{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-146.485","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 146.485","heading":"Powers and duties of office.","body":"In furtherance of the purposes of KRS 146.410 to 146.530, the office shall have the\nfollowing additional powers and duties:\n(1) To seek and approve the dedication of nature preserves as part of the system;\n(2) To make and publish policies and rules, and to  recommend to the secretary the\npromulgation of administrative regulations for the selection, acquisition,\nmanagement, protection, and use of natural areas and nature preserves, and for the\nconduct of office affairs;\n(3) To cooperate with and to contract w ith any public body of this state, any public\nbody of any other state, any private organization, any individual, and the federal\ngovernment and its agencies;\n(4) To purchase land from a willing seller without the use of the powers of\ncondemnation or eminen t domain, which said powers are expressly denied to the\noffice;\n(5) To make reasonable investigations as to the ownership of any lands which it judges\nmay be appropriate for acquisition;\n(6) To maintain a state registry of natural areas, an inventory of natural types, flora, and\nfauna, and other records of natural areas and nature preserves within the\nCommonwealth;\n(7) To promote the coordination of all departments, divisions and branches of state,\ncounty and city governments within the Commonwealth which r elate to nature\npreserves;\n(8) To study the operation of all laws, rules, regulations, orders, and governmental\npolicies affecting conservation of natural resources pertaining to natural areas, and\nto recommend to the Governor, and to the General Assembly, new legislation, rules,\nregulations, orders and policies in the interest of correcting natural resource\nconservation problems pertaining to natural areas and nature preserves;\n(9) To provide a central clearing house of information for environmental and\nconservation matters and to promote educational programs pertaining to natural\nareas and nature preserves;\n(10) To conduct research, investigations, public hearings, and interpretative programs\nand to publish and disseminate information to the general public  pertaining to\nnatural areas and nature preserves;\n(11) To supervise the protection, management, and use of nature preserves and to\nenforce and administer rules and regulations pertaining thereto;\n(12) To promote, study, investigate, recommend, encourage, advise and assist in the\npreservation, protection, and management of natural areas;\n(13) To report to the Governor and General Assembly on proposed legislation, policies,\nregulations, or actions, public or private, which may significantly affect the qualit y\nof the natural ecology or the human environment in the Commonwealth.  Such\nreport shall include an evaluation of environmental and ecological effects, and shall\ncompare any adverse effects of the proposed action against possible social benefits.\nThe repo rt shall describe and recommend appropriate alternatives, which avoid\nsignificant adverse effects on the quality of the natural ecology of natural areas;\n(14) To submit to the Governor and members of the  General Assembly, a report on or\nbefore October 1 of each even-numbered year, detailing the condition of each nature\npreserve in the system, and each registered natural area, and make other reports and\nrecommendations as it may deem advisable.","path":["KRS Chapter 146"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=47550","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:50:38Z","sha256":"df6190af9cbb9bae5b28f05eefcdbe78dde831a231b90bf30d293f84c5006861","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-146.480","next":"us-ky/krs-146.490"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}