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Wildlife Species Audit Nears End in Georgia

Posted on: Tuesday, 7 December 2004, 03:00 CST

COLUMBUS, Ga. - Ever wonder where Georgia's red-cockaded woodpeckers live?

State officials soon will be able to answer that and other wildlife queries, as they near completion of a two-year project to identify every species of plant and animal in the state.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources' Wildlife Resources Division recently held the last in a series of statewide public meetings at Columbus State University to discuss plans for its Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy. The program has a three-part goal: Identify every species in Georgia that needs to be protected, locate the high-priority areas where those species are found and appropriate funds and resources for protecting those areas.

Officials say they hope to implement the plan by October 2005.

"We want to make sure that no wildlife species and no high- priority areas are being overlooked," said Jon Ambrose, of the Wildlife Resources Division.

Georgia is one of the most biologically diverse states in the country, according to wildlife officials. It ranks second in number of amphibians, third in number of freshwater fishes, third in number of crayfishes and seventh in number of reptiles.

Source: Augusta Chronicle, The

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