2026 KNPS Fall Meeting at Kenlake SRP, Sept. 12

When: Saturday, Sept. 12, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm CDT
Where: Kenlake SRP, 542 Kenlake Rd, Hardin, KY

Elk & Bison Prairie at Land Between the Lakes

Mark your calendars and plan to meet up with other KNPS members and friends as we head west to Kenlake SRP for the Society’s 2026 Fall Meeting, on Sept 12th. Kenlake SRP is located on the shores of Kentucky Lake, just outside the small town of Aurora, KY. We will meet in the Meeting Room C, in the Kenlake Lodge. If you want to learn more about KNPS, meet other Kentucky native plant enthusiasts, and learn more about the native plants of Kentucky, then the KNPS Fall Meeting is for you!

We are still finalizing details of the Fall Meeting, but here is the schedule for the day (all times are Central Daylight Time).

Morning Session, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon

9:00 a.m.-9:30 a.m.: Doors open. Coffee served.

9:30 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. – Welcome and KNPS Updates – KNPS Board

10:15 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. – Breakout Session for Committees

10:45 a.m.-11:00 a.m. – Open Discussion from the Group
Ask the KNPS Board questions or express thoughts and ideas you have about KNPS

11:00am – Rachel Cook, KNPS Vice President and guest speaker TBD. History of Land Between the Lakes. We will hear about the history and botanical importance of the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area. 

Lunch, 12:00 noon – 1:00 p.m.

12:00 noon – Lunch is on your own. There are several nearby lunch spots including the Aurora Landing Restaurant at Kenlake SRP, Belew’s Dairy Bar (cash only), and Amazin Blaze BBQ in nearby Aurora.

Afternoon Tour – 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Devin Rodgers with Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium)

1:00 p.m.- End – After lunch the group will carpool and caravan across the Eggner Ferry Bridge to the center of the 170,000 acre Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area (LBL). Join OKNP botanist Devin Rodgers on a tour of select roadside grassland sites in Land Between the Lakes NRA. The tour will highlight the available flowering plants, focusing on the sunflower family (Asteraceae) and rare grassland species. However, high diversity of many species in many families in these systems brings an endless variety of potential conversations with the group’s curiosity leading the discussion! 

There is no fee to attend the meeting, but we are requesting that folks pre-register for the meeting using the form below.

If you have any questions, send an email to KYPlants@knps.org

Registration for Fall Meeting

There is no charge for the fall meeting, but we do ask that you register. Please fill out this registration form.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Name
Please let us know what state you are from.
Please let us know what county you are from.
Please let us know how many people will be coming.
Are you a KNPS member?
All KNPS events, including the fall meeting, are open to anyone, regardless if they are a member of the Society or not.

IMPORTANT UPDATE: Wildflower Weekend 2027

Our board is already hard at work planning Wildflower Weekend 2027 that will be taking place April 16th-18th. We had previously announced that Pine Mountain State Resort Park would be our hosts for this event. The park has informed us that they will now be undergoing renovations beginning April 1st and can no longer host our event.

Wildflower Weekend 2027 will now take place at Pennyrile Forest State Resort Park on April 16th-18th, 2027. If you are interested in helping to plan the event, please be sure to reach out to us at KYPlants@knps.org.

Kentucky Native Plant Suppliers and Contractors

By Rachel Cook, Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves

Are you a native plant nursery or contractor in Kentucky? Our website features a list of plant nurseries in our region that grow and sell native plants. The plant nurseries list has been extremely helpful and served as an important resource for native plant enthusiasts looking to grow their own native plants. We are working to improve this list to provide the most up-to-date information to our community.

This year we are adding contractors who work with native plants to this list. This will include landscape designers, invasive species removal specialists, habitat restoration specialists and more businesses that have a focus on native plants. We hope that updating and adding in related contractors that we can promote further habitat management and conservation throughout the state. This will serve as a the most complete collection of professionals in KY that work in plant conservation and restoration.

Moving forward, we plan to have this form featured on our website so that new businesses can send in submissions throughout the year. This will allow the list to be more readily updated and easy to navigate for both native plant enthusiasts and businesses.

If you are interested in having your business featured, we invite you to fill out this form on our website: https://www.knps.org/native-plant-supplier-form/.

If you have any questions, please contact KYPlants@knps.org or Rachel Cook at rcook@ky.gov.

Rachel Cook is a Botany technician at the Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves. For any questions, she can be reached at rcook@ky.gov.