We are thrilled to announce the purchase of a 494-acre tract of land adjacent to the Bullitt County community of Cedar Grove, bringing the total acreage of land that Bernheim protects to 16,137. This purchase marks the third land acquisition in as many years for the largest privately held forest dedicated to education and conservation in the eastern United States.
Bernheim officials are calling the acquisition another positive step in the creation of the Cedar Grove wildlife corridor.
“Amidst the rapid pace of development, providing natural corridors where plant and wildlife habitat are protected is critical,” said Dr. Mark Wourms, Bernheim’s Executive Director. “We are grateful to the partnerships that helped make this purchase possible.”
Wourms said the newly acquired land, which features 454 acres of forest, a 40-acre open field and upper sections of Cedar Creek that flows into the Salt River, provides habitat for a multitude of rare and threatened plants and animals, including the Indiana and Northern long-eared bats.
Funding for the $1.4 million-dollar project came from the Kentucky Heritage Land Conservation Fund, administered by the Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves and the Imperiled Bat Conservation Fund, administered by US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Kentucky Natural Lands Trust.
“We’re happy to play a small role in helping Bernheim achieve this work,” said Lee Andrews, State Field Office Supervisor for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “This corridor will become a very important resource for wildlife in the future and will certainly help support Bernheim’s education mission.”