The kentucky natural lands trust proposes projects in federal fiscal year 2024 that will further benefit forestand listed BAT conservation at fort knox as well as throughout the commonwealth of…

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service awarded a $775,902.86 Cooperative Agreement under the Endangered Species Recovery Implementation program (CFDA 15.657) to the Kentucky Natural Lands Trust, Inc. The agreement, which runs from June 15, 2024 to December 31, 2029, will fund projects that benefit forest and listed bat conservation at Fort Knox, Kentucky as well as throughout the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Key activities include natural resource management, species monitoring and research, habitat restoration, and endangered species recovery implementation to support the conservation of federally listed bats, such as the northern long-eared bat and Indiana bat. The projects aim to better understand the life histories, population statuses, and habitat dependencies of these at-risk bat species, while also implementing critical recovery actions across priority areas in Kentucky.

The kentucky natural lands trust proposes projects in federal fiscal year 2024 that will further benefit forestand listed BAT conservation at fort knox as well as throughout the commonwealth of kentucky. The projects will beundertaken on fort knox, kentucky and the united states fish and wildlife service recovery program, administered by the kentucky field office throughout kentucky. Fort knox, located in north- central kentucky, is the home of the army cadet command, army human resources command, army recruiting command. Fort knox is 109,000 acres in size and provides high-quality, realistic training lands for the army, air force, navy, marine corps, national guard, coast guard, reserve forces, and military units of other nations. In cooperation with the U.S. Fish and wildlife service and the kentucky department of fish and wildlife resources, fort knox has developed an integrated natural resources management plan that guides the implementation of the natural resources program on the installation. The goals and objectives outlined help to ensure the conservation of fort knox s natural resources, while providing high-quality training lands to support the military mission. The plan outlines specific management practices to protect and enhance threatened and endangered species on the installation, including monitoring for the northern long-eared BAT (myotis septentrionalis) and the indiana BAT (myotis sodalis).the commonwealth of kentucky has historically had a rich faunal diversity that has been, to varying degrees, impacted by development (habitat loss), habitat conversion and disease (white nose syndrome). The kentucky field office and its conservation partners continue to prioritize the identification, restoration (when needed), andprotection of habitats where federally listed (e.g., indiana, gray, northern long-eared, and virginia big-eared bats) and at-risk (e.g., little brown and tricolored bats) shelter (roost), feed (forage), and travel. For example, an understanding of these BAT species migratory routes, roost trees, and maternity colony locations in kentucky is essential for the field office and its partners to undertake necessary recovery actions, as well as minimize adverse effects that may result from certain forest practices, energy development projects, and other potential impacts to the species foraging grounds and roost trees. Projects will be undertaken in field office priority areas throughout the commonwealth to directly benefit conservation of these species and the habitats they depend on through targeted research to better understand aspects of these species life history, to support improving species presence determinations, and or to restore and protect key habitats where the species persists.