Post by L Roebuck on Nov 1, 2005 10:14:58 GMT -5
Arkansas to get $1.6 million to assist endangered species
BY KATHERINE MARKS
Posted on Tuesday, November 1, 2005
The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Monday announced more than $ 1. 6 million in grants that will benefit a big-eared bat, an elusive woodpecker and other endangered species in Arkansas.
Two programs that will benefit the rediscovered ivorybilled woodpecker will receive the lion’s share — $ 1. 25 million — of the grant money, including a $ 1 million grant to the state to acquire land in the Big Woods of eastern Arkansas to protect the woodpecker’s habitat.
Thought to have been extinct for 60 years, the bird was spotted flying over the Cache River in 2004 by a kayaker and, a year later, a team of researchers went public with the rediscovery.
The state was also awarded a $ 250, 250 grant to develop a habitat conservation plan in the Big Woods that will benefit not only the ivory-billed woodpecker but the interior least tern, the redcockaded woodpecker and three endangered mussels.
Arkansas Game and Fish Deputy Director David Goad said that shortly after the ivorybill’s rediscovery was announced in April, the department was told it should apply for the two grants.
“We were fairly confident we would get the grant because of the rediscovery,” Goad said referring to the $ 1 million grant for land acquisition. The agency teamed with The Nature Conservancy and the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission in applying for the two grants.
The smaller grant was less certain, Goad said, in part because most who receive it are in areas where the endangered species in question might be killed in the course of an activity such as development. Such a killing is called an “incidental take.”
“In our case, where its taken over 7, 000 man hours for a sighting, the chance of an incidental take was slim,” Goad said, referring to the ivory-billed woodpecker. However, the grant does benefit other species that, while endangered, aren’t as elusive.
With a new search for the ivory-billed woodpecker about to start, Goad said he hopes there’s more evidence of the birds’ existence by spring, when the search concludes. The search is expected to kick off later this month.
The Fish and Wildlife Service also awarded $ 405, 190 to aid in the purchase of land in Oklahoma and Arkansas that will protect the habitat of the Ozark big-eared bat, three other species of bat and the Ozark cave fish.
The rare bat —with an estimated 2, 000 in the world — dwells in outer caves making it vulnerable to disturbances and vandalism, said Tim Snell, the director of the Ozark Conservation program for The Nature Conservancy.
The aptly named bat looks like any other except its large ears.
“It looks like a normal bat, just a furry little creature that flies around at night, but they’ve got these huge ears that are almost too big for their bodies,” Snell said.
The Nature Conservancy is working on the project with Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, Oklahoma Biological Survey, Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, Arkansas Game and Fish, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service and some American Indian tribes in Oklahoma.
In all, the service announced $ 727, 458 in grants for its southeast region through the Habitat Conservation Planning Assistance Grants Program and more than $ 3. 7 million through the Recovery land Acquisition Grants Program.
The programs enable states to work with private landowners, conservation groups and others on conservation efforts and to acquire land to protect the habitats of endangered species.
NWAnews.com
www.nwanews.com/story.php?paper=adg§ion=News&storyid=135008
BY KATHERINE MARKS
Posted on Tuesday, November 1, 2005
The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Monday announced more than $ 1. 6 million in grants that will benefit a big-eared bat, an elusive woodpecker and other endangered species in Arkansas.
Two programs that will benefit the rediscovered ivorybilled woodpecker will receive the lion’s share — $ 1. 25 million — of the grant money, including a $ 1 million grant to the state to acquire land in the Big Woods of eastern Arkansas to protect the woodpecker’s habitat.
Thought to have been extinct for 60 years, the bird was spotted flying over the Cache River in 2004 by a kayaker and, a year later, a team of researchers went public with the rediscovery.
The state was also awarded a $ 250, 250 grant to develop a habitat conservation plan in the Big Woods that will benefit not only the ivory-billed woodpecker but the interior least tern, the redcockaded woodpecker and three endangered mussels.
Arkansas Game and Fish Deputy Director David Goad said that shortly after the ivorybill’s rediscovery was announced in April, the department was told it should apply for the two grants.
“We were fairly confident we would get the grant because of the rediscovery,” Goad said referring to the $ 1 million grant for land acquisition. The agency teamed with The Nature Conservancy and the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission in applying for the two grants.
The smaller grant was less certain, Goad said, in part because most who receive it are in areas where the endangered species in question might be killed in the course of an activity such as development. Such a killing is called an “incidental take.”
“In our case, where its taken over 7, 000 man hours for a sighting, the chance of an incidental take was slim,” Goad said, referring to the ivory-billed woodpecker. However, the grant does benefit other species that, while endangered, aren’t as elusive.
With a new search for the ivory-billed woodpecker about to start, Goad said he hopes there’s more evidence of the birds’ existence by spring, when the search concludes. The search is expected to kick off later this month.
The Fish and Wildlife Service also awarded $ 405, 190 to aid in the purchase of land in Oklahoma and Arkansas that will protect the habitat of the Ozark big-eared bat, three other species of bat and the Ozark cave fish.
The rare bat —with an estimated 2, 000 in the world — dwells in outer caves making it vulnerable to disturbances and vandalism, said Tim Snell, the director of the Ozark Conservation program for The Nature Conservancy.
The aptly named bat looks like any other except its large ears.
“It looks like a normal bat, just a furry little creature that flies around at night, but they’ve got these huge ears that are almost too big for their bodies,” Snell said.
The Nature Conservancy is working on the project with Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, Oklahoma Biological Survey, Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, Arkansas Game and Fish, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service and some American Indian tribes in Oklahoma.
In all, the service announced $ 727, 458 in grants for its southeast region through the Habitat Conservation Planning Assistance Grants Program and more than $ 3. 7 million through the Recovery land Acquisition Grants Program.
The programs enable states to work with private landowners, conservation groups and others on conservation efforts and to acquire land to protect the habitats of endangered species.
NWAnews.com
www.nwanews.com/story.php?paper=adg§ion=News&storyid=135008