World Monuments Fund
www.wmf.org
Kentucky Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation
www.bluegrasstrust.org
Fayette County's Purchase of Development Rights Program
www.lfucg.com/pdr
Kentucky Heritage Council www.state.ky.us/agencies/khc/khchome.htm
Kentucky Purchase of Agricultural Conservation Easement (PACE) Program www.kyagr.com/enviro_out/pace/index.htm
University of Kentucky - College of Design www.uky.edu/Design
Bluegrass Conservancy www.bluegrassconservancy.org
National American Farmland Trust
www.farmland.org
Land Trust Alliance
www.lta.org
Planetizen: The Planning and Development Network
www.planetizen.com
Smart Growth Network www.smartgrowth.org
Sprawl Watch Clearinghouse
www.sprawlwatch.org
Other land trusts
Brandywine Conservancy www.brandywineconservancy.org
The Nature Conservancy
www.nature.org
River Fields (Louisville, KY)
www.riverfields.org
Louisville, Ky. (February 7, 2007)- Is Kentucky's Bluegrass vanishing? The Vanishing Bluegrass exhibit opening at the Kentucky Derby Museum on April 22, 2007 and running through December 31st explores this question in context of the Kentucky Bluegrass Region being named one of the 100 most endangered sites by the World Monuments Fund.
“This Vanishing Bluegrass Exhibit introduces people to the very real dangers of poor planning and overdevelopment that threaten to destroy the unique cultural landscape of Kentucky. There is no other place in the world like the Bluegrass Region. Its conservation is vital to our identity and our long-term economic interests,” states Professor Mark O'Bryan of the University of Kentucky College of Design.
Students from the UK College of Design created the exhibit that explores the importance of balance in urban development and land preservation and shows the impact that planning decisions today will have on the future of the land, its wildlife and the people of the Commonwealth. The exhibit looks at growth in a ten-county region of central Kentucky and how these trends are endangering the unique Bluegrass cultural landscape.
“The Vanishing Bluegrass exhibit will explore what is happening to one of Kentucky's most valuable natural resources,” states Lynn Ashton, Executive Director of the Kentucky Derby Museum. “We are pleased to work with the Bluegrass Conservancy, Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation, UK College of Design, and the Kentucky Heritage Council to present this vital issue to the public.”
The World Monuments Fund's 2006 Watch List states that Kentucky's Bluegrass Region “is one of North America's most distinctive cultural and agricultural landscapes… and between 1997 and 2002, more than 300 square kilometers of [Bluegrass] agricultural land were converted to other uses.”
The World Monuments Fund (WMF) is the foremost private, nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of endangered architectural and cultural sites around the world. Since 1965, WMF has worked tirelessly to stem the loss of historic structures at more than 450 sites in over 80 countries. Those wishing to find more information about the World Monuments Fund and the 2006 list of endangered sites may do so by going to www.wmf.org.
IS IT TOO LATE?
It is not too late to be part of managing change in the Bluegrass Region. Learn more by visiting the organizations to the left.