Published: November 09, 2006 11:30 pm

Tygarts State Forest widens

181 acres added to Carter boundaries

Olive Hill — Tygarts State Forest near Carter Caves State Resort Park here will expand by 181 acres.

The Kentucky Division of Forestry announced Wednesday it has purchased that additional land off the northwest section of its Carter County property to enhance area recreation.

“We’re excited about this opportunity,” said Mary Jean Eddins, spokeswoman for the Kentucky Heritage Land Conservation Fund in Frankfort.

The state fund provided $287,000 to Forestry for purchase and management of the 181-acre addition.

“Like the present state forest, the added property will eventually be opened to the public for outdoor recreational uses such as horseback riding, hiking and hunting,” she said.

The property is not being opened to the public immediately so boundaries can be marked and management activities performed, Eddins said.

It is due to open in early spring, she said.

State officials are reminding interested users that while hunting is allowed on Tygarts State Forest under proper rules, the new area is not open to hunting yet.

The land was purchased from a single landowner and includes a large property northwest of Oakland Ridge Road adjacent to current Tygarts State Forest land, officials said.

The money for the purchase came from the conservation fund, which awards unmined minerals tax money, nature license plate fees and such to state agencies and local governments.

The purchase enlarges the state forest to 874 acres. The added property is primarily wooded but has about 70 acres of pastureland, which will be replanted as hardwood forest. Some acreage will be used for research. Existing woodlands will be put under proper timber management, the state said.

The tract is near Carter Caves, and potentially provides important habitat for Indiana bats. A biological inventory will be taken to learn of any threatened or endangered species. Exotic and invasive plants will be eradicated where possible.

The Kentucky Heritage Land Conservation Fund receives about $4 million a year for conservation projects, officials said.

The public can get involved through “nature plates” available at county clerk offices for an additional $10, proceeds of which benefit the fund.

Since 1995, the fund had provided nearly $32 million for protection of 27,000 acres of natural areas and wildlife habitat across Kentucky, the state said.