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A federal program that helps states and communities protect public lands could help create two new Civil War monuments in Kentucky. (@mccraydonna37/Twenty20)

Public Lands Bill Would Create Civil War Monuments in Kentucky

NANCY, Ky. – As part of a major package of public lands legislation, the U.S. House is set to vote on permanently reauthorizing a federal …

Thousands of oil-covered birds had to be rehabilitated after the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico. (MacKenzie/US Fish & Wildlife Service)

Groups Press Feds to Uphold Bird Protections

FRANKFORT, Ky. – The Migratory Bird Treaty Act turns 100 this week, leading conservation groups to dub 2018 the "Year of the Bird" – and …

New legislation aims to save species before they require the Endangered Species Act. The Indiana Bat is currently an endangered species in Kentucky. (Ann Froschauer/ Celley/USFWS)

New Legislation Takes Proactive Approach to Saving Species

FRANKFORT, Ky. -- What if states had the resources to prevent animals from ending up on the Endangered Species list? A bill introduced in Congress …

Buckwheat is among the pollinator-friendly plants. (Michael Lehet/Flickr)

Kentuckians Challenged to Create "Pollinator Gardens"

FRANKFORT, Ky. -- Monarch butterfly numbers have declined by 90 percent over 20 years, felled by pesticides, parasites and loss of habitat. They're …

Bees are important pollinators, but in the past year, bee populations nationwide have dropped by one-third. (USDA)

EPA is Asked to Rethink Effects of Pesticides on Bees

FRANKFORT, Ky. – Today is the final day for the public to comment on an updated assessment of four pesticides that environmental and food-…

Conservationists are fighting back against attempts to gut new regulations that attempt to stop future pollution of streams such as this one that spills into the Kentucky River. (Tarence Ray)

Stream-Protection Rule Flows into Legal Battle

FRANKFORT, Ky. – A coalition of community and conservation groups is fighting back against attempts by state officials in Kentucky and 13 other …

This is the Red River, where nearly a half-century ago a flood-control project sparked controversy. (U.S. Forest Service)

Stopping the Red River Dam: It's Been Almost a Half Century

STANTON, Ky. – A pivotal moment in stopping a controversial plan to dam the Red River, part of which is now Kentucky's only National Wild and …

Honeybee colonies in the United States declined dramatically last year, and advocates say that's not sustainable for agriculture. (USDA)

Trend of Fewer Bees in U.S. Continues

FRANKFORT, Ky. - U.S. beekeepers have reported losing 44 percent of their colonies over the last year, according to a new annual report. Tiffany …

All national parks, including Mammoth Cave, are free this weekend for Earth Day and National Park Week. The U.S interior secretary is calling for increased funds to maintain the parks. (NPS)

Interior Secretary Decries Maintenance Backlog in National Parks

MAMMOTH CAVE, Ky. - Interior Secretary Sally Jewell has an Earth Day message for the United States, "make a major course correction on environmental …

Conservationists want state lawmakers to restore funding cuts that the conservationists say have crippled land-conservation programs in Kentucky. (Greg Stotelmyer)

Conservationists Warn Budget Cuts Threaten Kentucky's Public Lands

FRANKFORT, Ky. - Conservationists are in Frankfort today, telling lawmakers that budget cuts are handcuffing efforts to protect public lands - land …

Organic farmers can start applying for a program to help them pay for conservation buffers on their lands. (Greg Stotelmyer)

Giving Organic Farmers a Conservation Buffer

PIERRE, S.D. - Organic farmers in Kentucky and across the nation soon will have a new tool to help their bottom lines while protecting the …

$Using water is a big part of high-volume fracking, so conservationists want the EPA to close a sizable loophole in the regulation of hazardous wastes from oil and gas drilling. Credit Greg Stotelmyer$

Challenges Regulating Fracking Wastewater "Cautionary Tale" in KY

FRANKFORT, Ky. - The Environmental Protection Agency largely has failed to regulate waste from oil and gas drilling, even though it admitted 27 …

New federal regulations on pollution from surface mining, known as the Stream Protection Rule, are the focus of a public hearing tonight in Lexington. Credit: Vivian Stockman. Flyover courtesy SouthWings.

Hearing in Kentucky on New Coal Mining Pollution Rules

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement will hold a public hearing in Lexington tonight about a …

$Concerns over fracking in Kentucky have produced large turnouts at public meetings, including this one earlier this year in Berea. There's another meeting on oil and gas development tonight in Hazard. Credit: Greg Stotelmyer.$

Test Drilling Intensifies Calls for Ban on Fracking in KY

HAZARD, Ky. - Eastern Kentucky has become ground zero for testing of potential high-volume, hydraulic fracturing in the state. Tonight in Hazard…

Thumbs up to the Endangered Species Act says new poll. Credit: John MacGregor/ Kentucky Bat Working Group.

Survey Shows Strong Support for Endangered Species Act

RANKFORT, Ky. - The Endangered Species Act turns out to be popular among voters, and in a positive way, according to a recent survey. Ninety percent …

PHOTO: The EPA's new rule clarifies which waterways are covered by the Clean Water Act. Conservation groups say it should be a step forward for Appalachia. Photo courtesy Wild Virginia.

Controversial New Federal Water Rule "Modest Progress"

FRANKFORT, Ky. - The Obama administration has released a new rule clarifying which waterways are covered by the Clean Water Act. Many area …

PHOTO: Vacation plans on public lands could change dramatically if the push to turn federal lands over to state control succeeds, and there have been moves to do that in both the U.S. House and Senate. Photo credit: Greg Stotelmyer.

Control of Public Lands: Complications Ahead?

FRANKFORT, Ky. - Summer vacation adventures on public lands could change dramatically if the push to turn federal lands over to state control …

PHOTO: A new accounting of greenhouse gas emissions finds oil, gas and coal extracted from federal lands accounts for more than 20 percent of carbon pollution emissions in the entire United States. Photo by Greg Stotelmyer.

Report: Public Lands Contributing to Greenhouse Gas Emissions

FRANKFORT, Ky. - A new accounting of greenhouse gas emissions shows more than 20 percent of emissions in the United States are the result of oil…

PHOTO: A new report from the National Wildlife Federation outlines how climate change is connected to a proliferation of menacing outdoor pests, from poison ivy to ticks. Photo credit: Deborah C. Smith

Report: KY Bugged by Climate Change

FRANKFORT, Ky. - Climate change is connected to all kinds of creepy-crawly critters, with a new National Wildlife Federation report detailing how …

A coalition of conservation groups wants the EPA to reassess the impact pollution runoff from farming and coal mining has on Kentucky's water and the wildlife that depends on that water. Photo courtesy of NOAA.

A Push for Protecting Wildlife from Polluted Water

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - A coalition of conservation groups claims recently weakened federal water quality standards pose a threat to wildlife in Kentucky - …

PHOTO: The EPA is holding public hearings this week on its proposed tougher carbon emission standards - a controversial proposal here in coal-producing Kentucky. Photo by Greg Stotelmyer.

Giving Your "Two Cents" on Clean Power

FRANKFORT, Ky. – Proposed carbon emissions standards would cut carbon pollution in the power sector by 30 percent compared to 2005 levels…

PHOTO: The National Park Service has calculated that tourism connected to NPS lands, including trails and historic sites, is worth more than $103 million for Kentucky. Credit: NPS.gov

Report: National Parks Bring $103 Million to KY

FRANKFORT, Ky. - National parks, monuments, trails and historic sites are pumping more than $103 million into Kentucky's economy each year. Numbers …

PHOTO: A combination of sequestration, October's government shutdown and the current budget battles in Congress are jeopardizing national parks, including Kentucky's Mammoth Cave National Park, says the National Parks Conservation Association. Photo courtesy National Park Service.

"Mammoth" Budget Hits to Kentucky's National Parks

MAMMOTH CAVE, Ky. - The budget tug-of-war in Washington is damaging the National Park System, according to an organization that works to protect and …

PHOTO: Environmental advocates and faith leaders, including Sister Claire McGowan, delivered thousands of petitions to the governor's office Tuesday, opposing a natural gas liquids pipeline project. Courtesy Kentuckians for the Commonwealth.

Kentucky Faith Leaders Say No to Pipeline

FRANKFORT, Ky. - Faith leaders and environmental advocates delivered petitions bearing more than 36,000 signatures to Gov. Steve Beshear's office on …

PHOTO: This is one of the Barbary Macaques removed from the Las Vegas Zoo - now in a central Kentucky primate sanctuary. Photo courtesy Primate Rescue Center.

Finding Homes for the Vegas Animals

NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. - When the troubled Las Vegas Zoo in Nevada closed unexpectedly late last month, the scramble was on to find new homes for the …

PHOTO: Map showing general path of proposed Bluegrass Pipeline. Credit: Bluegrass Pipeline project

Lawmakers Tap into Pipeline Controversy

FRANKFORT, Ky. – The two companies that are working together to move natural gas liquids through new and repurposed pipelines in Kentucky …

Opponents Trying to Stop Proposed Pipeline

FRANKFORT, Ky. - Gov. Steve Beshear has called lawmakers into special session Aug. 19 to deal with redistricting. Opponents of a proposed pipeline…

PHOTO: The proposed Farm Bill includes a crackdown on cockfighting, an illegal activity in which Kentucky is known as a hub. Courtesy HSUS.

Farm Bill May Mean Federal Cockfighting Crackdown in KY

FRANKFORT, Ky. - Cockfighting is illegal in all 50 states and a felony in 40 of them - but not Kentucky, where it remains a misdemeanor. Wayne …

PHOTO: A coalition of beekeepers and environmental and consumer groups has filed a lawsuit claiming the EPA allows products highly toxic to honeybees to get to market with little oversight. CREDIT: Derek Keats

Lawsuit Claims the EPA is Failing to Protect Bees from Pesticides

FRANKFORT, Ky. - A lawsuit has been filed against the Environmental Protection Agency, claiming it isn't doing enough to protect the nation's …

PHOTO: Kentucky House passes resolution urging LG&E to not use the Wentworth Lime Cave as part of a coal ash landfill in Trimble County. Photo courtesy of Sierra Club.

Resolution Calls for Protecting Cave from Coal Ash

FRANKFORT, Ky. – State lawmakers are weighing in on an environmental controversy which has morphed into a debate over historic preservation…

PHOTO: In many states other than Kentucky, candidates supportive of clean energy kept or won Congressional seats. Courtesy of Build It Solar.

Group: Time for U.S. to Lead on Clean Energy Development

LEXINGTON, Ky. - The elections are over and what happened in Kentucky didn't in many other states. Elsewhere, politicians who voiced support for …

PHOTO: Doug Inkley Image by National Wildlife Federation

Report: Summer's Signs of Things to Come

FRANKFORT, Ky. - Summer in Kentucky is telling us a lot about climate change and where we're headed in the future, according to a new report from the …

Two Kentucky Critters Make Top 10 List

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky Arrow Darter is a colorful fish found only in eastern Kentucky. It – along with another Kentucky creature…

Poll: Most of Coal Country Not Fans of Mountaintop Removal

BEREA, Ky. - The federal Environmental Protection Agency embarked on a listening tour in Eastern Kentucky recently to vet resident concerns about the …

What Spring has Sprung in KY

FRANKFORT, Ky. - Kentuckians can look forward to more potent poison ivy and an exploding deer-tick population. These are just two major changes …

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KY: Endangered Species & Wildlife