Georgia Events Mark 10th Anniversary of Wildlife Grants

From monitoring swallow-tailed kites along the coast to surveying rare fishes in highland rivers, the federal State Wildlife Grants Program has funded wildlife conservation across Georgia since 2000. Yet most Georgians never knew it.

Next week, the state Department of Natural Resources will celebrate the 10-year anniversary of State Wildlife Grants with events highlighting wildlife stories and successes the grants helped make possible.

Public events Sept. 10-11 will offer close-ups of rare creatures and special habitats, like bog turtles at Chattahoochee Nature Center in Roswell and pitcherplants at Doerun Pitcherplant Bog Natural Area near Moultrie. It’s all part of Teaming with Wildlife Week. Teaming with Wildlife is a national coalition and the leading advocate of State Wildlife Grants.

Linda May, environmental outreach coordinator for DNR’s Nongame Conservation Section, said the goal is raising awareness. The State Wildlife Grants Program “is very crucial to the work we do,” May said.

The grants fund work benefiting wildlife and their habitats, specifically the 90 percent of our nation’s species not hunted, fished for or on the Endangered Species List. The focus: Keep common species common and prevent wildlife from becoming endangered, protecting them and their habitats before they become too rare and more costly to protect.

The stable funding for state fish and wildlife agencies has been critical to the recovery and conservation of many species, fulfilling a responsibility to save them for future generations.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said that in the current economic climate, “the program ensures that states will have the necessary resources to help conserve their highest priority wildlife, plants and habitats – an investment that will pay dividends for years to come.”

State Wildlife Grants have been used for land conservation such as the acquisition of Silver Lake Wildlife Management Area near Bainbridge; habitat restoration, including more prescribed burning to benefit longleaf pine ecosystems; and research, such as sandhills surveys and habitat assessments that could help keep the gopher tortoise – Georgia’s state reptile – off the endangered species list.

Nongame Conservation Section Chief Mike Harris said the work is done strategically, guided by the State Wildlife Action Plan. This comprehensive plan required for State Wildlife Grants and developed by Georgia scientists, sportsmen and the public guides DNR efforts to conserve biological diversity.

State Wildlife Grants also draw matching money and work from conservation partners. The overall impact is at least double the roughly $1.5 million Georgia receives each year.

Jerry McCollum, president of the Georgia Wildlife Federation, which helped found the state Teaming with Wildlife coalition, noted that the grants program is not guaranteed. Congress decides funding annually. “For sportsmen and conservationists in Georgia … a constant vigil is required,” McCollum said.


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State Acquires 469 Acres of Conservation Land in Dawson County

Governor Sonny Perdue announced June 16 the acquisition of 469 acres of prime conservation land in Dawson County, which includes two miles of the Amicalola Creek and its tributaries, by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Georgia Land Conservation Program (GLCP).  Long a conservation priority for the state, the 469-acre tract is a critical connection between two previously separate tracts of the Dawson Forest Wildlife Management Area (WMA).  The property protects a vital segment of Amicalola Creek that supports at least 27 native fish species, three of which are endangered.  All three tracts together protect more than 15,000 acres.

“Permanently protecting Georgia’s land resources is one of the most visible examples of our state’s culture of conservation,” said Governor Perdue.  “Acquiring this property at the heart of the Dawson Forest links together more than 15,000 acres of conservation land.  Thanks to the partnership of public and private organizations, this stretch of Amicalola Creek and the many species of wildlife it supports will be preserved for generations to come.”

The Nature Conservancy in Georgia acquired the Amicalola Creek property from the Forestar Real Estate Group in 2008 at a reduced price and held it until the state could arrange funding.   The Nature Conservancy contributed $2.15 million through a discounted sale of the property to the state.  Contributions from a variety of other public and private partners – the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation, the Robert H. Dobbs, Jr. Foundation, the Mountain Conservation Trust, the Lyndhurst Foundation, Trout Unlimited, the DNR, the GLCP and anonymous private donors – helping the state purchase the property.

“The state of Georgia is thrilled to acquire and manage this important piece of conservation land in North Georgia,” said DNR Commissioner Chris Clark.  “More than 80 percent of the funds needed to purchase the land were contributed by our private and federal partners.  Without their generous support, the permanent protection of this property would not have been possible.”

“The Nature Conservancy is committed to protecting Georgia’s most treasured landscapes,” said Shelly Lakly, the Conservancy’s state director in Georgia. “The opportunity to safeguard these acres could not be ignored, so we made the decision to act and contribute to the final funding.”

Governor Perdue also announced that 63 land conservation income tax credits were awarded to generous Georgia landowners for land donations that conserved 38,660 acres in tax year 2009.  In addition to direct land purchases, DNR and the GLCP offer land conservation state income tax credits of up to $1 million for land donations and conservation easements on land.  More than 200 tax credits have been awarded and more than 70,000 acres permanently conserved in Georgia since 2006 when the credit was established.

Since 2005 the GLCP has conserved more than 171,000 total acres.  For more information on Georgia Land Conservation Income Tax Credits, please contact the DNR at (770) 761-3043 or the GLCP at (404) 584-1101.

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"OperationDry Water" Takes Aim at Impaired Boat Operators

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division is teaming with the U.S. Coast Guard and the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) and other partner agencies for “Operation Dry Water” the weekend of June 26-28. Operation Dry Water, a coordinated national weekend of BUI detection and enforcement, is aimed at reducing the number of alcohol related accidents and fatalities and fostering a stronger and more visible deterrent to alcohol use on the water.

Georgia DNR Conservation Rangers will be concentrating patrols in high traffic areas on reservoirs across the state. Along with the use of life jackets and other safety practices, officers want boaters to be aware of the effects and ramifications of alcohol use.

“Statistics show that more than 20 percent of boating-related fatalities are a result of alcohol use, says Colonel Terry West, DNR Chief of Law Enforcement. “This continues an upward trend in the percentage of fatalities where alcohol was the primary cause of the accident.

As part of “Operation Dry Water,” the Georgia DNR will be intensifying efforts to detect and apprehend boat operators who are operating under the influence of alcohol or dangerous drugs. Alcohol can impair a boater’s judgment, balance, vision, and reaction time.

Alcohol, mixed with boating activities, creates dangerous conditions that can lead to tragedy. Last year, Conservation Rangers made 215 boating under the influence arrests on Georgia waterways and responded to 18 alcohol-related boating accidents.

“It is not illegal to have alcohol in an open container on a boat, nor is it illegal for a person operating a boat to drink, provided they are no less safe,” says West. “However, if a person is over the age of 21 and has a blood alcohol content of .10 or higher, they are presumed to be less safe and may be charged with boating under the influence.”

People arrested for BUI may lose their privilege to operate a boat. These privileges are not reinstated until the successful completion of an approved Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol or Drug Use Risk Reduction Program. The offender will be charged with a misdemeanor, punishable with up to a $1,000 fine and/or up to 12 months in prison.

The BUI law establishes a “zero tolerance” blood alcohol level of .02 for people under age 21 who are operating a boat. Minors who are arrested for BUI will face misdemeanor charges. The law also creates misdemeanor offenses for “endangering a child” if a boat operator transports a child under age 14 while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Furthermore, this law also allows for the revocation of boat operator privileges for people who refuse a sobriety test and/or people who have a blood, breath or urine test that shows the presence of illegal drugs or an alcohol level of .10 or higher.

The marine environment, consisting of waves, engine noise, sun and wind, accelerates impairment and fatigue in recreational boaters. This can quickly become a hazardous situation when combined with the effects of alcohol.

Alcohol affects a boat operator’s coordination skills, judgment and reaction time. The consumption of alcohol causes inner ear disturbances, affecting the balance and ability of an intoxicated person who falls overboard to determine the correct route to the water’s surface.

The National Association of State Boating Law Administrators is a national nonprofit organization that works to develop public policy for recreational boating safety. NASBLA represents the recreational boating authorities of all 50 states and the U.S. territories.

The U.S. Coast Guard’s Boating Safety Division is dedicated to reducing loss of life and injury on U.S. waterways by improving the knowledge, skills and abilities of recreational boaters.

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Drivers Urged to Watch for Wildlife in the Road

Forget the chicken: Why did the turtle cross the road?

In spring and early summer, probably to find food, a mate or a nest site.

Particularly after rain, turtles and other wildlife wander, sometimes venturing by day onto county roads and state highways that double as death traps for the unsuspecting creatures. The road-kill lineup varies from diamondback terrapins on the coast to fledgling mockingbirds along back roads in the Piedmont.

Senior wildlife biologist John Jensen of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources encouraged drivers to be alert. “At this time of the year, be more aware of what might be in the road,” Jensen said.

Road-kill statistics are not comprehensive. But a 17-month Purdue University study counted 10,500 animals and more than 65 species dead – mostly frogs and other amphibians – on 11 miles of roads in Indiana. Closer to home, the Jekyll Island Sea Turtle Center estimated that vehicles hit and killed more than 300 diamondback terrapins in 2007 just on the Jekyll Island causeway, according to a University of Georgia article on a State Wildlife Grant study assessing the state’s diamondback terrapin populations.

Female terrapins search out high ground to nest. In the marsh these turtles inhabit, causeways and other roads are high ground, said Jensen, who works with the Nongame Conservation Section in DNR’s Wildlife Resources Division.

Other creatures pay a toll, too. Box turtles, found statewide, move more after rains in spring and summer, searching out earthworms and other prey, mates and, for females, places to lay eggs. The rain not only softens the ground, it can mask the turtle’s scent, helping safeguard the buried eggs.

Turtles are long-lived, late-bearing species whose young already face low odds of survival. “It’s not good for any turtle to be lost,” Jensen said. “But for a gravid … female that gets hurt and killed on the road, you’ve lost her and her eggs.”

Jim Ozier, a Nongame Conservation Section program manager, said young birds also often end up on the asphalt. This spring, he has seen immature mockingbirds hunkered down on country roads where nearby fencerows serve as nesting habitat. Fledgling killdeer, likely from roadside nests, also sometimes scamper into the path of traffic.

The potential for run-ins increases as development crisscrosses Georgia’s landscape with more roads, further fragmenting wildlife habitat.

Ozier said the threat posed by vehicles is not a conservation issue for most species. But drivers who are watching the road can sometimes easily avoid turning a road-crossing creature into a punch line.

“We certainly don’t encourage motorists to risk human safety in any way,” Ozier said. “There’s nothing you can do if a squirrel decides to hide under your tire, but any driver should be capable of safely avoiding a turtle.”

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State Birding Contest Draws Flock of Young Birders

Georgia’s 24-hour Youth Birding Competition had a record crowd of children and teens looking and listening statewide for birds common and rare this weekend.

The results: more than 200 species seen or heard, more than $1,200 raised for conservation and about 140 young birders ages 4 to 18 better versed in the state’s diverse bird life. The turnout marked a new high for the annual competition, in its fourth year. The 2008 event fielded 126 participants.

Coordinator Tim Keyes, a Georgia Wildlife Resources Division biologist, said it is encouraging to see the growth, as well as the return of some teams for their fourth year. “From all the feedback I’ve heard, the kids had a great time out there,” Keyes said Sunday night.

The 2009 search started at 5 p.m. Saturday, April 25, and ended with 34 teams bearing names like the Blairsville Birdbrains and Vomiting Vultures turning in their checklists by 5 p.m. Sunday, April 26, at Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center in Mansfield.

Homeschool Hummers, a middle school team from Suwanee, led with 147 birds, the first time a middle school team has won the overall competition.

Division leaders also included:

** High school, Blazin’ Bluebirds from Macon (134 species).

** Elementary, Birds of a Feather from LaGrange (73 species).

** Pre-elementary, Love Bugs from McDonough (57 species).

Top teams in fundraising, a voluntary part of the competition:

** Birds of a Feather from LaGrange raised $500.

** Country Cuckoos from Bainbridge ($330).

** The Brown Thrashers from Decatur ($320).

The money goes to conservation groups chosen by the teams.

Winners of a new birding journal category were:

** High school, Levi Adkins from Bainbridge.

** Middle school, Stennes Austinson, Bainbridge.

** Elementary, Ben Hays, LaGrange.

** Pre-elementary, Brian Hays, LaGrange.

And the leading rookie teams:

** High school, G’Nats Too from Rome.

** Middle school, GS Night Owls from Monticello.

** Elementary, Red Wings from Loganville.

** Pre-elementary, Blairsville Birdbrains II from Blairsville.

The return of a youth birding T-shirt art contest, started last year, drew 89 entries. An osprey painting by 11th-grader Jess Milner of Darlington Upper School in Rome took top honors, which included being printed on 2009 Youth Birding Competition T-shirts. Milner also received a $100 gift card to Michaels. The three other division winners each received a $50 gift card for supplies at the arts and crafts outlet.

Coincidentally, another Darlington Upper School artist won the 2008 contest.

“I’m excited to see so many young people inspired to draw and paint birds,” said art contest coordinator Linda May, a wildlife interpretive specialist at Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center.

She also said the T-shirt Art contest will return in 2010. “We’ll need good artwork again next year!”

The 2010 Youth Birding Competition will be held the last weekend in April.

This year’s contest was the second straight for 10-year-old Ahmad Gaither of The Brown Thrashers. Fellow team member James Cobb, 9, of Decatur was enjoying his first time. It was an education.

“At first, I didn’t know anything about the birds,” Cobb said. Now, he does. “The best bird I’ve seen so far was a great blue heron,” he added, grinning.

Awards for birding teams varied from binoculars to field guides donated by event supporters such as Eagle Optics, Atlanta Audubon Society, Georgia Ornithological Society, Identiflyer, Softscribe and The Environmental Resources Network.

The competition ended with a banquet Sunday evening at Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center. An animal program by wildlife center intern Kristi Doebler featured raptors such as a barred owl and red-tailed hawk.

Keyes and expert birder Giff Beaton served as judges. Keyes started the competition in 2006 with help from The Environmental Resources Network and a heart for engaging upcoming generations in birding and wildlife conservation. TERN is an advocate of the Wildlife Resources Division’s Nongame Conservation Section and a consistent supporter of the birding event.

The competition blends fun, skill and education, reaching out to students of all bird-watching skills. Pre-registered teams are paired with mentors. Options such as programs and workshops are available, as is a free e-newsletter.

Buying a nongame wildlife license plate or making a donation via the Give Wildlife a Chance state income tax checkoff supports this and other conservation education efforts in Georgia. Sales of the bald eagle/American flag and ruby-throated hummingbird license plates provide vital funding for Wildlife Resources’ Nongame Conservation Section, which receives no state funding.



YOUTH BIRDING COMPETITION RESULTS

Pre-elementary division

1. Love Bugs, McDonough – 57 species

2. Blairsville Birdbrains II (also top rookie team), Blairsville – 29 species

3. Bald Eagles, Braselton – 21 species

Elementary division

1. Birds of a Feather, LaGrange (also competition’s top fundraiser) – 73 species

2. The Wood Thrushes, Atlanta – 72 species

3. Chaotic Kestrels, Jackson – 65 species

Middle school division

1. Homeschool Hummers, Suwanee (also competition winner) – 147 species

2. The Thunderbirders, Watkinsville – 126 species

3. Vomiting Vultures, Macon – 71 species

High school division

1. Blazin’ Bluebirds, Macon – 134 species

2. Country Cuckoos, Bainbridge – 132 species

3. G’Nats One, Rome – 117 species



T-SHIRT ART CONTEST WINNERS

** Primary (preK-2nd grade): bluebird watercolor, Isabelle Cowart, Cowart Academy Homeschool, Buford

** Elementary (3rd-5th): bald eagle, Heidi Cashwell, fourth grade, Piedmont Academy, Monticello

** Middle school (6th-8th): Female cardinal, Marianne Lim, eighth grade, Duluth Middle School, Norcross

** High school and grand prize: Osprey, Jess Milner, 11th grade, Darlington Upper School, Rome

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Georgia Aquarium Opens Dolphin Conservation Field Station at Marineland

/PRNewswire/ -- Georgia Aquarium's Dolphin Conservation Field Station (GAI-DCFS) opened today in Marineland, FL just outside St. Augustine, FL, with a ceremonial ribbon cutting by Georgia Aquarium benefactor, Bernie Marcus and Marineland of Florida owner, Jim Jacoby.

The conservation field station includes research and veterinary facilities, quarantine pools for rehabilitating rescued animals, both land and water animal rescue vehicles and housing for researchers and staff. The team will conduct research, and it will also fill a need for rescue and rehabilitation of stranded animals in Georgia and northeast Florida. After a successful rescue and rehabilitation, animals deemed releasable by National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) will be reintroduced into their respective habitats. Animals deemed by NMFS to be unfit for release will be provided a home selected by NMFS.

"We welcome Georgia Aquarium's Dolphin Conservation Field Station to the Southeast U.S. Marine Mammal Stranding Network," said Blair Mase-Guthrie, NOAA Fisheries' southeast stranding network coordinator.

The partnership between the Georgia Aquarium and Marineland to open GAI-DCFS was announced May 6, 2008, at the same time the Aquarium announced its $110 million dolphin expansion plans in Atlanta, which is set to open in November 2010.

"From the very beginning, the Georgia Aquarium has sought to be a world class research institution," said Marcus. "We are not only making a difference by educating the millions of visitors that come to the Georgia Aquarium each year, but we are expanding our commitment to conduct research and conservation in the field."

The Georgia Aquarium has pledged more than $3 million to the care and study of dolphins. Marineland of Florida donated the use of the land for GAI-DCFS.

"As the world's first oceanarium and home to various interactive dolphin programs, we are proud to partner with the Georgia Aquarium on this Dolphin Conservation Field Station," said Jim Jacoby, who also serves on the Georgia Aquarium board of directors. "It makes Marineland of Florida a must see destination for both tourists and scientists."

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Despite winter rains, conservation measures still needed, researcher says

Recent heavy rains may have helped to end the exceptional drought the metro Atlanta region has faced for several years, but conservation measures are still needed to help boost the region’s water capacity during the drier summer months, according to a Georgia State University professor.

“This is no time to let go of conservation measures that are in place,” said Jordan Clayton, assistant professor of geosciences. “We need to maintain conservation levels so that we can increase storage capacity to the point where local reservoirs are mostly full.”

Typically, Atlanta’s reservoirs and streams are replenished during the winter, and then depleted during the summer due to many factors, including a process called evapotranspiration — a combination of evaporation and transpiration, or the loss of water from plants during photosynthesis.

“In metro Atlanta, we have a roughly equivalent annual rate of precipitation to evapotranspiration,” Clayton explained. “The balance is therefore sensitive because even small deviations in precipitation can result in water deficits. Conservation measures help reduce our vulnerability.”

Lake Lanier, Atlanta’s main source of water, is still several feet below full pool, despite recent heavy rains. Local aquifers, which are limited but also help to provide water, have improved, but due to metro Atlanta’s heavy runoff ratio from impermeable surfaces like concrete and asphalt, less water is stored locally than at times past, Clayton said.

Rainfall and runoff also affect local streams, their flows, and the fish and invertebrates which live there. These animals benefit from a limited range of variability of water flow, which both drought and recent heavy rains can disrupt.

When flows are low, chemicals and other items in the stream become more heavily concentrated, he said.

"This can cause problems," Clayton explained. “On the flip side, when we do get rain, our streams may clear out materials that help to regulate the flow.”

Clayton and colleagues, in conjunction with arborist Neil Norton, are working on a pilot study in Decatur to explore the impact of altered streamflow and water quality on erosion and invertebrates in Peavine and Glenn Creeks.

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Prescribed Fire Will Mean New Life for Rare Mountain Bog

Trekking uphill and through charred underbrush, most of it still smoking, four Nomex-clad workers push their way into one of North Georgia’s last remaining mountain bogs. Time is short and the crew works quickly. Soon, flames are shooting upward as drip torches leave bright orange trails of fire around thick piles of rhododendron.

At long last, fire has come to this bog.

During the prescribed burn late last month, Thomas Floyd, a wildlife biologist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Nongame Conservation Section, explained that in and around the bog there had been “an absence of disturbance … for years.”

“At one time, fire probably came through here on occasion, creeping over the bog and helping to open up the area for sunlight,” Floyd said.

Mike Brod of the U.S. Forest Service agreed that burning the bog was important to continue its restoration. “Fire is important because it kills back the encroaching vegetation around the periphery of the bog … allowing the nourishing sunlight into the bog, thus enhancing the bog plants,” said Brod, who has been instrumental in the project.

Restoration of the bog began in the early 1990s. It was small then, no larger than the average dining room table. But although small, the remote place had something that made it unique: the last known native population of mountain purple pitcherplants in Georgia.

Floyd said the pitcherplant species is tolerant of and even adapted to occasional low-intensity fires, which work to promote open, sunlit bog habitats. “We anxiously await the coming growing season when the effects of the prescribed fire can be examined,” he said.

Mountain bogs are one of the most endangered habitats of the southern Appalachians. Typically small, between a half-acre and five acres, bogs are associated with seeps, springs or small creeks and provide critical habitat for the federally threatened bog turtle and swamp pink, two of Georgia’s most rare species.

Bog restoration involves not only clearing sites but also finding and taking careful inventory of potential bogs, safeguarding seeds from rare plants and monitoring restored sites for rare species such as the pitcherplant. Mountain bog restoration is listed as a high-priority conservation action in Georgia’s State Wildlife Action Plan, a comprehensive strategy that guides Wildlife Resources and Georgia Department of Natural Resources efforts to conserve biological diversity.

“Fire is an important management tool for restoration, which is what we were doing,” Floyd said. “It allowed for the removal of piles of woody debris that had been previously cleared by hand. The intensity of the fire also killed back much of the rhododendron that was encroaching upon the bog.”

Pitcherplants can live for more than 100 years. Although old, the original surviving pitcherplants in this bog had not flowered, lying dormant in the shade with little if any natural light due to the continued encroachment of hardwoods and rhododendron. But in 1998, after much hard work by conservationists, the pitcherplants in one area of the bog flowered again. And in 2002, restoration workers found the first seedlings, a hallmark of success in habitat restoration.

“The hope is that with continued management the eco-tone between the bog and the uplands will be restored to historic conditions – more of a grassy woodland that would allow for fire to creep in naturally,” Floyd said.

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Public Hearing Set on Georgia Conservation Tax Credit Program Rules

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources has scheduled a public hearing to solicit comment on proposed amendments to rules for the Georgia Conservation Tax Credit Program.

The hearing is set for 5:30-6:30 p.m. March 19 in the conference room at the Wildlife Resources Division’s Wildlife Resources Conservation Center, 2065 U.S. Highway 278 S.E., Social Circle, Ga. 30025. The Conservation Center is about four miles west of Rutledge and 1.5 miles northeast of the intersection of Interstate 20 and U.S. 278 (Exit 101).

The DNR is revising Rules 391-1-6-.01 through 391-1-6-.05 to address and incorporate changes made to the Conservation Tax Credit Program with the passage of House Bill 1274, which amended the conservation tax credit provided for in Code Section 48-7-29.12. The following changes were made by House Bill 1274 and are included in the rule revisions:

· Define fair market value by an appraisal that meets IRS requirements.

· Allow donations to the federal government to qualify.

· Allow bargain sales to qualify.

· Extend the carryover period from five to 10 years.

· Specify that partnerships are subject to a $1 million aggregate cap.

· Eligible conservation purposes will be defined by the department.

At the public hearing, anyone may present data, make a statement, comment or offer a viewpoint or argument either orally or in writing. Oral statements should be concise.

Written comments are also welcomed. To insure their inclusion in the department’s package for the Board of Natural Resources, written comments should be received by 5 p.m. April 10. Comments may be e-mailed to Kristina.Sorensen@dnr.state.ga.us or sent via regular mail addressed to: Kristina Sorensen, Conservation Tax Credit Program, 2065 U.S. Highway 278 S.E., Social Circle, Georgia 30025-4743.

Copies of the proposed Conservation Tax Credit Program rules are posted at http://glcp.ga.gov/ (select the “Georgia Tax Credits” tab) and www.georgiawildlife.com (click the “Conservation” tab). Written copies are available from Kristina Sorensen, Kristina.Sorensen@dnr.state.ga.us or by calling (770) 918-6411.

The proposed rules will be considered by the Board of Natural Resources at its meeting on April 29 in the DNR Board Room at 2 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive S.E., Suite 1252, East Tower, Atlanta, Ga. 30334. The meeting is open to the public.

The Georgia Conservation Tax Credit Program rules are proposed for adoption pursuant to authority contained in the Georgia Conservation Tax Credit Act (O.C.G.A. 48-7-29.12).

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Gov. Perdue Announces Forestry for Wildlife Partners

Gov. Sonny Perdue recognized two corporate forest landowners in Georgia this week for their stewardship in land management and practices benefiting the state’s wildlife.

Plum Creek and Georgia Power received awards Wednesday, Jan. 21, for participating in the 2008 Forestry for Wildlife Partnership, a program administered by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division. The Forestry for Wildlife Partnership is a voluntary annual program that promotes blending wildlife conservation into corporate forestry practices and offers choices from which landowners can build a program compatible with their forest management objectives.

“This is an excellent example of a public-private partnership in the conservation of Georgia’s precious natural resources,” Perdue said. “I commend both Georgia Power and Plum Creek for their outstanding stewardship that will benefit generations to come.”

The companies have helped improve a total of 937,700 acres for wildlife. Wildlife Resources recognized the two as Forestry for Wildlife Partners for integrating wildlife conservation practices into their forest management programs. Some of the practices included:

· Preparing wildlife conservation plans that detail natural resources inventories and outline management strategies that combine forest and wildlife aspects.

· Providing internal training opportunities for employees on how to blend forestland management with wildlife-friendly practices for multiple natural resource benefits.

· Incorporating wildlife management techniques into current land-use planning and timber management practices.

· Providing valuable data for Wildlife Resources research projects.

· Providing public recreational opportunities on corporate forestlands.

· Participating in partnerships with conservation organizations through programs such as Partners in Flight, the Longleaf Alliance, the state Breeding Bird Atlas, and the Georgia Amphibians and Reptiles Atlas.

· Managing riparian forests for wildlife use and water quality protection.

Habitat is the key to wildlife abundance. Georgia has more than 24 million acres of forestland. Of that land base, 93 percent is privately owned. Corporate forest landowners manage 18 percent.

Wildlife Resources Division Director Dan Forster said Plum Creek and Georgia Power “deserve tremendous credit for their recognition of the broad conservation value in their land holdings and operations, and their dedication for improving those values through our Forestry Wildlife Partnership program.”

Conservation efforts benefit from Forestry for Wildlife through management of endangered red-cockaded woodpecker habitats, managing and monitoring bald eagle and swallow-tailed kite nesting, managing isolated wetlands critical to protected reptiles and amphibians like the gopher frog, managing rare remnant Coosa Valley Prairie and Black Belt Prairie habitats containing endangered plants, and providing numerous public hunting opportunities.

All of the conservation enhancement components and reporting procedures are compatible with the American Forest and Paper Association’s Sustainable Forestry Initiative, a voluntary approach within the forest industry to maintain high environmental standards on lands managed by corporate landowners.

Call (770) 761-1697 or go to www.georgiawildlife.com for more information about Forestry for Wildlife or other private lands initiatives.

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Comment Sought on New Invasives Species Plan

A draft plan that targets more than 180 invasive species threatening Georgia’s rich variety of native wildlife is available for public comment.

The Georgia Invasive Species Strategy describes the complex scope of problems posed by non-native plants, animals and disease-causing organisms and proposes ways to lessen the impacts in a state ranked sixth in the nation in biological diversity.

Jon Ambrose, assistant chief of the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division’s Nongame Conservation Section, said the strategy provides a framework that will help communicate and coordinate invasive species management priorities.

“There are a lot of organizations that are active in this area. The Invasive Species Strategy is intended to provide a picture of where we are now and where we want to go in the future,” Ambrose said.

Copies are available at www.georgiawildlife.com (click the “Conservation” tab to reach the link) or from the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division office in Social Circle (770-761-3035). A public comment meeting is set for 5:30-7:30 p.m. Feb. 12 at the Wildlife Resources Division’s Conservation Center in Social Circle. For directions, go to www.georgiawildlife.com.

The deadline to submit comments is Feb. 16. Send written comments to jon.ambrose@gadnr.org or Jon Ambrose, Georgia Wildlife Resources Division, 2070 U.S. Highway 278 S.E., Social Circle, Ga.30025.

Invasives are plants and animals accidentally or intentionally introduced outside their natural ranges and which cause harm to the environment, economy or even human health. For example, laurel wilt, a fungal disease spread by an ambrosia beetle that is not native to the U.S., is killing redbay trees and related species in the Southeastern Coastal Plain. Redbays are a food source for birds and deer, and a critical host plant for the Palamedes swallowtail butterfly.

Cogongrass, another priority invasive species, is an aggressive, colony-forming grass that chokes out native plants and is spreading across the region. The Georgia Forestry Commission has established a statewide Cooperative Weed Management Area and Task Force to help control cogongrass.

The draft Invasive Species Strategy, compiled by an advisory committee representing about 30 public agencies and non-governmental organizations, summarizes what is being done to combat invaders, identifies gaps in current programs, and recommends improvements. Objectives are aimed at guarding against the influx of more non-native species and minimizing the threat of those already here.

The Georgia Invasive Species Advisory Committee listed 51 invasive or potentially invasive plant species, 107 animals and 30 disease-causing organisms.

Next steps could include funding for an invasive species coordinator, development of new educational materials and formation of a rapid response plan for priority species.

The overriding goal of the work started in August 2007 is enhancing collaboration among invasive species efforts statewide, which will increase effectiveness and options for funding.

The Invasive Species Strategy follows on the heels of a related document that deals with aquatic exotics and was also compiled by the advisory committee. The Georgia Aquatic Nuisance Species Management Plan is being reviewed by a federal task force before being finalized.

Both plans build on current efforts of groups such as the Georgia Invasive Species Task Force to identify high-priority species, assess impacts and threats, implement control methods, and educate the public about the environmental and economic impacts of invasive species.

Georgia’s Wildlife Action Plan, the conservation blueprint for the state Department of Natural Resources, rates invasive species a major threat to biodiversity and lists development of a statewide plan to monitor and control them as a high priority. On a national scale, the economic losses and environmental damage caused by exotic species total approximately $120 billion a year.

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USDA's Interim Final Rule Amends Environmental Quality Incentives Program

Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer January 15 announced changes to the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), the U.S. Department of Agriculture's largest conservation program for working agricultural lands.

USDA published an interim final rule containing the statutory changes to EQIP in the Federal Register today. USDA is seeking public comment on the rule through March 16, 2009.

The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, or 2008 Farm Bill, includes non-industrial private forestland as an eligible land use and provides payments for conservation practices related to organic production or the transition to organic production. It also provides for increased payment rates to historically underserved producers, including limited resource, beginning, and socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers.

The EQIP interim final rule can be viewed at the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service's (USDA-NRCS) Web site; at the official government regulation Web Site; and at the Federal Register.

The public comments will be used to finalize the interim final rule. USDA will publish a final rule, which will incorporate statutory changes and establish the program's policy for the life of the 2008 Farm Bill.

USDA-NRCS administers EQIP, a voluntary conservation program that provides technical assistance and payments to help crop and livestock producers address environmental concerns through conservation improvements on agricultural and non-industrial private forest lands. Farmers and ranchers can use EQIP to farm in an environmentally friendly manner and still meet their agricultural production goals. It is designed to produce significant environmental benefits to the public, such as improved soil, water and air quality; and enhanced wildlife habitat. In addition, farmers and ranchers use EQIP to meet federal, state, tribal and local environmental regulations.

Under the amended EQIP, socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers as well as beginning and limited resource producers are authorized to receive payments of up to 90 percent of the costs of installing or implementing a conservation practice. These producers also can receive advance payments of up to 30 percent of the anticipated costs incurred to purchase materials or to contract services to implement a conservation practice.

EQIP will offer financial and technical assistance for conservation practices to certified organic farmers and ranchers as well as producers interested in transitioning to organic farming. Organic producers must develop and carry out an organic system plan. These producers can receive a maximum payment of $20,000 annually, or $80,000 over six years to apply or carry out approved conservation practices contained in that plan.

EQIP will offer financial assistance to forest landowners to develop a forest management plan, along with carrying out the conservation practices contained in the plan. The 2008 Farm Bill also encourages producers to use innovative technologies and cost-effective methods under approved conservation practices to address air quality.

The 2008 Farm Bill reduced the overall payment limitation from $450,000 to $300,000 for a six-year period, except for environmentally significant projects.

The new farm bill also established the Agricultural Water Enhancement Program (AWEP) as a component of EQIP. AWEP provides technical and financial assistance to help producers carry out water enhancement activities on private agricultural land for the purpose of conserving surface and ground water and improving water quality. USDA published a Request for Proposals for AWEP in the Federal Register on Jan. 14, 2009.

For additional information about EQIP, please visit http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/EQIP/ or call (202) 720-1845 during business hours.

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USDA Fields Farm Bill, Prepares Ground for Next Administration

In seven months after late summer congressional passage of the 2008 Farm Bill, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has put in place much of the key components and prepared next items for action by the incoming Administration Jan 20. The 2008 Farm Bill is approximately 50 percent larger than its predecessor, the 2002 Farm Bill, with 15 titles and more than 600 provisions. In total, 170 regulatory actions and over 100 reports and studies have been identified that the Department is required to complete to fully implement.

"USDA employees continue to work hard to implement all the provisions of the farm bill in an efficient and expeditious manner," said Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer. "Producers and consumers should be confident that USDA has laid the foundation for the next Administration to continue this success."

"Within weeks of its enactment USDA began delivering program benefits for 2008 and efforts continue today to ensure the delivery of additional program benefits in 2009," said Deputy Agriculture Secretary Chuck Conner. "We have held hundreds of meetings with stakeholders on almost all titles of the Farm Bill, and continue to have USDA representatives available to follow-up."

Highlights of USDA Accomplishments:

Issued multiple Federal Register Notices announcing program parameters for marketing assistance loans, loan deficiency payments, and direct and counter-cyclical payment (DCP) programs for the 2008 crop.
Began crop year 2008 DCP signup on June 25, 2008 (one week after enactment) and ended September 30, 2008. The sign up for farms with 10 base acres or less ended November 26, 2008 following the legislative change enacted in October. USDA enrolled 1.8 million DCP contracts for 2008 and issued $5.1 billion in direct payments.
Published regulations on August 20 and 21, 2008, implementing Federal marketing agreements and orders for milk, fruit, vegetable, and nut crops.
Implemented the 2009-2012 DCP and Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) Program on December 29, 2008. Signup for 2009 DCP is underway and will continue through June 1, 2009, advance payments are currently being issued.
Made available additional Farm Bill funding for conservations programs in FY 2008, including an additional $200 million for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), to help farmers and ranchers nationwide to solve natural resource problems; $150 million for the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP); and $7.5 million for Agricultural Management Assistance (AMA).
Made available more than $4 billion for conservation program funding in FY 2009, including $1.8 billion for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), $1 billion for the EQIP, $570 million for the WRP, $100 million for the Farm and Ranchland Protection Program (FRPP), and $74 for the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP).
Published 8 program regulations between November 2008 and January 2009 for the implementation of CRP, EQIP, WRP, FRPP, WHIP, AMA, the Healthy Forest Reserve Program (HFRP), and the Grassland Reserve Program (GRP).
The Farm Bill renamed the Food Stamp Program, as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, effective October 1, 2008. USDA worked tirelessly to implement a number of important improvements to SNAP that took effect that same day, including an increase in the minimum benefit and standard deduction, elimination of retirement and education savings accounts counting as offsetting income resources, combat pay as income when determining eligibility and application of full cost associated with child care costs.
Made available $547 million for 232 projects to provide clean, safe drinking water in rural America — the majority of that funding from the Farm Bill.

USDA also moved very quickly to implement and award in FY 2008 nearly $28 million under the Specialty Crop Research Initiative, 10 million for the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program; $22 million for the Organic Cost-Share Program; $3.4 million for Farmers Market Promotion Program; $3.5 million to enhance market news reporting for organic products; and $1.5 million for Agricultural Management Assistance to aid in the transition to organic agriculture.
In addition, USDA provided additional work in conservation, rural development, nutrition, research, energy, farm credit and crop insurance sections of the 2008 Farm Bill.

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USDA Committed to National Internships Through Student Conservation Association

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer expanded potential conservation work and learning opportunities nationwide for high school and college students to include all USDA's 17 agencies for internships through the non-profit Student Conservation Association on Wednesday, January 7.

For more than 40 years, USDA's Forest Service has accepted more than 10,000 of the association's interns for conservation and summer trail crews. A memorandum of understanding signed Wednesday by Schafer and Student Conservation Association president Dale Penny expands potential work learning experiences to many other USDA agencies in a variety of scientific and conservation disciplines.

"USDA agencies are very pleased with the dedication, ability and enthusiasm of Student Conservation Association interns," said Schafer. "Today, by expanding this arrangement, more USDA agencies throughout the country can offer development of valuable skills and experiences to young adults interested in conservation. The Student Conservation Association helped forge a career pathway beginning at trailheads and through forests for many of USDA's managers and staff."

In 2008, the Student Conservation Association (SCA) placed 333 members at U.S. Forest Service sites, including high school conservation crews, as well as six interns in New Hampshire with USDA's National Resource Conservation Service.

Since 1957, SCA's active, hands-on practice of conservation through a nationwide service force of college and high school students annually renders some two million hours of conservation service in support of the nation's natural and cultural resources. Fully 60 percent of SCA interns use their experience to launch careers in conservation. Internships offered by SCA to students 18 years of age and older provide housing, with living expenses as well as round trip transportation to the assignment.

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Efficiency and Conservation Key to Meeting Rising Energy Demand, Southern Company CEO Says

Energy efficiency and conservation will play an increasingly important role in meeting rising energy demand, said Southern Company (NYSE:SO) Chairman, President and CEO David M. Ratcliffe during the National Association of Regulators and Utility Commissioner's Anybody Can Serve, So Let's Conserve energy efficiency campaign launch. Ratcliffe also noted that along with efficiency and conservation as first choices, a diverse portfolio of generation resources including renewables, new nuclear and advanced coal technologies would be crucial in meeting customers' electricity needs......More

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Range Research, Genetic Work Spell Hope For Chestnut Comeback

Location, location, location. It’s the mantra of Realtors everywhere. But it may also be the reason a mighty tree long since gone from most of the Georgia landscape may get another chance to thrive.

Georgia Department of Natural Resources biologist Nathan Klaus made national headlines in 2006 after discovering a stand of American chestnut trees near President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Little White House at Warm Springs, Ga. Once a fairly dominant species, the majestic chestnut was virtually wiped out by a fast-spreading fungal blight that swept through Georgia in the 1920s.

A long-time supporter of efforts to bring back the nearly extinct tree, Klaus recently began working on research that could continue to help restore the chestnut to its native range.

A few months ago, Klaus began looking at land lottery maps and using GIS (Geographic Information Systems) to plug in historic locations of American chestnuts. He hoped to develop a map showing the range and density of the trees in Georgia before the blight.

Researchers with The American Chestnut Foundation are working to develop blight-resistant chestnut sprouts, using an established program known as backcross breeding to create American chestnuts that are 1/16th Chinese chestnut, a hardier cousin. The goal is to have a tree that has enough of the Chinese species genes to resist blight but mostly is the tall, hardy American species once known and loved in the U.S.

Klaus’ research is important in helping determine the best place to plant the genetically strengthened trees. Old land lottery maps show where chestnut trees once were. Klaus scanned the paper maps into a computer-modeling program and has been able to determine which areas had a higher density of chestnuts trees and what species occurred with them.

The Georgia chapter of the American Chestnut Foundation has been working for 25 years with the national organization’s backcross-breeding program. The chapter is now using pollen found in the wild to pollinate orchard-grown chestnuts. The hope is that using the information from Klaus’ work, the American chestnut will have a higher degree of success as the seeds or seedlings are brought back to the South for planting.

Pollinating trees in the wild can be a difficult process, according to Martin Cipollini, the chapter’s breeding program coordinator.

“It relatively easy to collect the pollen from wild trees in Georgia and use it to pollinate hybrid trees in orchards. This ‘father tree’ approach is easier than trying to pollinate flowers on wild trees that are often in rather inaccessible locations on steep slopes,” Cipollini said.

“In the past 25 years, The American Chestnut Foundation has made considerable progress toward breeding blight-resistant trees. But, its ultimate goal of reintroducing these trees to the wild in large numbers requires knowledge of proper habitat requirements and planting techniques.”

The American Chestnut Foundation, working with its state chapters, has created hundreds of lines of trees that are well advanced through the backcross-breeding process. In the next few years, thousands of “final” generation nuts will be ready for testing in the wild.

So far, the Georgia chapter has created three lines using surviving Georgia trees as “fathers.” These lines are in orchard test sites. This past summer, the chapter produced four more lines using Georgia trees. These will go into test orchards next spring. The chapter wants to produce at least 20 lines using different Georgia chestnuts and including genetic diversity from throughout the tree’s historical range in the state.

But the question remains, just where is that range?

“Where do they belong and where will they thrive today? What was their true historical range? Did they grow near creeks or up on ridges, and if so, in what type of soils? These are answers we need before we begin to restore this species,” said Klaus, a senior wildlife biologist with the DNR’s Wildlife Resources Division.

Klaus is using property line records from the early 1800s to develop mathematical models that look at factors such as slope, soil composition, landforms, geology and aspect and elevation. An accurate description of the tree’s native range is needed as most institutional knowledge has been gone for several generations and the anecdotal knowledge available is not always accurate or reliable. The hope is that these new models can be applied to modern maps to show the actual historic range for the trees.

For instance, Klaus says chestnuts were not everywhere in the mountains, although anecdotally it has been suggested the trees were dominant in the Blue Ridge. An elevation map will show where best to plant the trees since they have different relationships to elevation depending on the region.

“There was definitely a well-defined niche in the world for these trees,” Klaus said. “The tree’s range extended well down into the Coastal Pain. Many people do not realize that the trees were in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain regions of Georgia.”

Hybrid trees for blight resistance testing are being planted in orchard sites around the state, including Berry College and the Georgia Mountain Research & Education Center, operated by the University of Georgia.

Georgians can help conserve rare plants such as the American chestnut as well as animals not legally hunted, fished for or trapped and their habitats, through buying wildlife license plates featuring a bald eagle or a ruby-throated hummingbird. They can also donate to the Give Wildlife a Chance state income tax checkoff. Both programs are vital to the Nongame Conservation Section, which receives no state funds.

Visit www.georgiawildlife.com for more information, or call Nongame Conservation offices in Social Circle (770-761-3035), Forsyth (478-994-1438) or Brunswick (912-264-7218).

To find out more about the Georgia chapter of The American Chestnut Foundation, visit www.gatacf.org
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DNR Seeks Details on Eagle Shooting Near Tifton

Wanted: Information on the shooting of a young bald eagle last month near Paradise Public Fishing Area.

Matt Henry of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources found the wounded bird caught in a fence Nov. 19 at the PFA near Tifton. He and Paradise manager Charles West used fishnets to carefully capture the eagle, a large juvenile that had not developed the characteristic solid white feathers on its head and tail. Natural resources technician Chris Carlisle transported it to Auburn University’s Southeastern Raptor Center.

Center Director Jamie Bellah recently described the eagle’s condition as stable but said “it’s going to take some time” before it’s known whether the injuries will heal enough so the bird can be released.

The bullet, apparently from a rifle, partially fractured the bone closest to the body in the left wing, said Liz Crandall, a technician at the center. A CT scan planned this week will show whether the pectoral girdle also has been fractured. If so, Crandall said these injuries could limit the wing’s range of motion and threaten the eagle’s ability to fly freely again.

The healing process will take months, she said.

In the meantime, officials are encouraging anyone who knows details about the shooting to speak up. “Someone has committed a crime,” said Col. Terry West, law enforcement chief for the DNR Georgia Wildlife Resources Division. “But without any further information, we would have no other leads to go on.”

Bald eagles are protected by state and federal law. Anyone with information about the shooting can call the Turn In Poachers hotline, 1-800-241-4113, or e-mail TurnInPoachers@dnr.state.ga.us. Callers can remain anonymous. Rewards are paid for calls that lead to an arrest.

Conservation laws, restoration work and a ban on the pesticide DDT have helped the bald eagle recover from near-extinction through much of its range 40 years ago. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service took the species off the federally threatened list in August 2007. This American symbol and subject of one of Georgia’s nongame wildlife license plates is still protected under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, and other federal and state legislation.

Bald eagles have steadily increased in Georgia, surging from fewer than 10 pairs in the 1980s to more than 110 this year. They have been seen for years at Paradise, which features 68 lakes eight miles east of Tifton.

“We normally begin seeing eagles in September at Paradise PFA,” said West, the area manager. “Sightings are more frequent in the winter months, although eagles can be spotted all the way into early summer.”

The hope is that the young bald eagle recuperating at Auburn can one day join them.

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Despite Storms, Georgia Sea Turtle Nest Counts Top Record

Cooler weather has come to Georgia’s coast and with it the close of a record-breaking nesting season for loggerhead sea turtles. Due to storm impacts, however, a nest success rate slightly lower than normal is expected for the federally threatened species.

The good news is that 1,646 loggerhead nests were counted on barrier island beaches this summer. Cumberland and Blackbeard islands recorded the highest number of nests at 336 and 261, respectively. The season total represents a record year in Georgia, breaking the previous mark of 1,504 nests set in 2003. Last year’s total dipped to 688, the third lowest since daily monitoring effort began in 1989.

Federal criteria require at least 2,000 nests a year for a 25-year period for the species to be considered recovered.

In August, Tropical Storm Fay swept through the waters off coastal Georgia, creating a tidal surge that inundated and washed away some nests. The lack of a direct hit on the barrier islands tempered the storm’s effect. However, loggerhead nests still felt the impact.

Researchers and volunteers reported that high tides from Fay damaged approximately 8 percent of the nests. Probably another 25 percent were inundated multiple times, which can affect nest success.

“Generally we have about a 70 percent success rate,” said Mark Dodd, a senior wildlife biologist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Nongame Conservation Section. “We expect that this year it will be a little lower than normal. Luckily, approximately 50 percent of the nests had already hatched at the time of the storm, so we expect to still have a pretty good year for hatchling production.”

Final nest success numbers are tallied from multiple databases and will be released by early 2009.

Loggerheads, the most common sea turtle on Georgia’s coast, are state-listed as endangered. The nesting season runs from May through September.

Georgians can help conserve sea turtles and other animals not legally hunted, fished for or trapped, as well as native plants and habitats, through buying wildlife license plates that feature a bald eagle or a ruby-throated hummingbird. They can also donate to the Give Wildlife a Chance state income tax checkoff. Both programs are vital to the Nongame Conservation Section, which receives no state funds.

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Volunteers With Ear, Heart For Frogs Sought For Survey

The frogs are calling. The question is, will Georgians who know what they’re hearing answer?

The second year of a calling frog survey in Georgia starts Jan. 15. There are 78 survey routes but only about 30 volunteers lined up to cover them. John Jensen, a senior wildlife biologist with the state Department of Natural Resources, needs some 50 more listeners who can decipher the croaks, trills and peeps of Georgia’s 31 frog species.

It’s not as hard as it sounds. “They’re a lot easier to learn than birds,” Jensen said, explaining that the season, place and call patterns trim the list of frogs that might be sounding off.

The effort is important. The North American Amphibian Monitoring Program survey developed by the U.S. Geological Survey is aimed at tracking regional and national trends in frog distribution and abundance. Given the sensitivity of amphibians to air and water quality changes, those trends can signal environmental problems and shape conservation priorities.

But in Georgia, baseline data is needed first. “You’ve got to know what you’ve got before you know where it’s going,” Jensen said. Which means more survey volunteers with an ear and even a heart for frogs.

Before being assigned one of the pre-set routes scattered across the state, participants must pass an online quiz testing their ability to audibly identify frog species. Helpful resources include http://www.ugapress.org/AmphibsandReptiles.html, which features recordings and photographs as a supplement to the new reference “Amphibians and Reptiles of Georgia.” The DNR Wildlife Resources Division also has available the compact disk "Calls of the Wild – Vocalizations of Georgia's Frogs.” The “public” quiz at http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/frogquiz/ allows would-be monitors to test drive their skills.

Volunteers are asked to commit to the survey for at least three years, underscoring the need for consistency in citizen-science projects. Routes are run three nights a year, once each in three call periods: Jan. 15-Feb. 28, March 15-April 30 and May 15-June 30.

To sign up or find out more, contact Jensen at Wildlife Resources’ Nongame Conservation Section in Forsyth, (478) 994-1438 or john.jensen@gadnr.org. Details on the North American Amphibian Monitoring Program are available at http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/naamp/.

Copies of “Calls of the Wild” are $15.36 each, including sales tax and shipping. Mail a check payable to Wildlife Conservation Fund to GA DNR/WRD, Nongame Conservation Section, 116 Rum Creek Drive, Forsyth, GA 31029, ATTN: Frogs of Georgia CD.

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More Than 2 Million Acres are now Enrolled in USDA'S Wetlands Reserve Program

Agriculture Under Secretary of Natural Resources and Environment Mark Rey announced October 21, 2008, that landowners have enrolled more than 2 million acres in U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wetlands Reserve Program, a significant contribution toward increasing the Nation's wetlands.

"We have gained wetland acreage, thanks to the stewardship ethic of the Nation's farmers and ranchers," Rey said. "Because of this achievement, USDA was able to help President Bush exceed his goal of improving, restoring, and protecting at least 3 million acres of wetlands in less than five years."

Rey announced the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) milestone at the farm of Charles and Patricia McCain in Albion, Pa., about 25 miles southwest of Erie. The McCains recently enrolled 342 acres, or slightly more than half their farm, into the program. Pennsylvania landowners have enrolled 2,194 acres in WRP since the program was first introduced in 1992.

There is WRP enrolled acreage in each state. New WRP enrollments in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Vermont contributed to this conservation achievement of having more than 2 million acres enrolled in WRP. Enrolled acres for each state are available at: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov.

WRP, administered by USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service, was reauthorized in the 2008 Farm Bill. It provides technical and financial assistance to eligible landowners to address wetland, wildlife habitat, soil, water, and related natural resource concerns on private agricultural land. The program provides financial incentives to protect, restore, and enhance wetlands on their property. This voluntary program strives to achieve the greatest wetland functions and values and optimum wildlife habitat on every enrolled acre.

The enrollment options for landowners are permanent easements, 30-year easements, and a restoration cost-share agreement, as well as 30-year contracts on acreage owned by Indian Tribes.

Wetlands are biologically diverse and dynamic ecosystems that support diverse populations of wildlife, plants, and fish. They supply life-sustaining habitat for hundreds of species, including many of the Nation's endangered and threatened species. They provide a protective buffer for our towns and cities against floods and storm surges by absorbing excess water. They also buffer coastal areas from erosion. Often called "nature's sponges," wetlands help protect water quality by filtering out pollutants and offer aesthetic and recreational opportunities.

"The presence of wetlands in the Midwest and South protected private agricultural land in States ravaged by recent flooding from even further damage," Rey said.

Additional information on WRP and other conservation programs is available at www.nrcs.usda.gov/.

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