2023 Bison Auction at Land Between the Lakes

A public auction to reduce the size of Land Between the Lakes’ bison herds will be held on Saturday, February 11, 2023. The sale begins at 9am Central Standard Time at the South Bison Range corral. Bidder registration, final sale list, and viewing begin at 8am CST. The Forest Service has scheduled approximately 32 bison to be sold individually to include:1 cow born 2015, tested for pregnancy9 large young bulls born 20204 cows born 2020, tested for pregnancy6 yearling heifers born in 20217 yearling bulls born 2021a 4 to 5 bull and heifer calves born in 2022Preliminary details regarding the…
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Thousand Cankers Disease Monitoring Project 2022

Walnut Twig Beetle | Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, bugwood.org Background: Thousand Cankers Disease (TCD) is an insect/disease complex caused by the combination of the lethal fungus, Geosmithia morbida, and the walnut twig beetle, Pityophthorus juglandis. This disease is native to the southwestern United States, but in the last decade, TCD has been discovered in many eastern states as well. It has been discovered in several of Kentucky’s neighboring states, however it hasn’t been detected in the Commonwealth to date. Black Walnut is highly susceptible to this disease which causes major dieback and mortality in these trees. Walnut Twig Beetle…
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The Land Between the Lakes 2022 Heritage Geocache Challenge: The Heritage of Wildlife Conservation

The Heritage Geocache Challenge begins Friday, June 10, 2022 at Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area. The Wildlife Conservation Heritage Challenge Coin The annual Heritage Geocache Challenge is put on by the Heritage Program at Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area as part of our outreach to the public, to get people to explore their forest and their history, and to share the unique heritage of the families from Between the Rivers. About the GeocachesThis is the sixth year of the Heritage Geocache Challenge at the Land Between the Lakes and, like in previous years, we like people…
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They Grow Up So Fast!

They Grow Up So Fast!

May 2, 2014 was a big day for the Woodlands Nature Station. Peeking into the wolf den, the dim morning light barely revealed the two squiggly forms covered in reddish brown fur. With flattened ears, closed eyes, and barely a whimper, the light highlighted their vulnerable faces.  I picked up the larger of the two pups. She weighed ¾ of a pound, her only distinguishing mark being a long white stripe from her tiny chest to her belly.  It was a healthy little red wolf pup! It was the first one born at the Woodlands Nature Station in 20 years. …
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New Bobcat at Woodlands Nature Station

New Bobcat at Woodlands Nature Station

The Woodlands Nature Station is happy to announce a new, frisky resident in our bobcat enclosure. The Nature Station is a permanent, educational home to several species of native wildlife who cannot be released into the wild due to injury or imprinting-- being too comfortable around humans. A Bobcat Story The 10-month old bobcat made Nature Station his home on March 20, 2017. He was hit by a car as a young, 8-week old kitten and suffered back leg trauma. Caring individuals took him to Walden's Puddle Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center in Joelton, TN. Walden's Puddle staff successfully repaired his leg…
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Land Between the Lakes Ten Year Monitoring and Evaluation Report

Land Between the Lakes Ten Year Monitoring and Evaluation Report

It’s been eleven fiscal years since developing the Land Between the Lakes Area Plan. Our specialist have completed a ten year evaluation report assessing our progress. The report indicates strengths and weaknesses of Area Plan implementation. Now we need to hear from you. Your feedback on this report will help shape collaboration in the near future. Specifically, we want to know: Whether the report captures Area Plan implementation since December 2004 How to use the results in the report to improve collaboration on management of Land Between the Lakes You can read the ten year report by clicking on this…
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Elk go to West Virginia

Elk go to West Virginia

Update 3/5/2017 By Curtis Fowler, Range Technician at Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area I recently received a quick update from West Virginia’s elk manager regarding the status of elk Land Between the Lakes provided to West Virginia for release into the wild. It seems that most of them are doing OK up there in the coal hills, though 2 have died, the rest seem mostly healthy and content. The herd has stayed mostly on the Tomblin Wildlife Management Area so far, which is very good! They have stayed primarily within a 2.5 mile circle and have not entered…
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Open lands-Helping Wildlife Survive

Open lands-Helping Wildlife Survive

Dear friends, As part of our Land and Resource Management Plan, we designated approximately 10,600 acres as open lands. This acreage specifically supports insects, game animals, grassland type birds, and mammals through open lands management. Managing open lands involves keeping desired vegetation in an early stage of growth. We do this by cultivating and planting our wildlife plantings and cropland areas. We maintain grassland type habitat primarily by mowing, disking, prescribed fire and herbicide applications. These open land types provide food and shelter for hundreds of species at Land Between the Lakes. Since the turn of the 21st Century, natural…
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Farewell Bobcat

Farewell Bobcat

The Woodlands Nature Station bid farewell to our bobcat today. The female cat passed away earlier from kidney failure. Such illness is common in older bobcats. Rescued near Memphis, Tennessee, our bobcat arrived as a kitten. She came to Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area in 1995. In her 22 years living here, she contributed to the learning and knowledge of almost one million visitors. Bobcats play a vital role in our environment. Weakened due to habitat loss, bobcat populations rebounded thanks to effective conservation practices. We estimate that over 200 bobcats reside on the inland peninsula today. The…
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South Bison Range Storm Damage

South Bison Range Storm Damage

Rainfall knocked down fences at the South Bison Range in various locations as water overflowed the stream banks and roadside ditches on both sides of the Trace. Note the row of about 10 hay rolls floating in at least 6’ of water. They stopped there so “neatly” because the fence is under the water holding on to them!  Originally the hay rolls were “neatly” lined up between the two pastures. The flooding water carried them across the field and over and through the fences as shown in these other photos. We still have not been able to fix all of the northern…
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