By TIM THORNBERRY
Kentucky Correspondent

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Imagine a scene that includes bald eagles, black bears, elk and whitetail deer. Now imagine where one might have to go to find all of these.

One might conjure up visions of the Rockies or the Great Plains – but all these can be found in Kentucky. In fact, all can be found in the Salato Wildlife Education Center. The facility is a part of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) and is home to a wide variety of plants, animals, fish and reptiles native to the state.

The facility was named for Dr. James C. Salato, who was a KDFWR commissioner representing the 4th Wildlife District for 28 years.
Through a series of exhibits both inside and out, visitors, including countless students, can get a close-up look at everything from the variety of fish found in lakes and rivers to native bobcats (or as they are affectionately know here, because of the popularity of the University of Kentucky sports programs, “wildcats”).

“Typically we get from 90,000 to 100,000 visitors a year and about 13 percent of those are students in scheduled school trips,” said the center’s branch manager, Laurie Davison. “We offer a lot to teachers who can sign up for scheduled programs with our educators and we offer a variety of programs that are ready-made, that we can adjust to the age of the kids.”

Some of the most popular are the birds of prey and reptile programs, which use live animals, Davison added. The center also offers programs related to mammals, native plants and native people.

“We focus on Kentucky native species. Our department is all about native species and managing them, and the habitat they need, and our job is to represent that to the public,” she said.

The Salato Center opened in October 1995 and became part of a complex that has two fishing lakes, which are continually stocked, and picnic and shelter facilities. The center is open to the public most of the year; however, it does close this year from Dec. 16-Feb. 17. The fishing lakes and shelters are open year-round. It is also free, so the center’s ability to build new exhibits is based on donations.

“When we make enough money, we put in new exhibits,” said Davison. “We have a private foundation called the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Foundation that raises funds for Salato and other contribution education initiatives in the department, including three summer camps.”

She added the foundation also helps fund the acquisition of land by the department for use of wildlife management areas, but “more than anything, the foundation really is education-oriented. We couldn’t do it without them.”

According to the foundation, habitat loss is the most serious problem facing Kentucky wildlife, with so much natural area and farmland being turned into suburban development. The state parks, forest and wildlife management areas represent only 5 percent of the total land in Kentucky.

The foundation works with landowners, including many farmers, to acquire land for the purpose of preserving it for wildlife habitat. Davison noted that the agency relies heavily on farmers to help them do their job. She also pointed out the center is always looking for new ideas for exhibits. One of the center’s newest design ideas is for a fisheries exhibit.

“While we have a lot of fish here, we really don’t have much that explains just what our fisheries division does to manage the fish population, and how much active work goes into making sure we have fish like bass out there in our lakes,” said Davison.
“We’re working on an exhibit that hopefully will be very exciting. We’re thinking in terms of a larger-than-life habitat that visitors will walk into, and they will feel like they are in the water.”

Exercise enthusiasts will also find something to their liking at the center. There are four miles of hiking trails that are open year-round from dawn to dusk.

For more information about the center, including hours and directions, visit the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources’ website at http://fw.ky.gov/default.aspx or call the center at 502-564-7863 or toll-free at 800-858-1549.