Parks and Recreation System Master Plan Update (2016) parks_and_recreation_system_master_plan_update_oct | Page 55

parts of Louisville such as the Floyds Fork area where the Parklands has preserved properties
with woodlands and farmland that has potential for reforestation. The areas around these larger
blocks of forested and reforesting land are experiencing significant development and more
development is expected in the coming years.
Contemporary studies have found that large, unfragmented tracts of forest are of
particular wildlife value as they provide habitat for interior species such as many migrant
songbirds. Corridors of natural vegetation (e.g., along streams and hedgerows) are also valuable,
providing habitat for species which prefer edge conditions and facilitating movement of animals.
To illustrate the habitat value of the County’s stream corridors, a 1980 study identified the
following wildlife associated with the Lower Mill Creek⁸:
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more than 79 species of birds;
a variety of mammals such as red fox, white-tailed deer, cottontail, gray squirrel,
eastern mole, prairie vole, woodland vole, and white-footed mouse;
reptiles including snapping turtle, midland painted turtle, box turtle, Kirtland’s water
snake, and eastern garter snake;
amphibians including American toad, western chorus frog, spring peeper, bullfrog,
southern leopard frog, and marbled salamander; and
fish including bluegill, green sunfish, brown bullhead, carp, golden shiner, mosquito fish,
and fathead minnow.
The study noted a relatively sparse fish fauna due to the poor water quality of the creek.
In 2013 the Louisville Greenways – South Points Master Plan included a biological
assessment of the area generally between the Watterson Expressway, I-65, the Bullitt County
line and the Ohio River – an almost 100-square mile area. The assessment reviewed digital
spatial data of features such as wetlands, streams, geologic features, interior forest areas, steep
slopes, rare, threatened and endangered species and land use as well as field reconnaissance in
certain areas. The assessment ranked areas for biological diversity and recommended
restoration and preservation strategies
Threatened, Endangered, and Special Concern Species
Documented occurrences of threatened, endangered, and special concern plant and
animal species within Louisville are recorded in the Kentucky Natural Heritage Program
computer database operated by the Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission (K SNPC). As
of August 2014, 144 occurrences of plant or animal species and one occurrence of a unique
natural community monitored by the KSNPC were reported in Louisville. A large percentage of
these occurrences of a variety of waterfowl, fish and other aquatic species were reported with
the Ohio River Corridor, with a major concentration at Shippingport Island and the Falls of the
Ohio. Multiple occurrences are also recorded for the Six Mile Island Nature Preserve and
Caperton Swamp.
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III. CONTEXT AND COMMUNITY INVENTORY | October 2016 Update