World News, Today World News, Latest International News, World Breaking News, Trending News of World - Times of India
· collected 2026-09-06 · by TOI World Desk
For hunters across Kentucky, the search for land to hunt has always meant a precarious dance with property owners.
asserted
search → hunt → owners
They never knew if they could go to the same place the following year.
uncertain
they → know → place
These temporary agreements could be cancelled with just 30 days’ notice.
uncertain
agreements → cancel → notice
For families, this was a constant concern that stood between their hunting traditions and the possibility of losing access to the land they had enjoyed for generations.
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they → stand → generations
But then everything changed, as the state secured permanent public access to a vast eastern Kentucky elk landscape through what's becoming a model for conservation partnerships built on old tax money and new determination!
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what → change → money
The Cumberland Forest Wildlife Management Area provided a solution: permanent access, with a 54,560-acre easement in the heart of Kentucky’s elk hunting territory.
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Area → provide → territory
This agreement was crucial for a state where 95% of the land is privately held.
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% → hold → land
And so, getting such a large, connected piece of land for public use is unusual.
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getting → get → use
But it didn’t happen overnight, or because of one organisation alone.
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it → happen → organisation
State wildlife officials, private conservation groups, and a federal funding programme worked hand in hand to make it happen.
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it → work → hand
An unstable handshake deal
Temporary hunting agreements looked good on paper until they didn't.
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they → look → paper
A landowner can end them whenever they want, leaving hunters in the spring facing an uncertain autumn.
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they → end → autumn
In order to invest in habitat conservation, wildlife agencies need long-term certainty.
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agencies → invest → certainty
One cannot simply spend years building the infrastructure for elk recovery if the land might vanish in 30 days.
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land → spend → days
For people like Kyle Sams, the problem was pressing enough.
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problem → press → Sams
Sams grew up in Pineville, Kentucky.
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Sams → grow → Pineville
He spent his early years chasing squirrel, deer, and turkey.
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He → spend → squirrel
The property was exactly what eastern Kentucky lacked: high ground, diverse habitat, and wildlife.
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Kentucky → lack → ground
“That property provided me and my family with many meals and fun times.
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property → provide → meals
Whether it be hiking, hunting, or fishing, we made many great memories,” Sams recalled.
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Sams → make → memories
A temporary agreement between the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) and the landowner allowed people like Sams to hunt the mountains south of Pineville.
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people → allow → Pineville
These agreements are important because they give hunters places to hunt.
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they → give → places
However, they can be cancelled.
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they → cancel → ?
The landowners can end the agreement with 30 days' notice, meaning hunters may not know if they will still have access the following year.
uncertain
they → end → access
Ever since he moved from his hometown, one of the things he misses most is hunting on this property.
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he → move → property
It was never his to count on.
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It → count → ?
“The mountains offer something the rest of the state cannot: stunning mountain views that coincide with a diverse population of wildlife and endless outdoor adventures,” he said.
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he → offer → wildlife
These temporary agreements are also challenging for the state to manage for wildlife and limit the amount of habitat improvement options.
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state → manage → options
Long-term conservation needs strong partnerships and reliable funding.
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conservation → need → partnerships
How they found the solution
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they → find → solution
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Wildlife Restoration Program helped fund the project.
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Program → fund → project
The programme helped to secure a 54,560-acre easement, creating the Cumberland Forest Wildlife Management Area (WMA).
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programme → help → Area
Created under the Wildlife Restoration Act of 1937, the programme gets money from taxes on firearms, ammunition, and archery equipment.
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programme → create → firearms
This programme funds 75% of the eligible conservation project, and the rest is provided by the state.
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rest → fund → state
This money goes into protecting land, improving wildlife habitat, conducting research, and educating hunters.
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money → go → hunters
But finding the 25% match is challenging.
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finding → find → match
However, two conservation groups, the Nature Conservancy and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, helped KDFWR raise the money.
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KDFWR → help → money
They also helped KDFWR get support from the Kentucky legislature.
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KDFWR → help → legislature
They didn't get money from Kentucky's general state budget, and hence legislative support was vital.
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support → get → budget
As the land that became Cumberland Forest WMA has long been open to the public, and several local legislators enjoyed the opportunities the property provided, getting permanent public access was an easy sell.
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getting → become → access
…and 22 more, not listed.
