CORBIN, Ky. — An upcoming wildlife center on Kentucky's Cumberland Mountains has a brand-new identity -- and the company said it will draw visitors from across the country.
Boone's Ridge (formerly called the Appalachian Wildlife Center) is expected to open in the summer of 2021. The company expects to attract over 850,00 visitors a year and create thousands of new jobs -- all in a former coal mining site.
In 2017, 10News reported the new plan for the land. Biologist David Ledford, one of the people who bought the reclaimed mining area, said it had potential past coal.
"There's some value here from a wildlife habitat perspective. It's a value that a lot of people don't know about and it doesn't get recognized," Ledford said in 2017.
Boone's Ridge is part of the Appalachian Wildlife Foundation. An AWF spokesperson said Monday that the project has grown from a small wildlife center to a "destination."
The AWF said Boone's Ridge's 12,000 acres will hold miles of trails, several museums, a theater, a restaurant, an artisans' exhibit hall, a gift shop, bird observatories, and a zoo -- petting area included.
AWF chief operating officer Frank Allen said the project's new name is in honor of Daniel Boone -- and his legacy in the area.
"Daniel Boone remains a popular American historical figure and he left a rich historical legacy in the region. We intend to harness that popularity and legacy," Allen said in a Monday release.
Allen said the new name comes with new, bigger plans.
“A Wildlife Center is a tourist attraction. Boone’s Ridge will be a tourism destination that offers its visitors numerous attractions," Allen said. "Boone’s Ridge will attract visitors from across the nation to Kentucky’s Cumberland Mountains."
The AWF estimates that Boone's Ridge will create 2,900 new jobs and generate over $174 million in annual regional spending.