NEWS RELEASES
Rare Woodpeckers In Georgia Receive Post-Hurricane Help
Editor's Note: This news item was retrieved and first published through Georgia Department of Natural Resources's website.
BAINBRIDGE, Ga. - Silver Lake Wildlife Management Area, a 9,200-acre state owned property located along Lake Seminole in southern Decatur County, is known as one of the last refuges of the federally endangered red-cockaded woodpecker, which lives exclusively in Southern pine forests. Hurricane Michael’s 116 mph winds wiped out almost half of Silver Lake’s 272 trees that contained red-cockaded woodpecker nest cavities, leaving behind acres of downed trees and limbs. The woodpeckers are unique in building nests in living trees. “Our biologists quickly assessed the situation and developed a plan to stabilize the population by creating new nest cavities and reducing woody debris to protect remaining trees during prescribed burns,” Dr. Jon Ambrose, chief of Georgia’s DNR Wildlife Conservation Section, said in a press release. “But we did not have the resources to fully implement the plan.”
The Division of Natural Resources (DNR) recently received a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and partners International Paper and Southern Company to install more than 100 artificial nest cavities and clear debris around the clusters of trees occupied by the red-cockaded woodpeckers, as well as restoring habitats for Silver Lake's other species, including Gopher tortoises, bobwhite quail and Bachman’s sparrows. International Paper is the former owner of the property and worked to restore the endangered woodpeckers, increasing their number from two to about 50 before selling the land to the DNR. Southern Company provided funding through NFWF to help the state buy Silver Lake in 2008.
For more information on the restoration efforts, read Georgia Wildlife’s press release. Learn more at the Silver Lake WMA webpage.