Flooding is a common, serious, and costly natural disaster. Kentucky is ranked second among flood-related disaster areas in the United States. Preparation of flood zone and flood hazard maps are essential to identify flood risk zones, and then to potentially reduce the impact of flooding. Light Detection and Ranging (Lidar) provides high-resolution and high-accuracy elevation data as input for flood modeling and in studying flood impacts. The objectives of this study are: (1) to use topographic elevation data for delineating flood inundation areas of the Kentucky River at Frankfort; and (2) to demonstrate a flood analysis technique using Lidar as a source of highly accurate elevation data. Lidar point cloud tiles from the Kentucky Geography Network were used to create Triangulated Irregular Networks (TIN), then used to generate water surface elevation. Results showed Lidar-based topography data accurately delineated flood inundation areas and water depth. A simulated flood at a level of 14.77 m, approximating the flood of 1978, inundated 7.85 ha within downtown Frankfort and vicinity, causing considerable physical and monetary damage. Resulting maps of flood inundation areas can be used as supplementary information for flood modeling and analysis. This information can be used in land-use management, town planning, and estimating flood insurance to minimize damage from flooding.

Hazeldell Nature Preserve is a rare ecosystem on the Highland Rim of south-central Kentucky. It is the only state-protected site of its kind. This preserve is comprised of two distinct plant communities, including wet flatwoods and wet meadow. Despite its uniqueness, no ecological studies have been conducted on mammals in the past. Currently, two separate studies are underway on mammals. Here we present the results from the first of these that used camera traps set in the wet flatwoods community from 1 February to 28 March 2020. A total of 34,071 photos were taken with 553 having images of 12 species of mammals. The four most photographed species were eastern gray squirrel, Virginia opossum, white-footed deermouse, and white-tailed deer. These four species appeared in 91% of photos. The remaining 49 photos were of eight species including: eastern cottontail, coyote, bobcat, northern raccoon, striped skunk, southern flying squirrel, common gray fox, and eastern fox squirrel. Woodchuck and eastern chipmunk were not photographed during the study, yet each have ranges that include the preserve. These burrowers may avoid the preserve because of the secondary water table and saturated soil that occur during extended periods. The results of this study serve as baseline data for comparison to future camera trapping. Continued photo documentation will be used to identify changes in the mammal species composition of the preserve caused by species range changes in response to various factors, including habitat fragmentation and climate change.

Bat species associated with the Lilley Cornett Woods Appalachian Ecological Research Station (LCW) were documented over two field seasons. Mist netting was conducted during July 2009 [13 net nights], whereas acoustical monitoring was conducted from May–August 2010, with sampling occurring continuously for 85 nights. A total of 26 individuals, representing 5 species were captured: little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus; n = 11), tricolored bat (Perimyotis subflavus; n = 6), northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis; n = 6), big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus; n = 2), hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus; n = 1). There were 34,425 identified echolocation passes identifying 9 different bat species, i.e., tricolored bat, little brown bat, northern long-eared bat, big brown bat, Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis), gray bat (Myotis grisescens), eastern red bat (Lasiurus borealis), eastern small-footed bat (Myotis leibii), and evening bat (Nycticeius humeralis)]. Multiple species detected at LCW have been classified by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) as endangered (Indiana bat and gray bat) and threatened (northern long-eared bat). Since it was first detected, WNS has spread rapidly across North America and is associated with host mortality of >90%. We strongly recommend the Chiropteran community at LCW be resurveyed to assess the impacts of WNS, and that a passive acoustical monitoring program be developed and integrated into the area's long-term management plan.

High-elevation wetlands of the Cumberland Mountains physiographic province hold high conservation priority due to their relative rarity, with little knowledge in the literature related to amphibians' use of these high-elevation habitats. Therefore, forest and wildlife managers have few data to use when designing management guidelines for these habitats. We sampled five high-elevation wetlands across Pine and Cumberland mountains along the Virginia-Kentucky border, United States of America to address gaps in knowledge about these habitats and their use by amphibians. We inventoried amphibian diversity at five wetlands using visual encounter and auditory surveys. We used standardized, area-constrained visual encounter surveys that consisted of searches of all available cover objects within a 10 m buffer of the wetland margin to inventory amphibian taxa at each site. We also used automated digital recorders to record auditory call data from anuran (frogs and toads) taxa. We encountered 18 total amphibian species (eight anuran and ten salamander species), recording numerous occurrences of some species, such as Mud Salamanders (Pseudotriton montanus Baird), that have previously been assumed to be absent from high-elevation wetlands in the Appalachian region. Statistical analyses further indicated high disparity in amphibian biodiversity between sites. Our results indicate that these wetlands should be of high conservation concern and should be given priority in regional habitat management efforts.

Black and turkey vultures inhabit all environs of Kentucky, yet nest sites are seldom reported. In this study, 44 nest locations of black vultures (Coragyps atratus) and turkey vultures (Cathartes aura) were recorded in north-central and south-central Kentucky, U.S.A., between 1999 and 2022. Black vultures comprised 65% of the nests found. For both species combined, 64% of the nests were in artificial structures. Artificial structures represented 82% of the black vulture nests and 31% of the turkey vulture nests. Black and turkey vulture nests averaged 481 and 987 m from human dwellings or activity. However, black vultures nested within 91 m, and turkey vultures had a nest 27 m from human activity. Abandoned houses and barns may provide a competitive advantage for black vultures over turkey vultures regarding nesting opportunities.

During the last century, numerous models have been developed to predict soil erosion and concomitant sediment deposition. Most have been shown to be inadequate and/or inaccurate in one respect or another. Historically, erosion model results have been compared with sediment outflow from watersheds, providing no information regarding sources and sinks of erosion and deposition within them. This paper documents the application of the new-generation Unit Stream Power Erosion and Deposition (USPED) model at the U.S. Army's Fort Campbell, Kentucky / Tennessee. The USPED model is relatively simple to apply and its novel approach compares model results with observed soil erosion and sediment deposition spatially across the landscape. The model results matched visually-estimated erosion/sediment deposition values 85% of the time, providing an encouraging test of the model. The approach we used provided information regarding the intensity and spatial distribution of soil erosion and sediment deposition that can be used to optimize the placement and size of soil erosion and sediment control efforts.