The kentucky natural lands trust proposes projects in federal fiscal year 2025 that will further benefit forest and at-risk BAT conservation at fort knox

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) awarded Kentucky Natural Lands Trust, Inc. a Cooperative Agreement totaling $765,090.48 under the Candidate Species Conservation program (CFDA 15.660) on June 9, 2025, with a completion date of December 31, 2029. The award funds forest and at-risk bat conservation projects at Fort Knox, Kentucky, a 109,000-acre military installation. The projects align with Fort Knox's Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan and focus on protecting federally listed species including the Indiana bat, northern long-eared bat, and gray bat, as well as at-risk species such as the little brown bat and tricolored bat that face threats from habitat loss and white-nose syndrome.

Under this Cooperative Agreement, Kentucky Natural Lands Trust will deliver comprehensive natural resources management services including species monitoring, habitat restoration and management, research activities, and scientific surveys targeting bat populations and their ecosystems. The work will be conducted in partnership with the USFWS and the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources to identify, protect, and restore critical bat habitats—including roost trees, foraging areas, and migratory corridors—while minimizing adverse impacts from forest management practices and energy development on Fort Knox. These conservation initiatives support both wildlife preservation objectives and the military installation's training mission requirements.

The projects will be undertaken on fort knox, 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 at-risk BAT species and threatened and endangered species on the installation, including monitoring for the proposed endangered tricolored BAT, species under review for listing little brown BAT, northern long-eared BAT and the indiana BAT. 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), and protection 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 conservation and 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 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.