BUILDING RESILIENCE: CONSERVATION AMID CLIMATE CHANGE

Kentucky conservation lands

6.4%

Threats from climate change and some steps to help nature cope
Obstacles to migration
Highways and roads are dangerous for deer and other animals to cross.

RIVERS AND STREAMS

Steps:

When it comes to helping nature adapt to climate change, biologists say its all about resilience, or the ability of plants, animals or ecological systems to bounce back after disturbances. And climate change is expected to bring about big disturbances, on top of other major changes that may have little or nothing to do with climate, such as some of the invading plants, inspects or diseases that are are already remaking our landscapes.

More silt and pollution from runoff, channel gorging from higher intensity and frequency of heavy rains and ooding. Less water due to increased use by people. Warmer water temperatures reduce tiny animals at the bottom of the food web, putting more stress on sh.

Buffer zones between farming activities and waterways. Better storm-water management; water conservation. Restore forested stream banks to provide shade.

FORESTS

Invasion of non-native species. Infestations of insect pests such as hemlock wooly adelgid may intensify, leading to higher tree mortality. Extended periods of drought may increase res. Loss of some tree species as temperatures Enlarged change, while others become more dominant. More tree death from drought.

Steps:

Forest
Tree management
Selective timber harvesting and tree planting.

Thinking big
The story today is dramatically different than it was before settlement. Wetlands have been greatly reduced to just hundreds of thousands of acres. The prairies are nearly all gone, replaced largely by farms. The rust color on the map below shows where cities are built, with their sprawling tentacles that extend outward along roads. Dark gray areas illustrate the footprint of coal. There's still a lot of forest, especially in Eastern Kentucky, but it's down to about 50 percent of our land cover. Fifty percent forest cover may sound like a lot. But the areas are highly fragmented by roads, utilities and farms, making them less valuable to sh and wildlife, which need room to survive. The darkest green areas on this map are forest tracts larger than 1,000 acres, representing only 8 percent of the state's forest cover. That's not a lot.

Making connections
65 Long Lick Creek Conservationists for years have thought about how to make sure the creeks, forests and knobs between the Bernheim Forest and the forests of Fork Knox stay useful to wildlife, from endangered bats to golden eagles to bobcats, raccoons and deer. In the past, they have even proposed building wildlife bridges across Interstate 65. Now they are focused on protecting the stream corridors and other key properties and will worry about the interstate later. The effort has made some headway in the past two years, with three acquisitions in Bullitt County by the Kentucky Natural Lands Trust some 400 acres. Ofcials say they may need to protect 4,000 more acres to complete their BernheimFort Knox dream.
Sal tR ive r

Early detection and rapid response to remove invaders. Maintain maximum tree species diversity to Grain of rice ameliorate declines of one particular species. Manage recreational use to limit human impact. Southern pine beetle Selective timber harvesting and tree planting. Develop wildlife friendly highway underpasses and river corridors connecting larger protected key habitats.

BIRDS

Shade
Culverts in creeks and rivers prevent sh from migrating.

Ranges could continue move north. Migrants may no longer arrive at breeding grounds at the best time for feeding, when insects are at their peak. Increased drought means less food.

Fort Knox
Ro llin gF ork

Crooked Creek

Bernheim Forest

Forest

Restore forested stream banks to provide shade.

Steps:

River
Underpasses
Develop wildlife friendly highway underpasses and river corridors connecting larger protected key habitats.

Space invaders
Early detection and rapid response to remove invaders.

Conserve and restore functioning ecological systems large enough to provide safe havens. Protect critical habitat along migration routes.

65

k ee Cr n ilso

Wetland

Covington

Land cover
Deciduous forest (45.9%) Coniferous/mixed forest (4.0%) Wetland (1.5%) Cropland (10.8%) Pasture/shrub (25.8%) Major river/resevoir (1.9%) Other bare land (not shown 0.2%) Urban area (6.8%) Mined land (3.1%) Paducah

Conservation lands
Federal (4.25%) State (1.89%) Local (0.07%) Private (0.19%) Louisville

KENTUCKY RIVER PALISADES

Frankfort Lexington

Ashland

Grassland
FISH AND MUSSELS
Loss of habitat for cold-water sh if they move upstream seeking cooler areas to feed and reproduce. Higher stress due to lowered oxygen levels caused by higher temperatures. Increased silt in waterways clogs gills, smothers sh eggs and hurts mussel populations. Increased drought followed by ooding, disrupting spawning patterns and reducing reproduction.

WETLANDS

Controlled burning
Public education on the ecological importance of controlled burning. GRASSLANDS

Invasion of non-native species Drying out during longer drought periods. Trees and shrubs could encroach on edges of wetlands, making them smaller.

Steps:

Early detection and rapid response to remove invaders. Restore streams and wetlands. Maintain groundwater levels.

Owensboro BERNHEIM FOREST

FORT KNOX/

UPPER GREEN RIVER LAND BETWEEN THE LAKES/ FORT CAMPBELL

Bowling Green

DANIEL BOONE NATIONAL FOREST

Somerset

Pikeville

OTHER GENERAL STEPS

Invasion of non-native species Public may turn against controlled burning, resulting in a loss of grasslands.

OBION CREEK

Steps: PINE MOUNTAIN

BATS

CLARKS RIVER

Acreage includes easements, long-term leases and lands enrolled in government conservation programs. Note: Conservation lands are classied by the lead managing agency.

Remove or re-engineer barriers to sh migration, such as defunct dams and culverts that block sh migration. Use erosion control best management practices. Mimic as much as possible natural ows in rivers below dams.

Steps:

Early detection and rapid response to remove invaders. Public education on the ecological importance of controlled burning.

Invasive species: Cogongrass

Sources: Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources; Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission; Greg Abernathy, Kentucky Natural Lands Trust; Thomas Barnes, extension professor and wildlife specialist at University of Kentucky; research by Courier-Journal reporter James Bruggers.

Warmer temperatures increase stress in bats during hibernation, resulting in lowered fat reserves during spring emergence. Longer activity means a greater chance for exposure to fatal WhiteNose Syndrome disease.

Steps:

Protect caves where bats hibernate and restore natural air ows. Stop harvest of mature trees with loose bark bats need to stash young while they are feeding during maternity periods. Use fewer insecticides so theres more bat food available.

Focus conservation efforts in vital areas and develop funding sources to pay for conservation land purchases. Encourage Congress to fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which is supposed to tap revenues from offshore oil and gas drilling to pay for conservation but is routinely diverted. Foster cooperation among state, local, federal and private land trusts to work together to take on larger-scale conservation efforts. Educate landowners on conservation practices. Protect against trespassers, poachers and timber thieves. Create new breeding habitats. Monitor sh, wildlife and ecological systems to detect changes.
GRAPHICS BY STEVE REED/THE COURIER-JOURNAL