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NEW CONSERVATION INITIATIVE BENEFITS
WOODPECKERS, LANDOWNERS
September 27, 2006
Contact: Mary Scott Gilbert (850) 410-5291; Cell: (850) 519-6962
Tom MacKenzie, FWS (404) 679-7291
The federally endangered red-cockaded woodpecker
will have a brighter future in Florida, thanks to private
landowners, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Commission (FWC) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS).
Wildlife officials will sign Florida’s Safe
Harbor Agreement for red-cockaded woodpeckers Thursday Sept. 28
at Tall Timbers Research Station in Tallahassee. Landowners from
across the state are expected to announce their intention to
participate. The new agreement launches Florida’s Safe Harbor
Program, giving both the FWC and FWS flexibility to protect
landowners from some Endangered Species Act requirements when
they voluntarily agree to help conserve red-cockaded
woodpeckers.
“This broad partnership provides a unique
opportunity to conserve a rare species and promote the health of
its ecosystem,” said Cynthia Dohner, FWS Southeast Regional
deputy director. “It grants important assurances to enrolled
private landowners, enabling them to develop long-range land-use
plans and management practices.”
One-half of all endangered species rely on
private lands for their habitat, making landowners instrumental
in their recovery. Yet today, many landowners are concerned
about land-use restrictions that may occur if, for instance,
red-cockaded woodpeckers increase on their property.
The Safe Harbor Program provides assurances to
enrolled landowners that no additional regulatory restrictions
will result if woodpecker populations increase.
“We look forward to developing long-term
partnerships with private landowners to continue the recovery of
this endangered species,” said Ken Haddad, FWC executive
director.
At 6:30 a.m. Thursday, biologists will release
several pairs of red-cockaded woodpeckers to new homes at Tall
Timbers Station. Relocating birds from areas with excess birds
to parts of the state with critically small populations – a
process called translocation – is a major factor in red-cockaded
woodpecker recovery.
Florida hosts approximately one-quarter of the
nation’s red-cockaded woodpecker population and classifies the
bird as a species of special concern.
“Red-cockaded woodpecker populations have
declined drastically, and one of the main reasons they are
beginning to recover is because of techniques like
translocation, Tall Timbers biologist Jim Cox said. The ability
to do this on private lands will give new hope for their
recovery.”
Florida is the seventh state to sign a Safe
Harbor Agreement for red-cockaded woodpeckers with the FWS. In
the other six states, more than 240 landowners have enrolled
620,000 acres, with at least 500 groups of woodpeckers in the
program.
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