Supporting Ivory-billed Woodpeckers

Supporting Ivory-billed Woodpeckers



Aug. 2007  - In an attempt to prevent the 
extinction of the rare Ivory-billed woodpecker, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service today issued a draft recovery plan for public comment during the 
next 60 days. 
Evidence supporting the Ivory-billed woodpecker's rediscovery with the 
presence of at least one bird in the Bayou de View area of Cache River 
National Wildlife Refuge was announced in 2004 and 2005. Before that 
sighting, there had been no confirmed sighting of an Ivory-billed 
woodpecker in more than 60 years. 
While the woodpecker's existence has not been confirmed since, evidence 
continues to be gathered in Arkansas, Florida's panhandle, South Carolina, 
and other locations across the bird's historic range. 
Rediscovery of the species led to the need to develop a recovery plan, 
says the Fish and Wildlife Service. The agency says it gathered "one of 
the most talented recovery teams" it has ever assembled to write the first 
recovery plan crafted for this species. 
"Given the evidence pointing to its survival, we believe it would be 
irresponsible not to act. That's why we established this recovery team 
with some of the nation's best biologists to help us chart a reasonable, 
well founded path to save this species," said Sam Hamilton, regional 
director for the Service's Southeast Region and leader of the recovery 
team. 
Since 1967, the Ivory-billed woodpecker has been federally listed as an 
endangered species. 
The species appeared to be widely distributed throughout the southeast 
before European settlement. At that time, Ivory-billed woodpeckers ranged 
from the coastal plain of North and South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, 
large portions of Alabama, Mississippi and Arkansas, Louisiana, eastern 
Texas, west Tennessee, and small areas of Illinois, Kentucky, Oklahoma and 
Missouri. 
The range became smaller by the late 1800s and the woodpecker was no 
longer found in Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois or Kentucky. Ivory-billed 
woodpecker numbers continued to decline until the last confirmed sighting 
in 1944. 
Hamilton says the woodpecker's disappearance is closely linked to logging 
and the disappearance of forest habitats that once covered much of the 
southeastern United States. 
The recovery strategy will initially focus on learning more about the 
species' status and ecology, including documenting known locations and 
characterizing those habitats. Population goals are not identified, 
although such goals are key to recovery. 
"The opportunity to recover this icon of the ornithological world cannot 
and should not be passed over," said Hamilton. "We want to encourage 
interested citizens, agencies and conservation organizations to 
participate in the comment period. The diverse team developed a balanced, 
common sense approach and we look forward to receiving feedback that makes 
it even better." 
The draft plan also can be found at www.fws.gov/ivorybill/. Public 
comments on the plan will be accepted by the Service until October 22, 
2007. 
Comments may be faxed to 337-291-3139 or emailed to: ibwplan@fws.gov. For 
further information contact Deborah Fuller by calling 337-291-3100. 

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