Louisiana Natural Areas Registry Newsletter
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L OUISIANA NATURAL AREAS REGISTRY QQQ uuu aaa rrr ttt eee rrr lll yyy NNN eee www sss lll eee ttt ttt eee rrr Vol. 3, No. 2 December 2005 Working with landowners towards conservation of Louisiana’s ecologically sensitive lands NATURAL AREAS REGISTRY UPDATE By Judy Jones I would like to congratulate and acknowledge our We are acknowledging one new Natural Area, Natural Areas Registry members for protecting Restful Retreat Natural Area, this quarter. We their natural areas for future generations. The contacted Cyndy Hughes about registering her combined efforts of concerned citizens like Natural property and she was delighted. Restful Retreat Areas Registry members and the LNHP are helping Natural Area is a 6.48‐acre Southern Mesophytic to conserve what is left of Louisiana’s natural areas. Hardwood Forest located in the Tunica Hills of It has been my pleasure to speak to and meet many West Feliciana Parish. This habitat develops on of the wonderful landowners in our program. I am deep, fertile, loessial deposits that have eroded looking forward to working with all of you next over thousands of years to form a characteristic year and I hope that 2006 brings you happiness and highly‐dissected landscape of high, narrow ridges, prosperity. 2005 was a good year for making new steep slopes, and contacts with interested landowners. Eleven deep ravines that landowners have registered approximately 1,973‐ usually have acres of property in five parishes. We now have 80 intermittent to Natural Areas Registries with 35,539 acres in 26 permanent streams. These dissected hills have sustained localized populations of some Appalachian species, primarily herbaceous, thought to have originally migrated south ahead of advancing glaciers in the past ice‐age. Pictured above is Strawberry Bush in fruit during late September (Hilton Pond Center). Currently, there are nineteen rare plant species and ten rare animal species that are known to occur in the Tunica Hills. Unfortunately, many of our members experienced damage to their natural areas and homes this year. Many members are still coping with cleanup, repair, and/or rebuilding like Roy Wood of Tar Kiln Natural Area. Roy needed reforestation advice In This Issue: Pages parishes (See map). One of our Natural Areas Natural Areas Update 1 - 2 Forest Stewardship Program 2 - 3 Registry goals is to work with registry members Wildlife Habitat Inhancement Program 3 - 4 towards permanent protection. Presently, four Small Stream Forest 4 - 6 registry members are working towards permanent Long-sepaled False Dragon-Head 6 - 7 protection and one has attained permanent Louisiana Waterthrush 7 - 8 protection this year. Silver-haired Bat 9 - 10 Newsletter Correction 11 Natural Heritage Staff 11 1 Louisiana Natural Areas Registry Quarterly Newsletter Vol. 3, No. 2 September 2005 after Hurricane Katrina destroyed most of his assistance to revise his present forest management longleaf pine forest in St. Tammany Parish. Cody plan for longleaf pine forest restoration. Cedotal with the Forest Stewardship Program, Patti Additionally, the Wildlife Habitat Incentive Faulkner, and I walked with Roy through what Program (WHIP) can provide cost share funds for remained of his forest. Cody recommended that prescribed burning. See below for benefits of the Roy would benefit from registering in the Forest Forest Stewardship Program. Stewardship Program because it provides FOREST STEWARDSHIP PROGRAM by Cody Cedotal, Forest Stewardship Biologist Have you ever known exactly what you wanted year period and is designed to assist the for your property, but were unsure how to achieve landowner providing specific management your goals? If this is the case, then you may be recommendations on how to accomplish his or her able to attain assistance through the Forest stated objectives. Stewardship Program (FSP). The Forest Management plan development is the first step Stewardship Program offers the non‐industrial towards certification as a Forest Stewardship private forest landowner a cost free means of Landowner. Through certification, a landowner obtaining technical assistance and management receives recognition among peers and resource advice. Landowners must first establish a list of professionals for properly managing his or her objectives for their property. Examples of property. During the certification process, an objectives include timber production, wildlife inspection team of resource professionals is habitat enhancement, forest recreation assembled and the property is reviewed to ensure enhancement, aesthetics, and environmental that all management activities were conducted in enhancement. Many landowners want to manage an appropriate manner, conducive to proper forest their property for timber production while at the stewardship. After certification, the landowner same time, enhancing the area for white‐tailed will receive a sign to display on the property and a deer and/or Eastern Wild Turkey. These two laser‐engraved plaque, recognizing that he or she objectives are common among Forest Stewardship is an active member in the Forest Stewardship landowners. Other landowners prefer to manage Program. Properties will need to have revised their property to enhance recreational opportunity management plans written and re‐certification in the form of bird watching, wildlife observation, once ten years have elapsed. or hiking. There are other benefits associated with the Forest Once objectives have been established, a site Stewardship Program. Participating landowners inspection is necessary to assess the current receive a free subscription to the FSP Newsletter conditions found on the property. Many different which addresses topics relevant to land agencies participate in FSP to provide quality management in Louisiana. Landowners assistance to landowners. Representatives from participating in FSP are also eligible to receive the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and assistance in deer management under the Fisheries, the Louisiana Department of Agriculture Landowner Antlerless Deer Tag Program (LADT). and Forestry, and Natural Resource Conservation Additionally, the resource professionals involved Service may all be present at the site inspection of in FSP can also provide information on other your property. After discussion with the assistance and cost‐share programs that your landowner about objectives and a detailed site property may qualify for such as the Forestry evaluation, a written management plan is then Productivity Program (FPP), Conservation Reserve developed by one or more of the resource Program (CRP), Wetland Reserve Program (WRP), professionals involved with the property. The Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP), and multiple‐use management plan will cover a ten the Forest Lands Enhancement Program (FLEP). 2 Louisiana Natural Areas Registry Quarterly Newsletter Vol. 3, No. 2 September 2005 These programs are designed to provide cost‐ Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry share assistance to landowners when conducting at (225) 925‐4500 or Cody Cedotal, FSP Biologist, management practices on their property. Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries at (225) 765‐2354. For more information on the Forest Stewardship Program, contact Mike Thomas, FSP Coordinator, WILDLIFE HABITAT INCENTIVES PROGRAM September 2004 OVERVIEW for the development of the State WHIP ranking The Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) is criteria. a voluntary program that encourages creation of Persons interested in entering into a cost‐share high quality wildlife habitats that support wildlife agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture populations of National, State, Tribal, and local (USDA) to develop wildlife habitat may file an significance. Through WHIP, the Natural application at any time. Participants voluntarily Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) provides limit future use of the land for a period of time, but technical and financial assistance to landowners retain private ownership. and others to develop upland, wetland, riparian, and aquatic habitat areas on their property. WHIP NRCS works with the participant to develop a is reauthorized in the Farm Security and Rural wildlife habitat development plan. This plan Investment Act of 2002 (Farm Bill). Through becomes the basis of the cost‐share agreement WHIP, NRCS works with private landowners and between NRCS and the participant. NRCS operators; conservation districts; and Federal, State, provides cost‐share payments to landowners under and Tribal agencies to develop wildlife habitat on these agreements that are usually 5 to 10 years in their property. Funding for WHIP comes from the duration, depending upon the practices to be Commodity Credit Corporation. installed. BENEFITS There are shorter‐term agreements to install Since WHIP began in 1998, nearly 14,700 practices that are needed to meet wildlife participants have enrolled more than 2.3 million emergencies, as approved by the NRCS State acres into the program. Most efforts have Conservationist. NRCS also provides greater cost‐ concentrated on improving upland wildlife habitat, share assistance to landowners who enter into such as native prairie, but there is an increasing agreements of 15 years or more for practices on emphasis on improving riparian and aquatic areas. essential plant and animal habitat. NRCS can use The 2002 Farm Bill greatly expands the available up to 15 percent of its available WHIP funds for tools for improving wildlife habitat conditions this purpose. across the Nation.