Georgia wild: news of nongame and natural habitats [Jan. 2010]

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* How easements work * Help keep birds warm * Hunting & conservation * Your wild encounters
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Give wildlife a chance

'It had to be special'
World's best site
for imperiled plant
protected permanently!
Paul Lewis admits his curiosity got the best of him years ago when he stopped to see why a UGA truck was parked for days in a powerline right of way near his Brantley County home. Lewis learned that the researcher was checking a test plot of hairy rattleweed, a plant found worldwide only in a 65square-mile chunk of southeast Georgia's Brantley and Wayne counties.
That conversation in the mid-1980s planted a seed. Lewis later sold nearly 340 acres of his
tree farm and family homeplace, property near Hortense that contains the best-known population of hairy rattleweed in natural conditions. In late December 2009, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources acquired a conservation easement on the tract from The Nature Conservancy. The easement bars actions that harm

* Buy a conservation license plate. * Contribute to the tax checkoff. * Donate directly to the Nongame Conservation Section.
Each option supports the Nongame Conservation Section, which receives no state funds to conserve Georgia's nongame wildlife, native plants and natural habitats. Details: (770) 761-3035.
WILD Facts
When songbirds leave their hiding spots in the thickets to eat at your backyard feeders, another type of feathered visitor may arrive on the scene, too the sharp-shinned hawk. About the size of a dove, this small bird of prey is the most common predator at feeders. Its relative, the larger Cooper's hawk, may also visit feeders for a snack. To prevent your songbirds from being gobbled up by accipiters, simply stop filling your feeders for about a week. Although the songbirds will need to rely on natural foods during that time, the hungry hawks won't have such easy-pickings and will move on.
-- Linda May
In education
Kristina Summers cannot remember a time when she wasn't an avid outdoors person. Yet the Nongame Conservation Section public affairs specialist admits she never really thought much about hunting, or its contributions to wildlife and natural resources management. Until she attended a recent Conservation Leaders for Tomorrow program, bringing her face to face in snowy Illinois with the ties that bind hunting and conservation. Read Kristina's column,

Baptisia arachnifera and provides the first permanent protection for a federally endangered plant that ranks globally as a G1, among the most critically imperiled species on Earth.
The easement also seals what had eluded conservationists for 20 years. "Ever since, we've been trying to figure out how to preserve that place," said Tom Patrick, a Nongame Conservation Section botanist with DNR's Wildlife Resources Division.
After registering 80-percent declines in monitored populations since 1986, hairy rattleweed which grows to 2 feet tall and has yellow flowers, silvery gray-green and cobwebby leaves, and seed boxes that rattle faces a more promising future.
The Nature Conservancy is already managing for the perennial on the Lewis tract, also called Penholoway flatwoods. A meeting this month between researchers and Rayonier, Plum Creek and Georgia Power, all of which have rattleweed on their property, laid a framework for cooperative study aimed at restoring the plant without undercutting forestry practices on other private lands.
Lewis, 77, spent years working in a papermill and growing pines on land his family farmed for three generations. To him, the hairy rattleweed was only a weed.
"But," said Lewis, "I knew if (this) was the only place in the world it existed, it had to be special."
More on hairy rattleweed
q History: First described in 1944. One of the first plants federally listed as endangered (in 1978, two years after passage of the Endangered Species Act).
q Grows on: A series of sand ridges former barrier islands now surrounded by flatwoods and swamps. One theory is the plants developed and were later isolated on the ridges. About 20 populations are scattered through a 65-square-mile area.
q Habitat: Favors seasonally wet, sandy soils, particularly longleaf pine areas. The Lewis tract features wiregrass and longleaf canopy. Needs sunlight and some disturbance ("fire is the natural one," Tom Patrick said). Persists in some areas along roads and powerlines.
q Threats include: Conversion of longleaf pine to pine plantations (as

available Feb. 1, at www.georgiawildlife.com.
Up close
Atlantic white-cedar Chamaecyparis thyoides Also called: Southern white-cedar, swampcedar, false-cedar, juniper; also Cupressus thyoides. Family: Cupressaceae (Cypress family). Key characteristics: Bluish-green evergreen tree with a conical crown that reaches 50-80 feet tall. Trunk is about 1.5 feet in diameter with interlacing fibrous ridges of gray-brown bark. Pendulous, flattened branches have scale-like leaves. The cultivated abvorvitae (Thuja occidentalis), Leyland cypress (Callitropsis x leylandii), and eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana) may appear similar to Atlantic whitecedar, but they have different branch and cone shapes as well as different bark color and texture. Range: Outer Coastal Plain of Maine to North Carolina, appearing again from the Florida Panhandle to Mississippi, inland in the Fall Line sandhills of the Carolinas and Georgia, and in north-central peninsular Florida. The only representative of its genus that occurs in the eastern U.S. Recorded in six counties in Georgia, mostly in southwestern Georgia. Habitat: Wet, sandy terraces around clear

pines mature, rattleweed is shaded out); homesite development. Lack of fire and too much shade are major threats. q Trends: Few new populations have been found in the last 20 years. Significant decreases in numbers of plants have been documented, based on studies of permanent plots, especially those in slash pine plantations that have not been thinned. q The easement: Was funded by the state's Nongame Wildlife Conservation Fund and a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Recovery Land Acquisition Grant. RLA grants apply to animals or plants listed under the Endangered Species Act. q News of a 2008 burn with Rayonier, Georgia Southern University
Conservation by easement
A closer look at a popular preservation tool
One of the lemon-yellow folders Kristina Sorensen has in her files is thick with paperwork involving the Lewis tract conservation easement.
But she also has folders detailing DNR's nearly 1,700-acre easement along the Ochlockonee River in deep South Georgia, another 1,200 acres flanked by the Chattahoochee National Forest in Murray County, 102 acres of Fall Line sandhills in Taylor County, and 80 on Ichawaynochaway Creek in Baker County. All were agreements completed last year. Each shows the popularity of conservation easements, a traditional yet flexible preservation approach boosted by federal and state tax breaks.
"They're probably the most popular land conservation tool today, mainly due to the expanded federal tax incentives put into place in 2006," said Sorensen, a Nongame Conservation Section biologist who makes sure

freshwater streams and in acidic, peaty freshwater bogs and blackwater swamps. Associated with sweet pitcherplant (Sarracenia
rubra) and may serve as an indicator species for other rare plants. Reproduction: Male cones are only 1/8-inch long and appear on the ends of branches. Pollen is released in early spring. Female cones are inch globes with six fleshy scales; also appear in early spring. Mature cones are bluish purple and turn woody brown as they dry, releasing 10-12 winged seeds in the fall. These light seeds may travel long distances in the wind and remain dormant but viable for many years. Light and continuous moisture are required for successful germination. Saplings grow about a foot per year under favorable conditions. Status: Not federally listed, but listed as rare in Georgia. Considered rare in Virginia and New York, listed as a species of "special concern" in Maine and reported as extirpated in Pennsylvania. Considered by NatureServe to be
"apparently secure" globally, but imperiled in Georgia. Threats: In Georgia, Atlantic white-cedar was once harvested for timber, which still continues in other parts of its range because of its highquality, rot-resistant wood. Now suffers from habitat loss due to wetland drainage and clearing for conversion to agricultural land. Other threats include altered hydrology, competition from other species, high winds, fire and deer browsing. Black bears may use this tree for territorial markings. Conservation: Avoid site drainage as well as any land use upslope that could cause sedimentation to deposit in white-cedar habitat. Although fire readily kills mature white-cedar

conservation easements and donated property qualify for state income tax conservation credits.
Since those state credits became law also in 2006, the DNR has approved 149 applications totaling 56,372 acres. Ninety-two percent, or 136, of the applications were conservation easements to land trusts. As part of the Georgia Land Conservation Program, the Georgia Forestry Commission and DNR accounted for 14, protecting more than 21,000 acres through conservation easements.
Which begs the question: What is a conservation easement? It's a legal agreement that permanently limits land use. Landowners, who voluntarily enter the agreement, retain ownership, use and other rights. Yet, they relinquish some property rights, most often involving development. In exchange, the landowners receive income tax breaks tied to the land's reduced value. The standard analogy is a bundle of sticks in which each stick represents a property right. The owner gives up some sticks but keeps the bundle. A third party, typically a land trust or government agency, obtains some of the sticks, or rights, to protect the conservation values of the property. Those values can vary from an endangered plant like the hairy rattleweed to a scenic mountain viewscape. The public benefits because the natural resources are preserved. Sorensen said a first step for interested landowners is learning more. Start with the Georgia Land Conservation Program and Land Trust Alliance Web sites. Then find a land trust that fits what the landowner wants to conserve, be it a working tree farm or old-growth bottomland. The state's Land Conservation Program, DNR, Georgia Forestry Commission and others can help. There are costs, as with any real estate transaction. There are also misunderstandings. The most common that Sorensen hears? That landowners in a conservation easement have to allow public access to their property. Not so, Sorensen said. "Landowners typically retain all (access)."
For more
q Conservation easement questions & answers q Georgia Conservation Tax Credit summary report q Update on efforts to reinstate the federal enhanced tax deduction,

trees, it is required for successful seedling establishment to reduce hardwood competition. After long periods of fire suppression, wetseason fires tend to produce pure white-cedar stands. The presence of beavers actually benefits Atlantic white-cedars since beavers remove surrounding deciduous species. Controlling deer browse may prove necessary in some areas. Outlook: Propagation from seeds and cuttings with planting could help re-establish white-cedar stands. In Georgia, conservation easements involving quality Atlantic white-cedar habitat recently have been secured in Taylor County along the Fall Line sandhills.
Sources include: Flora of North America, Flora of the Carolinas, Virginia, and Georgia, and Surrounding Areas, NatureServe, Protected Plants of Georgia, Trees of Georgia and Adjacent States, USDA, USFS Index of Species Information
Nongame in the news
Georgia-Florida Times-Union: "Conservation groups sue to block Navy training range," about lawsuit involving right whale concerns and undersea warfare training range off Georgia, Florida. (Jan. 29) Savannah Morning News: "Overlooked Coosawattee draws attention," DNR release about research listing the river third in imperiled fishes in Georgia. (Jan. 27) New England Aquarium blog: "Right whale aerial survey blog," account of biopsy sampling of whale calf with NOAA and DNR. (Jan. 27) WTSP (Tampa): "Should the rattlesnake tradition

which expired at the end of 2009
Out my back door
Warm havens
for winter birds
By Terry W. Johnson While drinking a cup of hot, steaming coffee on a
recent cold winter morning, I noticed that most of the wildlife activity in my backyard centered on my bird feeders. Nearby, a nesting box stood like a silent sentinel watching the parade of birds and squirrels dining at my wildlife caf.
While it appeared the box served no purpose this time of the year, I knew better. One late afternoon about a week before, as the sun was seemingly dissolving on the western horizon, I just happened to see two bluebirds fly into the box.
Wow! The bluebirds were using the nesting box as a winter roost site. Many cavity-nesting birds spend the night in tree cavities and nesting boxes. The long list of birds includes screech owls, bluebirds, brown-headed nuthatches, flickers, woodpeckers and Carolina wrens. Even blue jays, birds that don't even nest in cavities, will seek shelter in roosting boxes when the going gets tough. One of the first birds I ever saw using a cavity for a winter roost was a Carolina chickadee. One winter the tiny bird roosted each night in the uppermost pipe on my young daughter's swing set. The cold metal pipe was probably less than ideal as a roost. However, the hardy chickadee survived a winter during which temperatures dipped into the teens on several occasions. While many birds roost alone, bluebirds sometimes roost in groups. If you have never seen a gang of bluebirds pile into a box, you have missed a treat. It isn't unusual to see a half-dozen or more bluebirds flying into a nesting box shortly before sunset. As each disappears into something that small, you wonder how they can all cram themselves into such a tiny space. Actually, roosting in a group has

be changed?" column originally in Tallahassee Democrat on negative impacts of rattlesnake roundups. (Jan. 26) The Brunswick News: "Turtle center helping new patients," about surge of cold-stunned turtles at Georgia Sea Turtle Center. (Jan. 25) National Pubic Radio: "Planes train endangered cranes to migrate," about Operation Migration's ultralight-led flight of whooping cranes. (Jan. 23) New York Times: "Arizona intentionally snared last jaguar, inquiry finds," about Inspector General report, disputed by Arizona state agency, concerning capture of last known jaguar in Southwest. (Jan. 22) The Daily Tribune News (Cartersville): "Dellinger family donates Murray County land to permanent conservation," about donation of 1,205-acre conservation easement. (Jan. 20) Examiner.com: "Georgia Department of Natural Resources holding bird art competition for kids," DNR release about Youth Birding Competition Tshirt Art Contest. (Jan. 20) Chattanooga.com: "Birding competition for kids," DNR release about YBC. (Jan. 20) Bainbridge.com: "Seminole State Park burned," about prescribed fire at Seminole. (Jan. 18) Gainesville Times (and others via AP): "Couple turns yard into habitat for wildlife, themselves," about NWF certification of a Jefferson family's yard as Certified Wildlife Habitat. (Jan. 17) New York Times: "The agency that wrestles with wayward birds and vanishing coastlines," about USFWS efforts to sync wildlife management decisions with climate change. (Jan. 14)

survival value. Even on the coldest nights, the warmth of their bodies helps ward off the bone-chilling cold.
The problem with nesting boxes (at right) is they aren't designed to hold in that warmth. As we all know, warm air rises. Consequently, when birds roost in the bottom of a box, much of the warm air produced rises and is lost out the box's entrance hole.
To solve this problem, the roost box (pictured at top) was developed. The first thing that catches your attention when you look at a roosting box is that the entrance hole is at the bottom. The birds roost on perches above the hole. Consequently, the heat generated rises but is largely retained in the box.
There are vertical and horizontal roosting box designs. The boxes also come in a variety of sizes. The size of the box and entrance hole dictates what birds use it. While small birds like bluebirds will use larger boxes, it is impossible for larger birds to use smaller roosting boxes.
An ideal roosting box for smaller birds measures 10 inches square and 3 feet tall. Perches are provided by arranging -inch dowels up the inside of the structure. The perches should not be directly above one another. Why? Think about it: Would you want to roost directly below a bird that has been eating berries and other tasty foods all day?
Place roosting boxes 8-10 feet above the ground. It is also a good idea to face them in a southern direction.
Although winter roost boxes have been around for years, they have never really caught on with folks who put up nesting boxes. These structures are so unusual I can count on one hand the folks I personally know who have erected them. This is unfortunate because the boxes can really help birds survive cold weather.
If you don't have a roosting box in your backyard, I urge you to put one up. If you do, and happen to see birds flying into it at dusk, you will experience the satisfaction of knowing you are helping these wildlife neighbors survive an unforgiving frigid night.
Terry Johnson is a former Nongame program manager with the Wildlife Resources Division, a noted backyard wildlife writer and expert, and executive director of TERN, the friends group for Wildlife Resources' Nongame

The Forest Blade (Swainsboro): "Controlled burn at Ohoopee Dunes," brief on prescribed fire at Ohoopee Dunes Natural Area. (Jan. 12) WMGT (Macon): "DNR's plan of attack to save Ga. wildlife," interview with DNR's Sharon Holbrooks about SWAP. (Jan. 11) Coastal Courier: "Huge trees found in Long swamps," Riverkeeper James Holland's perspective of old growth on Townsend WMA addition. (Dec. 31) The Post and Courier (S.C.): "Eagle, sick turtles, ER drama all in day's work," about life at South Carolina Aquarium's sea turtle hospital. (Dec. 29) Chattanooga Times Free Press: "Conserving Conasauga," about James Dellinger Sr.'s conservation easement with DNR protecting two miles of the river. (Dec. 27) The Oregonian: "When the land's worth more than the trees," two-part series about the shift in corporate landownership from emphasis on timber to development. (Dec. 26) Aiken (S.C.) Standard: "What should be done about longleaf pine?" column by ecologist Whit Gibbons on longleaf pine's potential to ease climate change impacts. (Dec. 20)
Calendar
Feb. 12-13: 22nd annual Weekend for Wildlife, fundraiser for DNR Nongame Conservation Section, Sea Island. Feb. 12-14: Georgia Wildlife Federation Great Outdoors Show, Georgia National Fairgrounds, Perry. Feb. 12-15: Great Backyard Bird Count. Feb. 19-20: 10th annual Georgia River Network

Conservation Section. His "Out my backdoor" column is a regular feature in Georgia Wild.
For more
q Roosting box details q How-to-build video q Document related to video
Wild encounters
Spend time outdoors and you'll have them: special encounters with nature you never forget. Here's one from the son of Georgia Wild's Rick Lavender. We'd also like to hear about your favorite wild encounter. E-mail it to us and we may publish it here! Please keep the account to 200 or fewer words, and include your name and city.
One December evening on my grandparents' property in Oconee County, I
heard the repeated nasal "beep" of a displaying male woodcock on the ground, then the high, twittering sound his wings make as he takes off and flies circles in the sky.
I decided to find the woodcock. Once I found the field he was in, I walked closer to where he had been on the ground and stood still when he landed. I made it to within about 15 yards of the patch of ground he was returning to, though by that time it was too dark to see him on the ground. After a dozen or so repetitions of his strange nasal call, he would take off and spiral upwards, his wings making the twittering sound. Even though there was a

conference, Jekyll Island Convention Center, Jekyll Island. Feb. 23-24: Georgia DNR Board of Natural Resources committee meetings (1 p.m. Feb. 23), monthly meeting (9 a.m. Feb. 24), DNR board room, Atlanta. March 19-20: Environmental Education Alliance Conference, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw. March 23-24: Georgia DNR Board of Natural Resources committee meetings (1 p.m. March 23), monthly meeting (9 a.m. March 24), DNR board room, Atlanta. Submit items.
Photo credits (from top): * Part of Nongame 2008-2009 report cover. Ga. DNR * Hairy rattleweed. Ga. DNR * Atlantic white-cedar. Robert H. Mohlenbrock @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / USDA NRCS. 1995. Northeast wetland flora: Field office guide to plant species. Northeast National Technical Center, Chester. * Dellinger conservation easement. Kristina Sorensen/Ga. DNR * Roost box. Terry Johnson * Titmouse checking out nest box. Todd Schneider/Ga. DNR * Woodcock. Giff Beaton * Right whale breaching. Clay George/Ga. DNR
Georgia Wild volume 3, issue 1
Georgia Wild is produced by the Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division and focused on conserving nongame species, those not legally

bright moon, he would quickly get so high I couldn't see him. After half a minute or so, the twittering would stop and he would begin
making a varied, liquid call. About this time he would start descending. As he got close to the ground he would stop calling. The closest I got was when he flew within several feet of me at eye level as he landed.
The display was fascinating, and one I hope I get the chance to watch again.
Jordan Lavender, Watkinsville
Noteworthy
Plum Creek and Georgia Power Co. will be honored as 2009 Forestry for Wildlife partners Feb. 3 at the State Capitol. Both are longtime participants in the Wildlife Resources Division program that works with corporate forest landowners to promote conservation.
It's not too late to sign up for Weekend for Wildlife. The annual fundraiser, set this year for Feb. 12-13 at the Cloister on Sea Island, provided almost a third of Nongame Conservation Section revenues in the past two fiscal years.
The Give Wildlife a Chance Poster Contest marks its 20th anniversary this year. Take part in the 2010 celebration of wildlife art and conservation by K through fifth-grade students.
Three days of prescribed burning at Seminole State Park caught the eye of BainbridgeGa.com, resulting in this video featuring Nongame ecologist and fire leader Shan Cammack. The 2009 class of ultralight-led whooping cranes made it to St. Marks and Chassahowitzka national wildlife refuges this month. Earlier, the cranes spent three days in Decatur County, Georgia, waiting for good weather to wing it to Florida. More whooper updates: As of Jan. 23, three birds tracked in the 85strong eastern migratory population were in south Georgia's Lowndes County. In Texas, limited food supplies spurred fears of a record number of deaths this winter in the last natural flock of endangered whooping cranes. Registration has opened for the 2010 Youth Birding Competition and the event's T-shirt Art Contest. Deadlines and more details. In other birding news, the nationwide Great Backyard Bird Count is Feb. 12-15 and the new "Breeding Bird Atlas of Georgia" will be on the shelves soon (it's already available online).

trapped, fished for or hunted. The newsletter is delivered free to subscribers. Subscribe or see previous issues.
Wildlife Resources' Nongame Conservation Section conserves and protects Georgia's diversity of native animals and plants and their habitats through research, management and education. The section depends for funding on grants, donations and fundraisers such as nongame license plate sales, the Give Wildlife a Chance state income tax checkoff and Weekend for Wildlife. Call (770) 761-3035 for details on direct donations. The nongame plates -- the bald eagle and ruby-throated hummingbird -- are available for a one-time $25 fee at all county tag offices, by checking the wildlife license plate box on mail-in registration forms or through online renewal. Also, check here for information on TERN, the friends group of the Nongame Conservation Section.

Doing taxes early? Please remember the Give Wildlife a Chance state

income tax checkoff, a convenient way to support nongame conservation in

Georgia.

A just-completed report on Nongame Conservation Section work in fiscal 2008 and 2009 is available at www.georgiawildlife.com. The 20-

page report covers everything from right whale research to land acquisition.
The deep freeze that hit after New Year's is blamed for more than 100 manatee deaths through

Jan. 23, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The previous record of 56 for a entire year was set in 2009.
The cold also had endangered manatees crowding into warm-water sites in Florida, resulting in a record count during an annual synoptic survey. Preliminary totals of

2,779 on the state's east coast and 2,288 on the west topped the previous high from 2009 by more than 1,200.
In a winter windfall for python hunters, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said the chill had Burmese pythons and other invasive reptiles searching for sun and easier to find at four south Florida

wildlife management areas. The United Nations has labeled 2010 as the International Year of
Biodiversity. Learn more.

Expand your enviro vocabulary and plant trees in rainforests at the same time with this online game sponsored by Greenwala.

Looking back
Links to three previous issues.
q December 2009 q November 2009 q October 2009
Other archives. (Some 2009 issues are temporarily unavailable.)

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