Questions from the Public – Land Between the Lakes

27 Jan 2023

2023 Bison Auction at Land Between the Lakes

Bison, Natural Resource Management, South Bison Range, Wildlifebison, bison auction, conservation, Forest Service, land between the lakes, Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area, LBL, south bison range, tennessee, wildlife

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…

19 Aug 2022

By LBL_Admin

Thousand Cankers Disease Monitoring Project 2022

Environmental Education, Natural Resource Management, WildlifeInsect Monitoring, insects, Kentucky, Kentucky Division of Forestry, land between the lakes, LBL, natural resource management, Thousand Cankers Disease, Walnut Twig Beetle, wildlife

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…

26 Apr 2017

By LBL_Admin

Help Protect Resources

Natural Resource Management, Restoration, Roads, StewardshipKentucky, land between the lakes, native grasses, Paradise sale, rehabilitation, tennessee, timber sale

The Paradise Timber Sale near Forest Service Road 113 is coming to a close. Loggers have removed their equipment and have begun to restore roads accessing open lands to their pre-sale condition. As part of their contractual obligations, the logging company will install water diversion structures, plant wildlife-friendly native seed mixes, and mulch where needed along access roads impacted by the sale. If you drive along Forest Service Road 113, you will find barricades in place. We are asking you to refrain from driving or walking through these sensitive areas so native grasses can begin to grow. Thank you for your cooperation. John Westbrook Environmental…

03 Mar 2017

By LBL_Admin

Fenton Fire 2017

Community, Fire, Natural Resource Management, Stewardshipfenton, fire, Kentucky, land between the lakes, management, recreation, tennessee, wildfire

A Managed Wildfire Fire at Land Between the Lakes Update | March 8, 2017 Q: Where is the Fenton Fire? A: The Fenton Fire, caused by a lightning strike, is on Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area south of US68/KY60 near the Fenton Campground and along the Central Hardwoods Scenic Trail. Q: Is the Fenton Fire still active? A: Yes. The rain event did not extinguish the fire completely. There are areas still smoldering. Even with the rain over the last few days, the ground is drying very quickly. This time of year, trees uptake of water increases. Therefore,…

31 Oct 2016

By LBL_Admin

Open lands-Helping Wildlife Survive

Field Guide, Fire, Hunting, Natural Resource Management, Plants, Recreation, Restoration, Stewardship, Wildlifefire, Forest Service, habitat, Kentucky, land between the lakes, openlands, partners, prescribed burning, species, tennessee, wildlife

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…

13 Sep 2016

By LBL_Admin

Sustainable Recreation Arrives

Camping, Community, Customer Service, Environmental Education, Funding, Homeplace, Maintenance, Nature Station, Planetarium, Recreation, Sustainable Recreation, Trailsbudget, Kentucky, land between the lakes, public, recreation, tennessee

Dear Friends, Over these past four years we have been adjusting and adapting our programs and services in order to balance our budget as it “down sized.” We’re in better shape than other Forest Service units because of our prioritizing strategies we worked on together in our 2012 Budget Reduction Open Houses. Today we want to include you in our part of the region-wide effort to achieve sustainable recreation. Sustainable Recreation = Recreation that Lasts Our regional facilities budget has decreased by more than half and our recreation operations budget has gone down by 12 percent since 2012. We are…

26 Aug 2016

By LBL_Admin

Update on Fox Hollow Scoping Letter

Fox Hollow Collaborative, Natural Resource Management, Stewardshipcollaboration, Fox Hollow, Kentucky, land between the lakes, land management, project, tennessee

Dear Interested Party, We received some questions about the scoping letter for Fox Hollow Project dated August 22, 2016. Many of you expected more detail to be provided. We will provide more information as it becomes available. As part of the collaboration case study on Fox Hollow we want to involve you earlier in the process so we can consider your ideas and concerns before the project is firmly defined. Therefore, we do not have all the detail you are used to seeing at the scoping phase of a project. We posted the information we do know about Fox Hollow…

12 May 2016

By LBL_Admin

Gypsy Moths

Community, Environmental Education, Field Guide, Natural Resource Managementgypsy moth, Kentucky, land between the lakes, tennessee, traps

Updated May 9, 2017 Forest Service staff have begun placing gypsy moth traps across Land Between the Lakes this week. Please leave the traps alone, as they are used to learn about new isolated populations. Thank you. Submitted by Yvonne Helton, Silviculturist The gypsy moth, Latin name Lymantria dispar, is a devastating forest pest in parts of North America. Gypsy moths originated in Europe and Asia. We consider them an invasive species. The first known occurrence of the gypsy moth occurred in 1869 around Boston, MA shortly after Etienne Trouvelot imported egg masses from France. Our forestry staff placed Gypsy…

06 May 2016

By LBL_Admin

Tree Planting at the Elk and Bison Prairie

Elk & Bison Prairie, Field Guide, Natural Resource Management, Plants, Restoration, Stewardshipbison, elk, habitat, Kentucky, land between the lakes, natural resources, planting, prairie, tennessee, trees

Submitted by Yvonne Helton, Silviculturist We recently planted approximately 1500 shortleaf pine and 70 Bur Oak seedlings within the perimeter of the Elk & Bison Prairie. We chose areas where pine mortality occurred and staff burned off debris piles. So why did we plant Shortleaf Pine? We value fire tolerant traits such as its ability to re-sprout and natural resistance to fire scar rot. Shortleaf Pine also produces frequent cone crops. These attributes suit the Elk & Bison Prairie perfectly. Shortleaf Pine may also create a more diverse habitat. We observed declines of Virginia Pine in the Elk & Bison…

21 Apr 2016

By LBL_Admin

Respect the Roads

Camping, Community, Customer Service, Maintenance, Recreation, RoadsKentucky, land between the lakes, maintenance, off-roading, roads, tennessee, turkey bay

We have all heard it before; “respect the resource.” What does that actually mean? It means we must work together to maintain and improve what we have. At Land Between the Lakes we place a tremendous focus on maintaining natural settings, scenic views, and healthy forests while balancing the needs of our diverse user groups. Activities like habitat management, environmental education, camping, and hiking might seem unrelated; yet each one has the potential to affect the other. By being responsible, it is possible for everyone to enjoy the land for years to come. Turkey Bay Off-Highway Vehicle Area serves as…

Category: Questions from the Public