• Keep Kentucky Wild

Partner with us to invest in Kentucky’s wildlife heritage.

What is Kentucky Wild?

Kentucky Wild directly supports vulnerable wildlife facing threats in our state.

A one-year membership allows you to take action to conserve our wildlife legacy for future generations.

Join today and make a difference for tomorrow

You’ll have the opportunity to go out in the field and work side-by-side with us on wildlife-saving projects, and receive some sweet stuff in return!

Your membership will help ensure that future generations of Kentuckians can enjoy our state’s wildlife.

  • Featured Projects

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Loggerhead Shrike

Despite plentiful open habitat, loggerhead shrikes have declined throughout much of their range.

Technically a songbird, the loggerhead shrike shares a few raptor-like qualities, including hunting vertebrate prey. Loggerhead shrikes impale prey on barbed wire or thorns in order to consume their quarry, coining the nickname ‘butcherbird’ or ‘thorn bird’. Our biologists are part of an international effort to study this unique species through color-banding, feather collection, and population monitoring.

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Eastern Hellbender Salamander

The eastern hellbender is the largest salamander in North America, and lives in shallow, rocky streams with good water quality.

Hellbender breathe primarily through their skin and are extremely sensitive to low oxygen and pollutants in the water. Their secretive, nocturnal habits make them challenging to monitor. Hellbender populations in neighboring states appear to be in decline, and more information is needed to determine their status in Kentucky.

Our biologists are collaborating with Purdue University in hopes of increasing hellbender populations through captive breeding.

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Monarch Butterfly

The iconic monarch butterfly is facing unprecedented population declines of nearly 90% from just twenty years ago.

Monarch butterflies face multiple threats including increased pesticide use, disease, habitat alteration, and the loss of milkweed plants on which their caterpillars need. By establishing native plant communities with good nectar sources and planting milkweed, we’re working to reverse this decline and expand habitat not only for monarch butterflies, but also other native bees and pollinators.

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Kentucky Arrow Darter

The Kentucky arrow darter lives only in headwater streams of the upper Kentucky River drainage.

These small fish live above or below riffles over bedrock, cobble, and pebble. Populations have declined due to coal mining, logging, agriculture, gas/oil exploration, and land development. KDFWR successfully spawned young darters in captivity, and then tagged and released 1,823 into wild streams. Recent surveys indicate not only fish survival, but also evidence of reproduction.

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