Public Service Announcement - Land swap for major economic development project closes portion of West Kentucky WMA to public access

​FRANKFORT, Ky. (March 31, 2025) — As part of an economic development project announced by Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear in November 2024, Tract 1 of the West Kentucky Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in McCracken County, near Paducah, is now closed to public access. The remaining 5,760 acres of West Kentucky WMA will continue to be available for access as usual throughout the year.​​​

​​​The Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission agreed to a land exchange allowing the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development to pursue a major economic development project with Global Laser Enrichment LLC (GLE) establishing a uranium enrichment project that is expected to create up to 300 full-time jobs in McCracken County.

​​​In exchange for the 665 acres in Tract 1 of West Kentucky WMA that bordered the main site of the new GLE project, Kentucky Fish and Wildlife received ownership of 1,068 acres adjacent to the Mississippi River in Fulton County. The new property will be owned and managed by Kentucky Fish and Wildlife as the Choate Tract of the agency’s Obion Creek WMA.

The new tract will open under statewide regulations for hunting and fishing in time for Youth Turkey Season, April 5-6. As parking may be impacted due to weather conditions, hunters should follow signage and park only in designated parking areas.​​​

Find other public lands available in the area by visiting the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife (fw.ky.gov) Wildlife Management Area & Public Lands Search webpage.​​​

Did You Know? The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources owns, leases or manages nearly 1.7 million acres across more than 130 public land areas to conserve fish and wildlife resources and provide public access. Most of the WMA and public hunting area acreage in Kentucky is made possible through partnerships with other governmental or private landowners. Managed by biologists, they are categorized into high, moderate and low management levels depending on their infrastructure and ongoing management activities, including wildlife monitoring and research, removal of nonnative invasive species, and prescribed burns.