OTHER BIRDING & CONSERVATION GROUPS
The Louisville area and Kentucky have many government entities and non-profit organizations that support birding, preserve habitat and conduct educational and environmental activities. The Beckham Bird Club has supported many of these organizations through grants of money raised by the club’s annual Birdathon.
Check their websites for information about programming.
The Kentucky Ornithological Society
Founded in 1923, the Kentucky Ornithological Society (KOS) is Kentucky's statewide birding organization. KOS strives to create and increase interest in Kentucky birds, and to support bird conservation. It supports a variety of activities, including field trips and bird counts, spring and fall meetings, and educational and scientific activities.
If you are not already a member, please consider supporting KOS by becoming a member today. Benefits include:
More information is on the website.
LOUISVILLE AND ENVIRONS
Places to go birding in and around Louisville:
The Parklands of Floyds Fork
https://theparklands.org/
With four major parks covering over 4,000 acres, The Parklands is one of the largest visitor-and-donor supported public park systems in the country, and it’s right here in Louisville’s backyard. It has an extensive network of paved, gravel or dirt trails that extend into a variety of habitats.
The Louisville Nature Center
https://www.louisvillenaturecenter.org/about
Located across the street from the Louisville Zoo and adjacent to Joe Creason Park, our facilities include:
Creasey-Mahan Nature Preserve
https://creaseymahannaturepreserve.org/
Virginia Creasey Mahan and Howard Mahan established the Creasey Mahan Nature Preserve on their farm in 1975. They did this to enrich all members of the community through conservation, education, and community enjoyment. We are continuing to bring nature and community together in a beautiful setting, with equal access for all. Upon its 168 acres are winding trails lush with all varieties of trees, wildflowers, and shrubs. Woodlands, wetlands and meadows of native grasses, springs, songbirds, and a meandering stream share the land with wildlife, their colonial home, and creek stone springhouse.
Bernheim Forest and Arboretum
https://bernheim.org/
Located about 45-minutes south of Louisville, Bernheim Forest and Arboretum was founded in 1929 by Isaac W. Bernheim, with the mission of connecting people with nature. In the nearly 100 years since, it has expanded to encompass 16,000 acres. Bernheim boasts the largest area of private, protected land east of the Mississippi River. Thanks to ongoing stewardship and conservation work, the formerly logged and forested landscapes are now approaching old-growth status.
River Fields
https://riverfields.org/
As a land trust, River Fields holds 65 acres of key river corridor properties outright in 10 different parcels and approximately 2,300 acres in 27 conservation easements. The largest owned property is the Garvin Brown Preserve, which covers 46 acres. Garvin Brown Preserve is open to the public from dawn until dusk daily.
Jefferson Memorial Forest
https://www.wildernesslouisville.org/natural-areas/jefferson-memorial-forest/
Jefferson Memorial Forest is the headquarters of Louisville Parks and Recreation’s Natural Areas Division, which is responsible for managing more than 7,500 acres and nearly 60 miles of hiking and equestrian trails spread over multiple properties. This urban forest—located just 15 miles from downtown Louisville—offers city dwellers a wilderness immersion experience. The Forest is Louisville’s largest nature preserve. Dozens of hiking and equestrian trails ranging from easy to strenuous meander through the Forest, and all can be enjoyed year-round with preparation and appropriate gear.
Blackacre Nature Preserve
https://visitblackacre.org/
Blackacre was then established as Kentucky’s first State Nature Preserve, inspiring and educating hundreds of thousands of students, teachers, and volunteers through its environmental programs. Blackacre Conservancy includes a nature preserve and historic homestead which provides insight to the precious traces of Kentucky’s past. Our 280-acre Nature Preserve includes trails, forest, waterfall, streams, meadows and ponds.
Falls of the Ohio State Park
https://www.in.gov/dnr/state-parks/parks-lakes/falls-of-the-ohio-state-park/
Located on the banks of the Ohio River at 201 West Riverside Drive, Clarksville, Indiana, is Falls of the Ohio State Park. The 390-million-year-old fossil beds are among the largest exposed Devonian fossil beds in the world. The park features a spectacular interpretive center overlooking the fossil beds featuring new interactive, immersive exhibits.
Origin Park
https://www.originpark.org/
Origin Park is an evolving new urban riverfront park of 430 acres on the north shore of the Ohio River, in Clarksville, Indiana. This park celebrates and embraces the unpredictable Ohio River and the floods that come from it. Origin Park is already open in limited designated areas to the public.
Waterfront Botanic Garden
https://waterfrontgardens.org/
The Waterfront Botanical Gardens was started by Botanica, an umbrella organization for the local gardening community started in 1993 to help enlighten, entertain, and educate the community about the botanical world. In 2001, Botanica learned that it was the beneficiary of a trust established by member Helen Harrigan, a local gardener with a desire to see a botanical garden and conservatory built in Louisville. Helen’s gift reshaped the focus of this organization, and we set about our work to create what has become Louisville’s Waterfront Botanical Gardens.
OTHER LOUISVILLE-AREA ORGANIZATIONS
Louisville Audubon Society
https://www.louisvilleaudubon.org/
Louisville Audubon Society works to protect birds—not only because they are beautiful and awe-inspiring, but because they are a crucial link in the chain of life. Louisville Audubon works with other local partners to create and conserve habitat, educate the public about all the benefits birds bring to our lives, and to increase awareness of the perils that birds face in an increasingly human-dominated world.
Raptor Rehabilitation of Kentucky
https://www.raptorrehab.org/
RROKI became incorporated as a nonprofit organization in 1990. More than three decades later we have vastly grown. We take in between 450-500 sick, injured, and orphaned raptors every year, and release over 60% back into the wild. We count on the public to help get injured birds to our facility. The birds may have been hit by cars, flown into windows, or become entangled in barbed wire fences. Although protected by state and federal laws, we still receive raptors who have been shot and poisoned. RROKI is a volunteer based organization, dedicated to the rehabilitation of sick, injured, and orphaned birds of prey. We rely solely on the dedication of our volunteers and the generosity of our supporters.
Sierra Club of Kentucky – Louisville Group
https://www.sierraclub.org/kentucky/greater-louisville-group
Mission Statement
To explore, enjoy, and protect the wild places of the earth;
To practice and promote the responsible use of the earth's ecosystems and resources;
To educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment; and to use all lawful means to carry out these objectives.
Olmsted Parks Conservancy
https://www.olmstedparks.org/
The Olmsted Parks Conservancy is a non-profit organization that supports the Louisville Metro Parks System. It raises funds and advocates for investment; supports biodiversity and sustainability; and builds community in the parks.
STATEWIDE ENTITIES IN KENTUCKY
PLACES TO GO BIRDING
Kentucky State Parks
https://parks.ky.gov/
Kentucky has 47 state parks, most of which – including E.P. “Tom” Sawyer State Park in Louisville, offer opportunities for birding. Birding hotspots in the state parks can be found on https://ebird.org/ or at https://birdinghotspots.org/region/US-KY. Many parks also offer accommodations in campgrounds, cabins or lodges. The Kentucky Ornithological Society holds its spring and fall meetings at state parks.
Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources
https://fw.ky.gov/
The Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) is the state agency responsible for managing Kentucky’s game and non-game wildlife. It operates wildlife management areas across the state. Most are open to the public, although access may be restricted during hunting seasons. A full list of the areas is at https://app.fw.ky.gov/Public_Lands_Search/default.aspx. KDFWR also runs the Kentucky Wild program - https://app.fw.ky.gov/kywild/ - which allows the public to support and assist in the conservation of species that are not hunted, fished or trapped.
Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves
https://eec.ky.gov/Nature-Preserves/
Kentucky has set aside a number of areas that contain unique or vanishing habitats or that harbor threatened or endangered species. In order to preserve these areas, some are open only to researchers. But many are accessible to the public and offer opportunities for birding, hiking, paddling and other outdoor recreation. See the agency website for information on access.
Kentucky Natural Lands Trust
https://knlt.org/
KNLT is a non-profit organization working to protect, connect and restore wildlands. It focuses on protecting biodiverse and climate resilient landscapes in ways that benefit local, regional and global communities. It works statewide but has a primary focus on Pine Mountain, a 125-mile forested ridgeline running from Tennessee through Kentucky to Virginia. Since 1995 it has protected over 50,000 of acres of wildlands throughout Kentucky. Most of this acreage is incorporated in tracts owned by state or federal agencies and is accessible to birders.
Kentucky Nature Conservancy
https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/where-we-work/united-states/kentucky/
The Kentucky Nature Conservancy is the state chapter of an international non-profit that preserves and protects environments by acquiring land or easements or through partnerships with agricultural, forestry and other interests. Lands may be transferred to other entities or retained as Nature Conservancy preserves. In Kentucky, seven of those preserves are open to the public for uses such as birding and hiking.
Wood and Waters Land Trust
https://www.woodsandwaterstrust.org/
Woods & Waters Land Trust protects forests, streams, and working lands in the Lower Kentucky River watershed by protecting and connecting forests and streams through voluntary conservation agreements with private landowners. WWLT works with local landowners to preserve the flora, fauna, and natural lands in Central Kentucky. Its Vaughn Branch Nature Preserve in Frankfort is free and open to the public every day.
OTHER ORGANIZATIONS
Kentucky Audubon Council
http://www.kentuckyauduboncouncil.org/
The Kentucky Audubon Council is an organization acting as a facilitator among the five Audubon chapters in the state. The council is comprised of delegates from each Audubon chapter and strives to create a culture of conservation, focusing on environmental issues, education and advocacy.
Kentucky Conservation Committee
https://kyconservation.org/
The Kentucky Conservation Committee, founded in 1975, is one of the longest-running state-based conservation nonprofits, with a focus on providing a trusted and non-partisan voice in Kentucky’s Capitol and beyond. KCC advocates for protection, restoration and sustainable use of natural resources for the equitable benefit of all citizens in our Commonwealth. KCC’s vision is for Kentucky to be a responsible steward of the Commonwealth’s land, air, water and biota, and for Kentuckians to understand that the health of their families, communities and economy depends on the conservation of these resources.
Kentucky Resources Council
https://www.kyrc.org/
Kentucky Resources Council (KRC) combines smart policy and legal advocacy to protect the Commonwealth's natural resources and ensure environmental justice for Kentucky's most vulnerable people and communities. Since 1984, KRC has worked to ensure that individuals impacted by environmental decisions have a voice in the policy-making process. Across the Commonwealth, KRC provides consistent, aggressive advocacy on environmental and public health issues by monitoring and educating the public on permits, regulations, and legislation; facilitating networking among environmental and citizen groups; and providing direct and indirect legal representation without charge to individuals, community groups and local governments.
Check their websites for information about programming.
The Kentucky Ornithological Society
Founded in 1923, the Kentucky Ornithological Society (KOS) is Kentucky's statewide birding organization. KOS strives to create and increase interest in Kentucky birds, and to support bird conservation. It supports a variety of activities, including field trips and bird counts, spring and fall meetings, and educational and scientific activities.
If you are not already a member, please consider supporting KOS by becoming a member today. Benefits include:
- Your membership helps KOS with its mission to support birds, birding and conservation in Kentucky.
- Members receive four issues of our newsletter The Kentucky Warbler each year.
- Two KOS meetings are held each year a year at a prime Kentucky birding location and all members are invited to attend.
More information is on the website.
LOUISVILLE AND ENVIRONS
Places to go birding in and around Louisville:
The Parklands of Floyds Fork
https://theparklands.org/
With four major parks covering over 4,000 acres, The Parklands is one of the largest visitor-and-donor supported public park systems in the country, and it’s right here in Louisville’s backyard. It has an extensive network of paved, gravel or dirt trails that extend into a variety of habitats.
The Louisville Nature Center
https://www.louisvillenaturecenter.org/about
Located across the street from the Louisville Zoo and adjacent to Joe Creason Park, our facilities include:
- A Rain Garden with native plants whose roots absorb rainwater from the roof into the ground.
- A Bird Blind where visitors can view birds at the feeders through one-way tinted glass
Creasey-Mahan Nature Preserve
https://creaseymahannaturepreserve.org/
Virginia Creasey Mahan and Howard Mahan established the Creasey Mahan Nature Preserve on their farm in 1975. They did this to enrich all members of the community through conservation, education, and community enjoyment. We are continuing to bring nature and community together in a beautiful setting, with equal access for all. Upon its 168 acres are winding trails lush with all varieties of trees, wildflowers, and shrubs. Woodlands, wetlands and meadows of native grasses, springs, songbirds, and a meandering stream share the land with wildlife, their colonial home, and creek stone springhouse.
Bernheim Forest and Arboretum
https://bernheim.org/
Located about 45-minutes south of Louisville, Bernheim Forest and Arboretum was founded in 1929 by Isaac W. Bernheim, with the mission of connecting people with nature. In the nearly 100 years since, it has expanded to encompass 16,000 acres. Bernheim boasts the largest area of private, protected land east of the Mississippi River. Thanks to ongoing stewardship and conservation work, the formerly logged and forested landscapes are now approaching old-growth status.
River Fields
https://riverfields.org/
As a land trust, River Fields holds 65 acres of key river corridor properties outright in 10 different parcels and approximately 2,300 acres in 27 conservation easements. The largest owned property is the Garvin Brown Preserve, which covers 46 acres. Garvin Brown Preserve is open to the public from dawn until dusk daily.
Jefferson Memorial Forest
https://www.wildernesslouisville.org/natural-areas/jefferson-memorial-forest/
Jefferson Memorial Forest is the headquarters of Louisville Parks and Recreation’s Natural Areas Division, which is responsible for managing more than 7,500 acres and nearly 60 miles of hiking and equestrian trails spread over multiple properties. This urban forest—located just 15 miles from downtown Louisville—offers city dwellers a wilderness immersion experience. The Forest is Louisville’s largest nature preserve. Dozens of hiking and equestrian trails ranging from easy to strenuous meander through the Forest, and all can be enjoyed year-round with preparation and appropriate gear.
Blackacre Nature Preserve
https://visitblackacre.org/
Blackacre was then established as Kentucky’s first State Nature Preserve, inspiring and educating hundreds of thousands of students, teachers, and volunteers through its environmental programs. Blackacre Conservancy includes a nature preserve and historic homestead which provides insight to the precious traces of Kentucky’s past. Our 280-acre Nature Preserve includes trails, forest, waterfall, streams, meadows and ponds.
Falls of the Ohio State Park
https://www.in.gov/dnr/state-parks/parks-lakes/falls-of-the-ohio-state-park/
Located on the banks of the Ohio River at 201 West Riverside Drive, Clarksville, Indiana, is Falls of the Ohio State Park. The 390-million-year-old fossil beds are among the largest exposed Devonian fossil beds in the world. The park features a spectacular interpretive center overlooking the fossil beds featuring new interactive, immersive exhibits.
Origin Park
https://www.originpark.org/
Origin Park is an evolving new urban riverfront park of 430 acres on the north shore of the Ohio River, in Clarksville, Indiana. This park celebrates and embraces the unpredictable Ohio River and the floods that come from it. Origin Park is already open in limited designated areas to the public.
Waterfront Botanic Garden
https://waterfrontgardens.org/
The Waterfront Botanical Gardens was started by Botanica, an umbrella organization for the local gardening community started in 1993 to help enlighten, entertain, and educate the community about the botanical world. In 2001, Botanica learned that it was the beneficiary of a trust established by member Helen Harrigan, a local gardener with a desire to see a botanical garden and conservatory built in Louisville. Helen’s gift reshaped the focus of this organization, and we set about our work to create what has become Louisville’s Waterfront Botanical Gardens.
OTHER LOUISVILLE-AREA ORGANIZATIONS
Louisville Audubon Society
https://www.louisvilleaudubon.org/
Louisville Audubon Society works to protect birds—not only because they are beautiful and awe-inspiring, but because they are a crucial link in the chain of life. Louisville Audubon works with other local partners to create and conserve habitat, educate the public about all the benefits birds bring to our lives, and to increase awareness of the perils that birds face in an increasingly human-dominated world.
Raptor Rehabilitation of Kentucky
https://www.raptorrehab.org/
RROKI became incorporated as a nonprofit organization in 1990. More than three decades later we have vastly grown. We take in between 450-500 sick, injured, and orphaned raptors every year, and release over 60% back into the wild. We count on the public to help get injured birds to our facility. The birds may have been hit by cars, flown into windows, or become entangled in barbed wire fences. Although protected by state and federal laws, we still receive raptors who have been shot and poisoned. RROKI is a volunteer based organization, dedicated to the rehabilitation of sick, injured, and orphaned birds of prey. We rely solely on the dedication of our volunteers and the generosity of our supporters.
Sierra Club of Kentucky – Louisville Group
https://www.sierraclub.org/kentucky/greater-louisville-group
Mission Statement
To explore, enjoy, and protect the wild places of the earth;
To practice and promote the responsible use of the earth's ecosystems and resources;
To educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment; and to use all lawful means to carry out these objectives.
Olmsted Parks Conservancy
https://www.olmstedparks.org/
The Olmsted Parks Conservancy is a non-profit organization that supports the Louisville Metro Parks System. It raises funds and advocates for investment; supports biodiversity and sustainability; and builds community in the parks.
STATEWIDE ENTITIES IN KENTUCKY
PLACES TO GO BIRDING
Kentucky State Parks
https://parks.ky.gov/
Kentucky has 47 state parks, most of which – including E.P. “Tom” Sawyer State Park in Louisville, offer opportunities for birding. Birding hotspots in the state parks can be found on https://ebird.org/ or at https://birdinghotspots.org/region/US-KY. Many parks also offer accommodations in campgrounds, cabins or lodges. The Kentucky Ornithological Society holds its spring and fall meetings at state parks.
Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources
https://fw.ky.gov/
The Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) is the state agency responsible for managing Kentucky’s game and non-game wildlife. It operates wildlife management areas across the state. Most are open to the public, although access may be restricted during hunting seasons. A full list of the areas is at https://app.fw.ky.gov/Public_Lands_Search/default.aspx. KDFWR also runs the Kentucky Wild program - https://app.fw.ky.gov/kywild/ - which allows the public to support and assist in the conservation of species that are not hunted, fished or trapped.
Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves
https://eec.ky.gov/Nature-Preserves/
Kentucky has set aside a number of areas that contain unique or vanishing habitats or that harbor threatened or endangered species. In order to preserve these areas, some are open only to researchers. But many are accessible to the public and offer opportunities for birding, hiking, paddling and other outdoor recreation. See the agency website for information on access.
Kentucky Natural Lands Trust
https://knlt.org/
KNLT is a non-profit organization working to protect, connect and restore wildlands. It focuses on protecting biodiverse and climate resilient landscapes in ways that benefit local, regional and global communities. It works statewide but has a primary focus on Pine Mountain, a 125-mile forested ridgeline running from Tennessee through Kentucky to Virginia. Since 1995 it has protected over 50,000 of acres of wildlands throughout Kentucky. Most of this acreage is incorporated in tracts owned by state or federal agencies and is accessible to birders.
Kentucky Nature Conservancy
https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/where-we-work/united-states/kentucky/
The Kentucky Nature Conservancy is the state chapter of an international non-profit that preserves and protects environments by acquiring land or easements or through partnerships with agricultural, forestry and other interests. Lands may be transferred to other entities or retained as Nature Conservancy preserves. In Kentucky, seven of those preserves are open to the public for uses such as birding and hiking.
Wood and Waters Land Trust
https://www.woodsandwaterstrust.org/
Woods & Waters Land Trust protects forests, streams, and working lands in the Lower Kentucky River watershed by protecting and connecting forests and streams through voluntary conservation agreements with private landowners. WWLT works with local landowners to preserve the flora, fauna, and natural lands in Central Kentucky. Its Vaughn Branch Nature Preserve in Frankfort is free and open to the public every day.
OTHER ORGANIZATIONS
Kentucky Audubon Council
http://www.kentuckyauduboncouncil.org/
The Kentucky Audubon Council is an organization acting as a facilitator among the five Audubon chapters in the state. The council is comprised of delegates from each Audubon chapter and strives to create a culture of conservation, focusing on environmental issues, education and advocacy.
Kentucky Conservation Committee
https://kyconservation.org/
The Kentucky Conservation Committee, founded in 1975, is one of the longest-running state-based conservation nonprofits, with a focus on providing a trusted and non-partisan voice in Kentucky’s Capitol and beyond. KCC advocates for protection, restoration and sustainable use of natural resources for the equitable benefit of all citizens in our Commonwealth. KCC’s vision is for Kentucky to be a responsible steward of the Commonwealth’s land, air, water and biota, and for Kentuckians to understand that the health of their families, communities and economy depends on the conservation of these resources.
Kentucky Resources Council
https://www.kyrc.org/
Kentucky Resources Council (KRC) combines smart policy and legal advocacy to protect the Commonwealth's natural resources and ensure environmental justice for Kentucky's most vulnerable people and communities. Since 1984, KRC has worked to ensure that individuals impacted by environmental decisions have a voice in the policy-making process. Across the Commonwealth, KRC provides consistent, aggressive advocacy on environmental and public health issues by monitoring and educating the public on permits, regulations, and legislation; facilitating networking among environmental and citizen groups; and providing direct and indirect legal representation without charge to individuals, community groups and local governments.