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Book Details History of Srs

Posted on: Wednesday, 15 March 2006, 03:03 CST

By Rob Pavey< Outdoors Editor

When he's not studying fawn mortality or searching for ancient cypress trees, John Kilgo revels in the knowledge gathered by his many predecessors at Savannah River Site.

"There's so much more known about the site ecologically and natural resources-wise than a lot of other areas," said Kilgo, a U.S. Forest Service research biologist whose new book encapsulates much of that knowledge.

During its long history, the 310-square-mile tract has gradually undergone a metamorphosis, from farms and towns into a sprawling forested landscape that has become a living laboratory.

Studies on waterfowl migration, timber harvesting, whitetail deer, feral hogs, fish, endangered species and rare plants have been conducted for decades.

Kilgo, along with fellow scientist John I. Blake, compiled much of the fascinating data in a new book, Ecology and Management of a Forested Landscape.

"We thought it would be a shame for all this information to just be another report the public would never see," he said.

The book's many contributors offer 32 chapters on the site's history and wildlife and timber management programs, and also includes tables with year-by-year statistics on deer harvest, timber sales and other data.

For hunters, there are chapters on game animals, population trends over time, how they are managed, and what habitats they use; for birdwatchers and naturalists, there are chapters on birds, small mammals, reptiles and amphibians, butterflies, fish, and plants; and for anyone interested in endangered species, there are chapters on each federally threatened or endangered species.

During his nine years at SRS, Kilgo has studied coyotes, the impacts of proscribed burning on turkey reproduction and the sustainability of the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker.

"The reason I went into the field in the first place is, I really love that kind of work," he said. "A lot of the information we have out here can apply wherever you are. SRS is as much of a natural area as anywhere else."

Source: Augusta Chronicle, The

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