Ivory–bill update

Science symposium

The Nature Conservancy, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will host a gathering of experts at Brinkley this fall. The symposium, entitled “The Ecology of Large Woodpeckers” is designed for ornithologists, foresters, wildlife biologists, soil conservationists, land managers, and members of related fields and specialties.

Planned presentations include: (1) search and research approaches; (2) what is known about the ivory-billed woodpecker; (3) managing hardwood forests for the ivory-bill; (4) the search for the ivory-bill in Cuba, where the last accepted sighting occurred in 1987; and (5) woodpecker densities in the Big Woods of Arkansas. The symposium will be a valuable aid to recovery planning efforts currently under way for the ivory-bill.

The search continues

The symposium will mark the official start of the winter 2005-2006 ivory-bill search in the Big Woods of Arkansas. Following the symposium, the searchers will attend a week-long orientation, and the search should be in high gear by mid-November. The Conservancy will continue to play a key role in research and conservation efforts, working alongside our partners on rigorous, scientifically sound plans not only in the Big Woods, but throughout the ivory-bill’s entire original range.

Beckoning the beetles

Scientists from the Conservancy and Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission are
conducting experiments to determine the best methods for increasing food sources for the ivory-billed woodpecker. According to studies by Cornell University researcher James Tanner in the 1930s, the ivory-bill’s favorite food is the larvae of certain wood boring beetles. The beetles are particular about their living quarters – they lay their eggs primarily in dying or recently dead trees that are still standing. But because much of the old-growth in the Big Woods was heavily cut over, what’s growing now is relatively young with very few trees in decline. There were six to eight dying trees per acre in the Louisiana forests when Tanner studied the ivory-bill; today our study are in the Big Woods contains only two to three such trees per acre. In short, more dying trees are needed to attract more beetle larvae and more ivory-bills.

The current study is taking place on four plots of four acres each. Of the 2,600 to 2,800 trees in each plot, 35 to 50 are being treated either by girdling (using a chain saw or ax to cut a ring into the bark) or by injection with a low dose of the chemical glyphosate, a naturally occurring hormone in plants. Girdling injures the outer bark and cambium (inner bark layer) of the tree. But many trees in the bottomlands are extremely resistant to bark injury, so glyphosate injection offers an alternative treatment. Encased in a “pill” the substance in injected at the base of the tree, where it is taken up only by the targeted tree. It causes uncontrolled growth in a portion of the tree, resulting in a wound that attracts the beetles. There is no evidence of impact to the beetle larvae, anything feeding on them, or anything in the surrounding environment. The study also explores different rates of tree mortality for the various treatments. Scientists think glyphosate may cause trees to die more slowly, which could attract more beetles over a greater length of time.

Traps are in place to determine the number of beetles attracted to the trees, and the study plots will be monitored periodically for signs of ivory-billed woodpecker feeding. If successful, the treated trees will serve as food sources for several years, and scientists will have a better idea which treatments work best for each of the eight tree species studied. This will bring us a step closer to restoring the natural balance of tree decline and regeneration that is vital to the food chain.

Improving Rural Roads, Protecting Ozark Streams

Reducing sedimentation in Ozark rivers is a top priority for Doyle Crosswhite, manager of the Conservancy’s Ozark Rivers Legacy Program. Without proper design and maintenance, unpaved roads can be a significant source of sedimentation, which affects aquatic life by filling spaces between gravel where animals live and by clogging fish gills and suffocating their eggs.

To help keep the Kings River running clear, the Conservancy’s Ozark Highlands office held a road maintenance workshop in Berryville in July. The workshop was designed to offer cost-effective solutions to county judges, officials, and roads staff for maintaining unpaved roads with an eye toward reducing sediment runoff. Partners in the workshop included the Arkansas Soil & Water Conservation Commission (ASWCC), Kings River Watershed Partnership, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Ozark-St. Francis National Forest, and the Watershed Conservation Resource Center. Special thanks to Ron Redman of ASWCC and Conservancy geomorphologist Mike Hanley for their tireless help.

The 25 attendees studied watershed dynamics and erosion control in a classroom setting, then participated in hands-on field training that demonstrated best management practices in rural road construction and maintenance. Judging from evaluations by the attendees, the workshop was well received and useful. The Conservancy plans to repeat the workshop in other Ozark watersheds in the future.

Gearing up for Burn Season

Fire plays an important ecological role in most Arkansas landscapes by maintaining species diversity and balance. Every year, fire management professionals conduct controlled burns to mimic this natural process on lands throughout the state. In fact, Arkansas ranked third in the nation last year in the number of acres treated with prescribed burns.

Prescribed burning isn’t the only job the crews handle. Fireline construction, burn plan development, invasive plant removal, pine thinnings, and fence and gate construction are some of the other stewardship tasks the crews will tackle during the next eight months.

Thank you again for your support of The Nature Conservancy’s work in Arkansas and around the world. Together we are learning, advancing, and making good things happen.

Best regards,
Scott Simon
State Director
nature.org