Environment

The plan, dubbed “E3” for energy, environment and economic development, used words that nod to the impacts of climate change, but never actually mentions the elephant in the room, or any serious plans to reduce the state’s reliance on fossil fuels.

Solar farms owned by Kentucky’s electric utilities only account for about 0.07% of the state’s total electricity generation, according to the cabinet. The main sources are coal and natural gas.

In any given year, some 3 million people hike the Appalachian Trail, including more than 3,000 “thru-hikers” who go the entire distance, either in one stretch or in segments over multiple years.

The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife has dropped a recommendation that residents of six counties in Central Kentucky stop using bird feeders.

Participants can have dinner outdoors in an area of Land Between the Lakes that is a popular spot for hummingbirds.

Climate scientist Robert Kopp, a lead author of a recent report on Earth’s oceans, ice and sea level rise, discusses the profound changes underway.

An analysis of 90 studies measured the impact of environmental stressors such as pesticides and poor nutrition.

Laura Sullivan-Beckers, who first discovered the new treehopper species in her backyard garden bed in Murray, is using the crowdsourcing website iNaturalist.org to determine how widely dispersed the insect is.

Kentucky’s bear population is typically limited to Eastern Kentucky, but younger bears sometimes wander west in the early summer.

A local official who has fought the invasive species for years is touting the initial data as a potential “game-changer.”

Weather conditions can play a role in determining when cicadas take to the trees.

The affected birds have swollen eyes with a crusty discharge. Some also have neurological problems and might appear to be stumbling around.