On Tuesday, Governor Matt Bevin and U.S. Representative Hal Rogers announced that the U.S. Office of Surface Mining and Reclamation Enforcement has approved a $12.5 million grant for the development of the Appalachian Wildlife Center in Bell County, KY. The money will fund the wildlife center that, when opened to the public in 2019, would contain a museum of natural and regional history, a theater, a hall dedicated to the natural history of elk, bird watching, an astronomy pavilion and 15-mile, self-guided scenic loop road for wildlife viewing. The center will be located on 19 square miles along the Cumberland River and is expected to attract 638,000 annual visitors by the fifth year of operation.