Georgia Teams With Three States to Conserve Sandhills

Georgia and three neighboring states will use a $1 million federal grant to increase the quality, quantity and connectivity of prime sandhill habitat, benefiting gopher tortoises and possibly 54 other sandhill species in need of significant conservation measures.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently announced the funding as part of the agency’s State Wildlife Grants Competitive Program. Georgia is joining with Alabama, Florida, South Carolina and conservation groups in each state to provide $1.66 million in matching money and work.

The Multistate Sandhills Ecological Restoration project could help keep gopher tortoises off federal endangered or threatened species lists and provide for the long-term conservation of Southeastern sandhill species varying from southern hognose snakes to Bachman’s sparrows and striped newts.

One goal is restoring nearly 38,600 acres of priority public and private sandhill sites over the next three years. The focus in Georgia? Rebuilding habitat, said Matt Elliott, a Nongame Conservation Section program manager with the state Department of Natural Resources.

“Depending on the area, we’ll be doing prescribed fire, removal of sand pine (and) planting of longleaf pine,” said Elliott, who will coordinate work in this state.

Sand pine is not native to Georgia sandhills, which are areas of deep sandy soils with longleaf pine and scrub oak species, especially turkey oak, in a low, open-tree canopy over drought-tolerant shrubs, grasses and cactus. Rated a conservation priority in each of the four states’ Wildlife Action Plans, sandhills range from southern Alabama to across Georgia’s Coastal Plain, far down the Florida peninsula and into the Carolinas. The habitat is a type of longleaf pine forest, considered one of the most critically endangered ecosystems in the world.

Sandhills have been degraded or destroyed by development, conversion to uses such as timber and row-crop agriculture, and a lack of natural fires that keep invasive hardwoods at bay and promote the growth of grasses that provide forage for gopher tortoises and other wildlife.

The large-scale restoration needed for sandhills reaches beyond individual states. The project will target high-priority sites, banking on help from partners such as The Nature Conservancy and Project Orianne, a private effort to restore federally protected eastern indigo snakes throughout their range.

Work will include increasing controlled burning, removing invasive species, controlling hardwood trees and shrubs through mechanical and chemical means, and replanting longleaf pines. At least a fifth of the restoration will be on private land. Surveys of plants and birds will help measure the impact. Gopher tortoise surveys will contribute to management of these long-lived, slow-to-reproduce animals.

The tortoise, Georgia’s state reptile, is a keystone sandhills species. Gopher tortoise burrows are used by more than 300 species of invertebrates and a number of invertebrates. Healthy tortoise populations are critical to wildlife diversity in Southeastern upland habitats. Yet, the species is federally threatened west of the Mobile and Tombigbee rivers in Alabama and Mississippi, and there are two petitions to list it as threatened in the eastern part of its range.

The sandhills project actually has roots in a partnership called the Gopher Tortoise Candidate Conservation Agreement, which the four states formed in 2007 to develop a tortoise conservation strategy. Georgia is also wrapping up a sandhills inventory aimed at assessing conservation needs of rare plants and animals. “That helped us pinpoint the areas where we wanted to work” in the multi-state effort, Elliott said.

Related initiatives include a Healthy Forest Reserve Program by the Natural Resources Conservation Service to restore sandhill habitats along Georgia’s Fall Line and a Wal-Mart Foundation-funded project within the DNR’s Nongame Conservation Section to educate teachers about sandhills.

The four-state project is ambitious, Elliott agreed. But, considering the other projects also focused on conserving sandhills, “It all sort of adds up,” he said.

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Georgia Gopher Frog Project Filmed For PBS Nature Series

Gopher frogs at a glance

** The species is state-listed as rare and is protected in all states within its range.

** The frogs are found almost exclusively in the longleaf pine ecosystem of the Coastal Plain.

** Adults can grow to about 4 inches long. They spend most of their time in burrows, usually those made by gopher tortoises, in dry, upland sites

** Breeding occurs at fishless, ephemeral (or temporary) and isolated wetlands in longleaf pine forests. Suitable breeding ponds regularly go dry, meaning there are no fish to prey on tadpoles. Breeding peaks in late winter, but can be triggered by heavy rains throughout fall.

** Threats to the species include destruction and changes to favored uplands and wetlands, fish stocked in breeding wetlands, draining wetlands, the decline of gopher tortoises and a lack of natural and prescribed fires.

** Gopher frogs have been found at fewer than 10 sites in Georgia.

They may not have the most photogenic mug, but Georgia’s gopher frogs are making the jump to television.

Award-winning ArgoFilms recorded the recent release of gopher frog metamorphs and tadpoles at Williams Bluffs Nature Preserve for Public Broadcasting System’s Nature series.

Filmmaker Allison Argo sees the restoration project in Early County as “one of the few ... positively good news stories" about amphibians. The one-hour documentary, tentatively scheduled for broadcast in spring, will explore the global decline of amphibians, Argo said.

The work at Williams Bluffs is a partnership involving the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division, Atlanta Botanical Garden, The Nature Conservancy and Joseph W. Jones Ecological Research Center. The goal: Establish a gopher frog population at the 1,980-acre preserve near Blakely. The project is supported by sales of Georgia’s bald eagle and hummingbird license plates and donations to the Give Wildlife a Chance state income tax checkoff.

Gopher frogs are listed as rare throughout their six-state range. They have been documented at fewer than 10 sites in Georgia. Threats to the species, found almost exclusively in the Coastal Plain’s longleaf pine ecosystem, include habitat destruction, the lack of natural and prescribed fires, fish stocked in the frogs’ breeding areas, and the decline of gopher tortoises, which dig burrows the like-named frogs also use.

With a camera running Sept. 11, biologists eased 32 metamorphs and 157 tadpoles into a shallow, seasonal pond. A similar release in August 2007 marked the start of the multiyear project and a first for the frog in this state.

But this time, a tropical storm – Fay – had swamped South Georgia, filling the ephemeral ponds where gopher frogs breed and avoiding last year’s situation where biologists had to create an artificial pond for the legged tadpoles and metamorphs, or young frogs with developed lungs and four legs that no longer need the water.

John Jensen, a senior wildlife biologist with Wildlife Resources’ Nongame Conservation Section, said within a few years the frogs might mature to the point they are returning to the pond to breed. Biologists will then search for egg masses following heavy winter rains, the peak season and weather event for breeding, and set up pitfall traps along a drift fence to catch adult frogs.

Biologists marked legged tadpoles and metamorphs by injecting a fluorescent red elastomer, or rubber, dye under the skin.

According to Argo, a Cape Cod, Mass., filmmaker whose awards include five national Emmys, the documentary will focus attention on the fragile status of amphibians. “More than anything it’s habitat loss and degradation,” Argo said. “And it’s important for the public to be aware of that.”

She said filming was done throughout the U.S and, in Panama and Australia. Read more about ArgoFilms at www.sitestories.com/argofilms/.

In Georgia, sales of the nongame wildlife license plates and the Give Wildlife a Chance income tax checkoff benefit conservation of gopher frogs and other rare species. Both programs are fundraisers for the Wildlife Resources Division’s Nongame Conservation Section, which receives no state funds for its mission to help conserve Georgia wildlife not legally hunted, fished for or trapped, as well as rare plants and natural habitats in the state.

The license plates – featuring a bald eagle or a ruby-throated hummingbird – are available for a one-time $25 fee at county tag offices, by checking the wildlife license plate box on mail-in registrations and through online renewals (http://mvd.dor.ga.gov/tags).

For the checkoff, fill in an amount more than $1 on line 26 of the long state income tax form (Form 500) or line 10 of the short form (Form 500EZ). Contributions can be deducted from refunds or added to payments.

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).

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Sandy Toes Learns about Loggerhead Sea Turtles on Edisto

GFP Note: Loggerhead Sea Turtles are an endangered species. Thanks to efforts up and down the east coast, these guys are being given a fighting chance for their survival. The Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island is a great place to learn more about these graceful creatures. Click here to visit their site and see how you can become involved.

Having just arrived at our destination, we were quick to grab our swimsuits and fall out the door onto the sand of Edisto Beach, South Carolina. Slather on some sunscreen and let the vacation begin. While our expectations were high for the week, we stumbled across other finds that show us high hopes for the future.

Surrounding our beach house on the water side were two areas of orange tape. Looking closely, we could see indentations in the sand and the signs placed by the volunteers who watch the Loggerhead Sea Turtle. We sat smack down in between two turtle nests. One had been there for about 40 days and the other one about 10 days according to beach patrol Gary. Gary, who patrols the beach and is a volunteer loggerhead watcher, was eager to teach us landlubbers about the turtles.

The gracious ladies who come ashore to lay their eggs between May and August are coming home to the island of their birth. These gentle creatures can be up to three feet in size and weigh several hundred pounds. They come ashore at night to lay the ping pong ball sized eggs. Their flippers serve as a shovel and it can take an hour or more for the female to complete her nest. A typical nest will contain approximately 60-180 eggs.

The turtles are easily distracted from the work at hand. Should there be lights on the beach, or animals in the vicinity, the turtle may just crawl up and crawl back, thus exhibiting a "false crawl," whose track shape resembles a horseshoe. Gary told us she would then just abort the eggs into the ocean. A "true crawl" is one where the volunteers who walk the beach at night can locate the nest, and it has two distinct tracks.

Our second morning on the beach was thrilling. Here were new turtle tracks. Our trusty guide Gary showed us how to read the turtle tracks. In front of the nest was a huge "x" as in "x marks the spot." Gary explained the turtle patrol who had watched the turtle during the night placed the "x" to alert him of a new nest. He then placed an orange flag in the center of the nest.

Over the incubation period of the next 50-60 days, Gary and the other turtle watchers will keep a close eye on the nest. As time nears for the eggs to hatch, the sand will start to settle. A shell is then placed on top of the nest to show how much it is sinking. Experienced eyes can read those shells and determine about when the hatchlings will make their appearance. The hatchlings will boil out of the nest and head towards the ocean. The watchers are there in hopes that all of the young will make it there. Imprinting happens as soon as those hatchlings emerge. They follow the light of the moon to the ocean. If there are any lights on at the houses, the little tykes become confused and head towards the road.

Once the turtles go into the water, the males will never again touch land. Only the females will return in about 20 years or so.

Gary explained the process where the turtle watchers verify a nest. The nest will be about 18 to 24 inches down in the sand. A stick is used to verify the eggs' location. From the explanation, a gentle hand is used during this process.

Sometimes the eggs are too close to the high tide mark and have to be moved. Should the nest be moved, each egg must be individually moved without rotating the angle at which it was found. If the eggs are turned, the turtles will not hatch, or they will be deformed. While we were there, the oldest nest in front of our house had to be moved. There was an extremely high tide one night and the front part of the nest would not have been above the water line for more than a few days at most. The patrol moved the eggs about 30 feet. While this nest only had a few weeks left to go in its incubation phase, it was the only way any of the eggs will have a chance to hatch.

According to Gary, the female turtles will come ashore three or four times during the season to lay their eggs. The survival rate of the little tykes from the laying to adulthood is only about 1 in a thousand.

These animals can survive for close to 200 years. Full of grace and beauty, they are on the endangered list. Survival from predators who are natural and non-natural have severely depleted this turtle population. Over development on beaches and the loss of sandy beach for their nests have also taken their toll.

Protect the sea turtle. Give them hope. Give us hope.

Until next time,
Sandy Toes on Edisto

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Gwinnett Habitat Celebrates Two Decades with Homecoming Festival Labor Day Weekend

Gwinnett Habitat for Humanity is proud of the incredible progress it has achieved for two decades. To commemorate this anniversary, the public is invited to come and celebrate its many successes at its twentieth anniversary festival.

No need to bring hammers and saws to this Habitat function, because this one is all play and no work. Festivities will take place at the site of its first multi-family home construction site in Tucker, Georgia, on Saturday, August 30th, 2008. This exciting activity-filled “Ground Breaking Party” will begin at 2:00 pm and continue until 8:00 pm. Admission is free with a donation of any amount.

An incredible line up of local musicians will serenade the crowd, courtesy of Music for Charities, while free splashy waterslides and bouncy moonwalks will beguile energetic little ones. Local restaurants will be selling delicious food and frosty beverages on the site and other vendors will peddle their wares. All vendors will donate a portion of their proceeds to Gwinnett Habitat for Humanity. Dynamic singer Tammy Allen headlines to top off the event with high energy grooves designed to inspire the crowd to their feet.

Gwinnett Habitat for Humanity’s Anniversary Homecoming Festival is a way they want to say “thank you” to the thousands of area volunteers and sponsors who have made the last twenty years possible. “Almost a hundred families have homes in Gwinnett County, and their kids have grown up going to Gwinnett’s great schools, because of hours of construction done by volunteers,” says Beth Stubbings, Gwinnett Habitat’s Director of Development. “We couldn’t help those families if we didn’t have such terrific community support.”

All proceeds from this event will support Gwinnett Habitat’s Annual Campaign, providing essential operational support for its construction activities. The site of the Homecoming Celebration is 210 Pounds Road in Tucker, Georgia, where Gwinnett Habitat will begin building multi-family townhomes in September of 2008.