SHORELINES

e U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is recommending the red-cockaded woodpecker (RCW) be downlisted from endangered to threatened, thanks to decades of restoration efforts by public agencies and private companies across the Southeast. e announcement was made during an event at Fort Benning, Georgia. "e milestone we are making today is significant for species conservation," said David Bernhardt, U.S. secretary of the Interior. "Species don't care about jurisdictional boundaries or different laws. ey need and want our on-the-ground results. is is a very good thing for America." e RCW was placed on the USFWS Endangered List in 1970 aer its U.S. population had fallen below 10,000, well below the more than 1 million estimated during the 16th century. Decades of habitat disruption, including the loss of millions of acres of longleaf pine forests, contributed to the species decline, but today the RCW population is increasing, thanks to coordinated management plans administered in the 11 states across the Southeast, including Alabama. "e partnership we have between these agencies is really a hand-and-glove type of relationship," said Sonny Purdue, secretary of Agriculture. "It's a real honor to work together. e population is flourishing." Alabama Power's Lake Mitchell is one place where the bird's numbers are slowly on the rise. Alabama Power has worked closely with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) and the USFWS since the 1980s to manage more than 1,600 acres of old-growth longleaf pines surrounding Lake Mitchell. e collaborative partnership and land management has increased the survivability of the RCW species. "e relationship between Alabama Power Company and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Alabama Field Office is outstanding and based on trust and professionalism," said Jeff Powell, deputy supervisor of the USFWS Alabama Field Office. "We have made great things happen together, including downlisting the tulotoma snail from endangered to threatened; enhanced protections for species like the flattened musk turtle, Black Warrior waterdog and rough hornsnail; improving red-cockaded woodpecker habitat; reintroduction of several rare mollusk species; and more." Alabama Power entered Lake Mitchell into a Safe Harbor Agreement with ADCNR in 2009. Chad Fitch, a biologist at Alabama Power, says the agreement outlines specif ic monitoring and restoration plans, including prescribed burning, mid-story clearing and artif icial RCW cavity installations. Mid-story clearing removes the layer of vegetation between the tallest and smallest trees. "is is a vast group effort, not only in the state of Alabama but also all across the Southeast and the East Coast," Fitch said. "Folks have managed their lands by conducting prescribed burnings and artificial cavity installations to help maintain the viability of RCW clusters." Currently, 11 breeding pairs of the species reside on Alabama Power property, up from eight in the 1990s. Fitch says the population growth of the species and the recommended downlisting by USFWS is proof the project works. "Alabama Power employees have had the privilege of helping this local population expand," Fitch said. "Alabama Power is committed to the continued management of these forests to ensure RCW populations continue to grow and thrive for years to come." 14 | 2020

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