Recreational sites in the Daniel Boone National Forest in southern Kentucky are getting a facelift. The forest service is getting over half a million dollars to focus on deferred maintenance for some of their facilities in the Stearns Ranger District. This area includes over 170-thousand acres in south and southeastern Kentucky.
Mary O’Malley is a spokeswoman with the Daniel Boone National Forest. She said the money will be used for a series of smaller projects.
“Things like replacing an old fire pit or replacing a lantern post. Updating the existing amenities to be fully accessible and fully functional and giving the experience we want our visitors to have.”
She said they will be working on several sites.
“Barren Fork Horse Camp and Bell Farm Horse Camp, there’s quite a few equestrian facilities down that side we’re hoping to bring some updates to. We’ll also be using a portion of these funds to support repairs at trail bridges across the forest.”
O’Malley said around 540-thousand dollars will be used for the updates. The money comes from the Legacy Restoration Fund. This was established by the 2020 Great American Outdoors Act, and it supports projects to reduce deferred maintenance. It is also used to improve critical infrastructure and expand access to national public lands. These repairs should not get in the way of recreational activities.
