Union County Wildlife Management Area
Photo courtesy Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources
In 2012, Kentucky added its newest wildlife management area and state forest to its public lands. The Kentucky Division of Forestry (KDF) and the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) jointly acquired nearly 2,500 acres in Union County at the confluence of the Ohio and Tradewater rivers. The 2,484-acre site near Sturgis is a portion of one of the largest private landholdings in Kentucky. The entire property was purchased in early 2009 by an investment fund managed by The Forestland Group with cooperation from the Fund and KSFW. This purchase enabled KDFWR and the KDF to acquire and protect this tract.
This land is now permanently protected from development and agricultural conversion. The property will provide public recreational opportunities for hunting, fishing, hiking, canoeing, wildlife viewing and other activities as a wildlife management area. It also will be managed to provide watershed and water quality protection; protection and recovery of endangered, threatened and rare species (such as the Indiana bat); preservation of existing cultural and geological treasures—and a sustainable forest.
