U.S. Army Achieves Endangered Species Milestone

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md., June 13 /PRNewswire/ — The recovery of a well-known endangered species has achieved a significant milestone with the help of an Army-civilian partnership centered on Fort Bragg, N.C.

Wildlife biologists validated more than 350 potential breeding groups of red-cockaded woodpeckers on and around the installation, surpassing the goal set by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s recovery plan for this primary core population.

The Army was able to announce the achievement five years ahead of schedule because of the dedicated commitment of the North Carolina Sandhills Conservation Partnership, said Tad Davis, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Environment, Safety and Occupational Health.

“This recovery validates the success of ongoing sustainability efforts to preserve precious natural resources and the meaningful benefits of working together with community partners,” Davis said. “Equally important, this initiative allows us to continue mission training while protecting the ecosystem of the Sandhills.”

Fort Bragg, The Nature Conservancy, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Sandhills Area Land Trust, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, the Sandhills Ecological Institute and the U.S. Army Environmental Center are working together through an effort called North Carolina Sandhills Conservation Partnership. The Partnership conserves, protects and enhances the unique ecosystems of the Sandhills.

In the 1990s the installation imposed training and construction restrictions to protect the endangered woodpecker and its longleaf pine forest habitat. Innovative conservation efforts by the Fort Bragg Natural Resource staff brought the number of breeding groups on the installation from 238 in 1992 to 347 today. An estimated 21 more groups live on land around the installation bringing the total to 368.

Fort Bragg will continue red-cockaded woodpecker recovery work. The number of potential breeding groups must stay above 350 to withstand environmental threats such as a tornado or hurricane.

“It’s not only a victory for the environment, it’s a victory for the Army because we have witnessed the results of our hard work,” Davis said. “This is a major accomplishment for the nation, too. We have preserved an important element of our natural heritage in this little bird and its extraordinary habitat.”

For more information on the U.S. Army Environmental Center, visit http://aec.army.mil/ .

U.S. Army Environmental Center

CONTACT: Robert E. DiMichele, Public Affairs Officer of U.S. ArmyEnvironmental Center, +1-410-436-2556, Robert.DiMichele@us.army.mil

Web site: http://aec.army.mil/