Parks and Recreation System Master Plan Update (2016) parks_and_recreation_system_master_plan_update_oct

simple along the Ohio River at Garvin Brown Preserve (adjacent to Hays Kennedy Park which also has wetlands) and land that is permanently preserved by conservation easement in the vicinity of Rose Island Road. The Louisville/Jefferson County Environmental Trust holds permanent conservation easements on three tracts of wetlands in the Pond Creek watershed comprising about 140 acres. Wetlands are afforded a degree of protection by Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, which authorizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to regulate discharge of dredged and fill materials into waters of the United States (defined as including wetlands meeting certain criteria). Unlike some other parts of the country, Kentucky and Louisville have no state or local regulatory programs addressing wetland protection. C3. Biological Resources Like much of the eastern United States, Louisville’s native vegetation is forest. Although the predominant woodland was oak-hickory, forest types varied according to slope, aspect, and moisture availability. Typical woodland communities ranged from oak-pine in dry upland regions to wet tolerant species such as sycamore, maple, cottonwood, and sweet gum in stream corridors and floodplains. During the two centuries since European settlement, the original Jefferson Memorial Forest forest has been cleared for timber, agriculture, and/or urban and suburban development. Today the most extensive areas of second growth woodland occur on hillsides in the Knob Hills region including the Jefferson Memorial Forest. Iroquois Park contains an outstanding assortment of mature second growth forest types which can probably be classified as “old growth” due to their age and intactness⁷. Significant forested areas also occur along stream corridors and in the Floyds Fork Drainage Area, where woodlands are interspersed with active and abandoned farmland. Wildlife Despite extensive urban and suburban development, Louisville still harbors diverse wildlife resources. Important habitat areas include the Ohio River corridor with islands and floodplain areas which serve as refuges for a variety of waterfowl; many of Louisville’s stream corridors and parks and open spaces retain relatively large forested blocks including the Jefferson Memorial Forest, Iroquois Park and McNeely Lake Park; and relatively undeveloped Red-tailed Hawk, Joe Creason Park Parks and Recreation System Master Plan | III. CONTEXT AND COMMUNITY INVENTORY 47

Parks and Recreation System Master Plan Update (2016) parks_and_recreation_system_master_plan_update_oct | Page 54