Category: EEC’s Blog

A mature female monarch butterfly captured during the event.

Rain, Wings and a Remarkable Journey: Monarch Tagging Marks 50 Years of Kentucky Nature Preserves

It seems almost impossible that the monarch butterflies now moving through Kentucky are on a 3,000-mile journey from as far north as southern Canada to a small mountainous region of central Mexico – even though these small insects have never been there before.

In September, the Kentucky Office of Nature Preserves hosted a public monarch tagging event, partnering with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Kentucky State Parks and Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources to help understand the many mysteries surrounding these tiny travelers.

EEC Brings Wilderness First Aid Training to the Field

When the closest hospital is miles away and there’s no cell signal in the bottom of a Kentucky hollow, you may be your own first responder. Even if you have the ability to use a smart phone, 911 can be miles away. What you do next matters.

Todd Gray, who leads the safety team for Kentucky’s Energy and Environment Cabinet (EEC), has experienced this firsthand. As a former firefighter and EMT, he knows the dangers of working in remote and sometimes precarious environments.