2007 Winter NL (Jan-Mar).Indd
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
www.friendsofcongaree.org Winter 2007 Researchers Search for Ivory-billed Woodpeckers in Congaree National Park After the 2004 rediscovery of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker in Arkansas, reassessments of his- toric occupied areas throughout the Southeast have begun. In an effort to document the Ivory- billed Woodpecker’s presence in South Carolina, the South Carolina Ivory-billed Woodpecker Working Group was created. This partnership includes several nonprofi t organizations and agencies, including The Nature Conservancy, U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, South Carolina Depart- ment of Natural Resources, and the South Caro- lina Forestry Commission. These agencies have contributed more than $180,000 to look for and document the presence of the Ivory-billed Wood- pecker in South Carolina. Matthew holds a M.S. in biology from Eastern Washington University, and has extensive fi eld Congaree National Park contains almost 11,000 experience in the United States, Costa Rica, and acres of old-growth bottomland forest, which is Sierra Leone. After hiring Matthew, The Nature thought to be the preferred habitat of the Ivory- Conservancy also hired a four person fi eld crew. billed Woodpecker. Nowhere else in the South- Members of this fi eld crew include: Zach Nelson, east can such a contiguous tract be found, thus Amy Leist, Brett Hubbard, and Katie Martin. All the Ivory-billed Woodpecker Working Group have strong backgrounds in fi eld research and decided to concentrate their search efforts in have traveled to South Carolina from as far Congaree National Park in early 2006. From away as California. This fi eld crew, along with January to mid-April 2006 approximately 1/3 seventeen volunteers from across the United of the park was searched by volunteers. Data States, makes up the team trying to document gathered in the 2006 search effort suggested the Ivory-billed Woodpecker’s presence in Con- that further searches should be conducted in garee National Park. In addition, the Cornell 2006-07. Mobile Search Team out of Cornell’s Laboratory of Ornithology visited Congaree National Park The South Carolina Ivory-billed Woodpecker in December 2006 to search for the Ivory-billed Working Group decided to expand the search Woodpecker. This team of scientists and re- effort for the 2006-07 season. In late 2006 The searchers, led by world renowned woodpecker Nature Conservancy hired Matthew Moskwik to oversee the search effort in South Carolina. Ivory-billed Woodpecker continued page 3 Winter 2007 Friends of Congaree Swamp ©2007 All Rights Reserved. 1 President’s Corner US 601 Bridges Dr. John Grego You definitely need a scorecard to keep track of developments on this project! As we prepared for a second final review hearing before the DHEC Board December 14, SCDOT requested Congaree River Trail that the hearing be cancelled since SCDOT had already appealed the DHEC Board’s earlier re- American Rivers recently received a $10,000 mand decision to the Administrative Law Court. grant from the Richland County Conservation Shortly before the hearing, the court agreed to Commission to develop the Congaree River Blue the stay. The day of the hearing, SC DHEC dis- Trail. Friends of Congaree Swamp has joined cussed its options and chose not to go forward with American Rivers, Congaree National Park, with a final review. Congaree Land Trust, SC DNR, and the River Alliance to help in initial phases of the project. At this point, SCDOT’s appeal may proceed through the Administrative Law Court; Friends As a first effort, the River Alliance will produce of Congaree Swamp, South Carolina Wildlife a canoe/kayak map tracing the Congaree River Federation, and Audubon SC have requested from the Gervais Street Bridge all the way down the right to intervene in the case to protect our to the Santee River. Inspired by the Broad interests in the project. In addition, we have River Blue Trail map, this map will have more filed our own appeal with the Administrative Law extensive information about the landscape that Court, though this appeal protests a somewhat paddlers will be passing through. The map will different SC DHEC action than SC DOT’s ap- include access points, navigational landmarks, peal. SCDOT appealed DHEC’s September 14 and information on historic, cultural and natural decision to remand the project to DHEC staff for resources. We will also take special care to no- additional review. We are protesting the DHEC tify paddlers of any dangers paddling and camp- staff’s October 12 recommendation to include a ing on the Congaree and to respect the rights of modest amount of additional bridging (490 feet), property owners along the river. while replacing or leaving at least 9700 feet of causeway across the floodplain, It is unlikely In addition to the map, an event is scheduled for that the Administrative Law Court will agree to National Trails Day on June 2. Ideally, the event entertain both cases, but we will have a promi- would put lots of people on the river and include nent role in either case. a look at seldom-seen parts of Congaree Na- tional Park. Look for more details in the Spring As I mentioned in the last newsletter, we also newsletter. had filed a NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) lawsuit in federal court, primarily to protest an inadequate Environmental Assessment for the 601 project. While all cases are currently active, no hearings or testimony have yet been scheduled. Thanks again to Jimmy Chandler and the South Carolina Environmental Law Project for shepherding these cases through the appeals process. 2 Friends of Congaree Swamp ©2007 All Rights Reserved. Winter 2007 Winter 2007 Friends of Congaree Swamp ©2007 All Rights Reserved. 3 Ivory-billed Woodpecker cont. expert Martjan Lammertink, is touring the South- Upcoming Field Trips east attempting to document the woodpecker’s existence. They will be returning to Congaree & Events National Park in April to provide additional sup- port to the South Carolina search team. Current- ly, they are in Florida and Louisiana helping with NatureFest 2007 regional Ivory-billed Woodpecker search efforts. Harry Hampton Visitor Center Congaree National Park This year all Ivory-billed Woodpecker searches are using a new model developed by scientists Saturday & Sunday at the University of Georgia to help find the Ivory- April 20 & 21, 2007 billed Woodpecker. This model has become the NatureFest 2007 is a three day celebration basis for searches conducted in the Southeast of springtime in Congaree National Park and at Congaree National Park. In accordance th with the model, the park is divided into 500 acre and of the park’s 30 anniversary year. Na- patches which are searched for signs of the ture walks, presentations, canoe trips and Ivory-billed Woodpecker and the bird itself. The children’s programs offer the opportunity for model also requires that vegetation data are col- you to experience your new national park at lected. These data will inform a regional Ivory- its finest. Bring a picnic lunch with you and billed Woodpecker habitat occupancy model. spend the day learning about the natural world. Programs are scheduled for Saturday, Along with the model, Autonomous Recording April 20th and Sunday, April 21st, 2007. Units, known as ARUs, are being used to help document the Ivory-billed Woodpecker’s pres- This annual event, based at the Harry Hamp- ence in South Carolina. ARUs are program- ton Visitor Center will be held the third week- mable devices that record all sounds in a forest. Later these recorded sounds can be analyzed for end in April. Programs led by biologists, park the presence of Ivory-billed Woodpecker vocal- rangers and other professionals will give you izations. In addition to ARU’s, the search team the chance to explore the natural beauty is also using remote cameras to monitor areas of the park with the aid of knowledgeable thought to be used by Ivory-billed Woodpeckers. guides. These cameras take photos automatically for a period of a few days. Then the cameras are NatureFest is held to celebrate National Park taken down and the pictures analyzed frame by Week and Earth Day. National Park Week is frame to look for Ivory-billed Woodpeckers. an exceptional opportunity to share with the American people what it means to be keep- In addition to looking for Ivory-billed Woodpeck- ers of the trust, the preservers and protec- ers, the search team is also documenting the tors of the best in American land and historic presence of other threatened species such as Swallow-tailed Kites, Swainson’s Warblers, and places. It also coincides with National Envi- Rusty Blackbirds, which have shown declines ronmental Education Week. throughout their ranges in recent years. Thus, the search effort is not only trying to document Indoor presentations are approximately an the Ivory-billed Woodpecker’s presence in Con- hour in length. Outdoor programs generally garee National Park, but also assessing other last 11⁄2 to 2 hours. All programs are free. vulnerable species that are found in these bot- tomland forests. This effort and others like it help promote the preservation and conservation of these unique and important ecosystems. 2 Friends of Congaree Swamp ©2007 All Rights Reserved. Winter 2007 Winter 2007 Friends of Congaree Swamp ©2007 All Rights Reserved. 3 Upcoming Field Trips & Events Dawn Chorus at Congaree Big Tree Walk Saturday, April 7th, 2007 Congaree National Park 1:30 – 5:00 Sunday, May 6, 2006, 5:00 AM (Yes, that’s AM) Visitors’ Center, Congaree National Park As you’ve enjoyed the view from that wonderful Leader: Robin Carter overlook at Weston’s Lake have you ever won- One of the most important resources of Congaree dered what was in those big woods on the opposite National Park is its large numbers of breeding birds, shoreline? No? Well come along anyway and let’s including many so-called Neotropical migrants—spe- fi nd out.