauley Smith was Shrubs of Kentucky”. Many of dedicated on March 19, 1979, becoming the first state nature the photos for these books were preserve in Kentucky. Today, Blackacre maintains a successful taken at Floracliff. Property environmental education program. ownership is retained by the Continued on page 2 Continued on page 6 Three additional preserves were County. tored 263 animals, and over 300 dedicated in 1979: Six Mile vascular plant species. Bad Island, an 81 acre Ohio River Richard R. Hannan became the Branch in Letcher County, island preserve in Jefferson second director of the Commis- Brigadoon in Barren County and County; Jesse Stuart State sion in February of 1982. Pilot Knob in Powell County Nature Preserve, 733 acres in Employed with the Commission were KNPC’s additions to the Greenup County; and John since 1978 as a staff botanist, state nature preserve system. James Audubon State Park Mr. Hannan assumed the duties Nature Preserve, 325 acres in of the director when Mr. Harker KNPC signed a limited Coopera- Henderson County. Audubon left to farm. By 1982, the tive Agreement on Plants with State Park Nature Preserve was Natural Heritage Program the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser- the first state-owned property to database was recognized as a vice on January 8, 1986. In be included in the preserve valued resource to other agen- November of 1986, the first full- system. cies and organizations within time position for managing Kentucky and around the preserves was filled by Joyce The 1980 General Assembly country. 1982 also saw the Bender. Cypress Creek State passed legislation creating a state dedication of Beargrass Creek Nature Preserve in Muhlenberg income tax refund “checkoff” State Nature Preserve in County was dedicated in 1986. program whose proceeds were Jefferson County. to be shared between the By January of 1987, 16 nature Nongame Program of the De- In October 1983, KNPC hosted preserves encompassing 5,708 partment of Fish and Wildlife the Tenth Annual Midwest acres had been dedicated in 12 Resources and KNPC. Also in Natural Areas Workshop, counties. A total of 28 landown- 1980, KNPC published Ferns drawing natural areas profes- ers with interests in 23 areas had and Fern Allies of Kentucky by sionals from all over the United entered the Natural Areas Regis- Ray Cranfill -- the first in States and Canada. Two more try Program. This registered KNPC’s series of scientific and preserves, Cumberland Falls natural areas land totaled 5,638 technical publications. State Park Nature Preserve in acres in 20 counties. Also, the Whitley and McCreary counties Commission’s first partnership The early 1980’s was an active and Pine Mountain State Park with a County government time for the Commission. KNPC Nature Preserve in Bell County resulted in the dedication of Jim had four full-time staff and were dedicated as well. Scudder State Nature Preserve in sixteen federally funded employ- Hardin County. Also dedicated ees by January of 1981. By then, In cooperation with The Nature was Boone County Cliffs State over 350 natural areas had been Conservancy, 1984 saw the Nature Preserve. identified by the Commission. beginning of the Natural Areas Registry Program and 31 areas A county level natural areas Three preserves were dedicated were registered that year. inventory, initiated in 1988 using into the Commonwealth’s nature Metropolis Lake in McCracken methodology consistent with preserve system in 1981. Bat County was also dedicated as a similar surveys in other states, Cave and Cascade Caverns State State Nature Preserve. continues to this day. On June 1, Park Nature Preserve in Carter 1988, the name of the Commis- County, Blue Lick State Park The Natural Heritage Program sion was changed from Kentucky Nature Preserve in Robertson database contained over 6,300 Nature Preserves Commission County and Natural Bridge State records by January of 1985. (KNPC) to the Kentucky State Nature Preserve in Powell The Commission then moni- Nature Preserves Commission 2 - NATURALLY KENTUCKY (KSNPC) by legislative action. and Vernon-Douglas in Hardin Warren County were dedi- County were added to the nature cated early this year. The KSNPC had published five preserve system. Commission will also publish volumes in its scientific and an updated Endangered and technical series by January of In April 1994, KSNPC moved Threatened Species list, 1989. These included a report on from 407 Broadway to 801 which now contains over 600 the fishes of the Dix and lower Schenkel Lane, significantly species and 54 natural com- Green rivers, Kentucky’s fish improving its facilities. The munities. The Kentucky fauna, and the aquatic and wet- 1994 General Assembly passed Breeding Bird Atlas, com- land plants of the Common- the Rare Plant Recognition Act, piled and written by Brainard wealth. The latter book by John authorizing KSNPC to create an Palmer-Ball, Jr., is forthcom- Thieret of Northern Kentucky official state list of endangered ing and should be available by University has been reprinted and and threatened plants. The 1994 the summer. KSNPC’s World is used as a university textbook. General Assembly also appropri- Wide Web homepage was 1990 saw the first funding from ated monies for the Kentucky recently completed. It can be the legislature strictly for land Heritage Land Conservation seen at URL: http:/ acquisition purposes. Fund, a funding program for www.state.ky. us/agencies/ public and private land acquisi- nrepc/ksnpc/index.htm. 1990 saw four more dedications: tion and initial management. By Dinsmore Woods in Boone 1994, KSNPC staff totaled 11 Two permanent regional County, Flat Rock Glade in permanent and 12 seasonal preserve manager positions Simpson County, Raymond positions. are now filled by Dave Skin- Athey Barrens and Logan County ner and Rick Remington, the Glade both in Logan County. KSNPC saw in 1995 the imple- first additional permanent The following year Axe Lake in mentation of a local area com- stewardship staff since 1986. Ballard County and Chaney Lake puter network and increased Their arrival greatly enhances in Warren County were dedi- technological capabilities. the Commission’s stewardship cated. Computer networking allowed efforts. A seasonal steward- greater manipulation and inter- ship ecologist will be hired In September 1992, Richard pretation of data within the this year to do community Hannan resigned to take a posi- Biological Conservation Data- classifications of state nature tion with the U.S. Fish and base, which then held over 9,000 preserves. Wildlife Service in Atlanta, records of endangered, threat- Georgia. Marc Evans served as ened or special concern plants, Tasks ahead include develop- Acting Director until January of animals and natural communities. ment of a classification 1993 when Robert McCance, Jr., Internet access and electronic system that will provide a became KSNPC’s third director.