view past issues | RSS update list profile translate INSIDE | GO FISH CENTER OPENING | LONG-RANGE WHIMBREL | KING TOAD | View newsletter online | Unsubscribe | Forward a copy | Subscribe 0 Tweet SEPTEMBER 2010 Give wildlife a chance Georgia DNR's Nongame Conservation Section receives no state funding to conserve nongame wildlife, native plants and natural habitats. We Go Fish ... and learn! The Go Fish Education Center is certainly a sight to see. Yet it's also the place to see fish you may otherwise never see, plus fish that might inspire your next angling adventure. The $18 million center opening Oct. 8 in Perry will be home to nearly 80 fish species, from banded pygmy sunfish to tricolor shiners. "We're trying to highlight the native species and diversity of fishes found here depend on contributions, grants and fundraisers. That means we depend largely on you! How can you help? q Buy a conservation license plate. q Contribute to the Georgia Wildlife Conservation Fund tax checkoff. q Donate directly to the Nongame Conservation Section, even online. q Use GoodSearch for your Internet searches (enter "Georgia Nongame Conservation Fund" under "Who do you GoodSearch for" and click "Verify"). q Join TERN, the Nongame Conservation Section's friends group. WILD Facts Did you know a yellowjacket is a wasp, not a bee? These insects look similar, but wasps are smooth while bees are hairy. Bees eat pollen and nectar while wasps eat insects, animals and sugary foods (including picnic snacks and soda). A wasp hive doesn't produce honey and is made out of paper rather than wax. Both yellowjackets and bees may sting to protect their colonies, but a wasp can sting many times (bees die after stinging only once). Never squash a yellowjacket -- doing so makes them release an alarm scent, alerting other yellowjackets to buzz towards you. -- Linda May In education There is still time to apply for a $1,000 grant in Georgia in their natural settings," said Matt Thomas, assistant chief of fisheries for DNR's Wildlife Resources Division. In a state ranked third in the nation in the number of native freshwater fishes, putting that diversity within public reach is a challenge. But the Go Fish Education Center delivers. Covered walks connect some 170,000 gallons worth of pools and wall tanks highlighting waterways, their inhabitants and natural histories by physiographic region. A mountain streams display, for example, includes aquariums and interpretive signs for species varying from brook trout to northern hog suckers and eastern hellbenders. A two-story waterfall dominates one side of the center. Inside are more displays, a theater, state-record fish replicas and a wall of windows overlooking hatchery tanks where lake sturgeon and striped bass will be raised. The center located just off I-75 on the Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter grounds is part of the larger Go Fish Georgia Initiative. The aim: Promote and enhance boating and fishing tourism and economic development statewide. The education center is, well, central to those efforts. The center's fun side features a public fishing pond and interactive fishing and boating simulators complete with sections of boats. Yet the educational emphasis is as intriguing, mapping watersheds, explaining water pollution, exploring the impacts of invasive species and providing programs synced to state classroom standards. There's even an oversized largemouth bass with its body parts diagrammed. "You're going to learn a lot," Thomas said. And see a lot. Go Fish Center at a glance from the Nongame Conservation Section. The new award goes to a third-grade teacher who demonstrates exceptional energy and innovation in teaching life sciences. The Nongame Conservation Section manages Georgia's native diversity of wild animals, plants and their habitats through education, research and management, while striving to increase public enjoyment of these natural resources. The grant will help a teacher educate students in these concepts. Deadline to apply is Oct. 1. Details. Questions? D.C. talk The feds want your thoughts on a petition to designate amphibians or their eggs infected with chytrid fungus as "injurious wildlife" under the Lacey Act. If approved, the designation would require chytrid-free health certification for all live amphibians or their eggs before they are imported into the U.S. or taken across state lines, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The fungus causes chytridiomycosis, a disease deadly to amphibians. The Notice of Inquiry is aimed at obtaining information on whether the petition's proposed action is warranted. Comments will help the Fish and Wildlife Service determine whether or not to propose a rule. Read the petition and notice at www.regulations.gov, under Docket No. FWSR9-FHC-2009-0093. How to provide comments (deadline: Dec. 16). q Grand opening: Oct. 8 (will remain open 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday and noon-9 p.m. Sunday through the end of the Georgia National Fair, Oct. 17) q Hours (after the fair): 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays; 1-5 p. m. Sundays q Admission: Adults, $5. Seniors 65 or older, $4. Children 3-12, $3. Children 2 and younger, free. q More: www.GoFishGeorgia.com Moving rare woodpeckers By Phil Spivey The red-cockaded woodpecker is one persnickety little critter. It has an unwavering affinity for pine forests more than 100 years old with a very open understory resulting from repeated fires which these days usually means controlled burns. It builds nest and roost cavities in live pine trees (older trees are more likely to have red heart fungus, making them easier to excavate). The red-cockaded woodpecker even has a complex social structure and lives in family groups with home territories of 50-500 acres, depending on habitat quality. It is not difficult to understand the rarity of this species, which was listed as endangered in 1968, before the federal Endangered Species Act existed. But red-cockaded woodpeckers can handle a move. And the ability to translocate the birds scientists call RCWs into suitable habitats has secured their future, at least on public lands across the Southeast. First tried with red-cockaded woodpeckers in 1980, this management tool has been refined to moving only juvenile birds generally 6-8 Up close Sherman's fox squirrel Sciurus niger shermani Also called: Cat squirrel, stump-eared squirrel. Family: Squirrel family, Sciuridae. Key characteristics: One of the largest fox squirrel subspecies (as many as 10 subspecies are recognized). Also one of the largest squirrels in North America, measuring up to 28 inches long from head to tail tip. Noticeably longer and stouter than a gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis). Body color ranges from silver, gray or agouti to black with tan or reddish undersides and white feet. White ears and white or gray muzzle contrast with a black head. Arboreal, or tree-dwelling, but spends more time on the ground than gray squirrels, and is less agile. Range: Exact range is unknown, but subspecies is believed to occur in Georgia's southern Coastal Plain, particularly around Fort Stewart and the Okefenokee Swamp. Range may extend northward toward the Piedmont. Also occurs in much of peninsular Florida. Habitat: Pine forests, pine savannas and other open habitats with scattered pines and oaks. months old and following other rules to ensure donor populations have enough juvenile woodpeckers to fill breeding vacancies. The goal is to increase family groups to provide a stable population over the long-term. Successes include Joseph W. Jones Ecological Research Center at Ichauway, where the translocation of about 50 woodpeckers since 1999 has established 24 family groups, and Silver Lake Wildlife Management Area near Bainbridge, where efforts started by former owner International Paper Co. have led to 21 family groups. In October, 11 young woodpeckers will make the journey from Eglin Air Force Base in the Florida panhandle to Silver Lake. The total will include three male-female pairs and five single females. The hope is the single females will pair with single males already at Silver Lake. New artificial cavities will await the young birds for roosting at night and hopefully raising a new family next spring. This translocation the most birds ever for Georgia follows a meeting of the RCW Southern Range Translocation Cooperative. The group of mostly state and federal government biologists, foresters, consultants and other private land managers from across the Southeast gathered in Tallahassee, Fla., to decide the destination of about 120 juvenile red-cockaded woodpeckers. The young birds are taken in pairs from so-called donor populations, generally the largest, most robust red-cockaded woodpecker populations such as at forts Benning and Stewart in Georgia, and moved to recipient populations sometimes hundreds of miles away. The typical translocation consists of six to 10 young birds. Care is taken to ensure unrelated birds are paired and that their new homes of artificial cavities are in prime shape. In the end, a large map of all red-cockaded woodpecker populations in the Southeast bristles with color-coded pins representing each bird and its destination, a result of what equates to eHarmony for woodpeckers. Eats: Diet varies by season and region but may include: pinecone seeds, acorns, hickory nuts, dogwood berries, maple seeds, wild cherries and grapes, persimmons, fungi, and insects. Signs of presence: Often visits the same tree limb or log, where droppings and food debris may be found (unlike the varying perch locations of gray squirrels). Tracks are larger than those of gray squirrels, with hind foot measurements reaching almost 3 inches and 2 inches long, respectively. Sounding off: Not as vocal as gray squirrels, but may chatter teeth to announce territory to other fox squirrels. May emit high squeaks when being chased or repeated cough-like sounds when alarmed. Breeding behavior: Primarily breeds in midwinter but may also produce a second litter in summer. Tree cavities provide good nest dens, but these squirrels often construct leaf nests from hardwood or pine materials. Occasionally nests in Spanish moss clumps. Average litter is three. Weaning takes place at about 2 months, but the young may not become fully independent until 3-4 months. Litter success depends on availability of nesting sites and food sources, as well as the weather. Status: An animal of "special concern" in Georgia and Florida, and a high-priority species in Georgia's State Wildlife Action Plan, but more survey data are needed. Considered "vulnerable" and "near threatened" across its range. Not listed federally, but considered a candidate species. Threats: Occasionally eaten by bobcats, foxes, hawks, owls, dogs and other predators. However, the primary threat is habitat loss due to fragmentation (from logging, new road And this fall biologists will filter through piney woods at night, toting long-handled, wispy nets and looking for unsuspecting woodpeckers nestled in their beds with no idea of the adventure that lies ahead. Did you know? q Translocated red-cockaded woodpeckers have a higher survival rate than birds left to disperse on their own. q The state's best RCW habitat and populations occur on large tracts of public land, especially forts Benning and Stewart, Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge, and private quail hunting properties in southwest Georgia. q The only population on state lands is on Silver Lake WMA in Decatur County. Read Phil Spivey's full account of translocating red-cockaded woodpeckers. Phil, a wildlife biologist, works with red-cockaded woodpeckers for DNR's Nongame Conservation Section. State Wildlife Grants Events tap grant benefits From sea turtles to bog turtles and red-flowering mint to blazing star, construction and development) as well as conversion to short-rotation timber stands and pastures. Vehicle mortality and lack of fire are other concerns. With so few documented occurrences, the population viability of Sherman's fox squirrel is uncertain, even with proper management. Conservation: More information about abundance, distribution, population trends and genetics of this subspecies is needed. Sandhill habitats, particularly longleaf pine/wiregrass communities, should be preserved. Prescribed burning every two-five years, preferably from April-July, helps maintain favored open understory and creates more foraging habitat. Providing suitable den trees and artificial nest cavities may promote increased survival of young and hence more stable populations. Tracking sea turtles A Georgia sea turtle nesting update from www. seaturtle.org.* Nests: 1,768 (47 lost) Relocated: 904 (51.1%) Eggs estimate: 167,467 Eggs lost: 5,380 (3.2%) Eggs hatched: 106,054 Emerged hatchlings: 96,113 Mean emergence success: 62.4% False crawls: 2,030 six recent events taught approximately 100 Georgians about the state's diverse native wildlife and how State Wildlife Grants are helping conserve plants, animals and natural habitats. The events Sept. 10 and 11 celebrated the 10th year of the federal program. Created in 2000, State Wildlife Grants provided the first comprehensive funding for conserving the 90 percent of U.S. wildlife not hunted, fished for or endangered. At Ohoopee Dunes Natural Area near Swainsboro, a hike on Sept. 11 brought to life details emphasized the night before in presentations about the state-owned area at Southeastern Technical College. Part of the walk followed a woods road used as a firebreak for a prescribed burn in March. Sandhill habitats like those at Ohoopee benefit from regular fires. On the side of the road that had been burned, wiregrass was setting seed and red basil, a native mint, was thriving, said Jon Ambrose, assistant chief of DNR's Nongame Conservation Section. Hikers "could easily see the benefits of this burn," Ambrose said. Other Teaming with Wildlife Week participants heard the latest on sea turtles (at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island) and bog turtles (at Chattahoochee Nature Center in Roswell). A few hardy volunteers helped pull up invasive privet at Panola Mountain State Park near Stockbridge. Each event also highlighted the teamwork side of State Wildlife Grants. The program spurs partnerships and ensures projects fit state wildlife action plans, strategies that guide efforts to conserve biological diversity. At Doerun Pitcherplant Bog Natural Area in southwest Georgia, where the grants have helped restore longleaf pine and warm-season grasses, young and old braved heat and gnats to learn about the area's plant life, ranging from three pitcherplant species to native hibiscus, toothache grass, runner oak and the perennial blazing star. *As of Sept. 22. Here's a complete look at realtime data and beach reports. Ranger reports Unintended consequence: Cpl. Eric Sanders responded to a vulture being shot in Buford Aug. 20. The homeowner said he was "just trying to scare away the buzzard" and killed it. Sanders explained the law -- all vulture species are protected -- and gave the homeowner verbal guidance. Noteworthy Add thousand canker disease to the threats native trees face. The fungus, spread by walnut twig beetles and marked by multiple cankers, kills black walnut trees within two to three years from the time symptoms show up. Thousand canker disease was recently detected in Knoxville, Tenn., the first discovery east of the Mississippi River. The disease has not been identified in Georgia, where black walnuts are found across almost the entire state. Two licensed Georgia falconers were picked from among three eligible applicants for permits to trap a passage peregrine falcon each in the state's coastal counties Sept. 20-Oct. 20. One migrant peregrine was captured here for falconry in 2009, the first such season in recent memory. Wood storks' endangered status is under review. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced the review after a 90-day finding that said reclassifying wood storks to threatened may be warranted. The impact of invasive plants on Georgia's ecology and economy is the theme for the 2010 meeting of the Georgia Exotic Pest Plant The group even accidentally flushed a bobwhite quail, then glimpsed her fast-moving chicks before they filtered into the undergrowth. The encounter served as another sign of the positive impact of State Wildlife Grants, at Doerun and across Georgia. More success stories here. Marathon migration Whimbrel's nearly 5,000-mile flight underscores role Ga. habitat plays After an amazing journey, the pigeon-sized shorebird has settled down in the remote Coppename Monding Nature Preserve in the South American country of Suriname. The rest is deserved. The bird, a whimbrel, has just traveled more than 4,700 miles, including nearly 3,500 nonstop in five days! While whimbrels are known for long-distance migrations, it has been unclear how exactly far they fly and where they go after leaving Georgia. Until now. Chinquapin, one of two whimbrels fitted with radio transmitters in Georgia in May, is providing key information about the species' migration patterns to Georgia DNR biologists and other partners in the study at the Center for Conservation Biology at the College of William & Mary. After leaving the Georgia coast, the tagged whimbrels flew north to Hudson Bay in Canada, one of them nonstop. Transmitter data shows that Chinquapin ended up approximately 350 miles west of the Council. The Nov. 4 session at Zoo Atlanta will feature keynote speaker Damon E. Waitt, senior botanist at the University of Texas Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, plus other experts. Gov. Sonny Perdue will present the 2010 Natural Leaders Awards Oct. 6 at the Loudermilk Center in Atlanta. DNR Commissioner Chris Clark will also be on hand to help honor these standard-setting organizations in environmental excellence. Register. The EPA denied a petition to ban lead in hunting ammunition last month, though the agency is considering part of the request that called for banning lead in fishing gear. Undeterred, petitioners have challenged the partial denial, saying the EPA has authority to implement the ammo change. Nongame biologist Clay George gave a presentation about North Atlantic right whales Sept. 21 as part of the Savannah Ocean Exchange. The event, a celebration including the Gray's Reef Ocean Film Festival, continues through Sept. 26 in Savannah. A Guatemalan poacher-turnedconservationist with ties to Zoo Atlanta has been named a 2010 Disney Conservation Hero. Gilberto Salazar, nominated for the award by Zoo Atlanta assistant curator Brad Lock, works with Guatemalan lizard conservation organization Zootropic in such efforts as saving beaded lizards. Zoo Atlanta is one of only three facilities in the world that has these endangered reptiles on display. More than 3,600 dead birds and 1,040 live ones mostly laughing gulls, brown pelicans and northern gannets have been found in bay, below the Arctic Circle in the Northwest Territories. He probably nested there based on the length of time spent in a relatively small area. Chinquapin departed his summer territory for Coats Island in Hudson Bay during the second week of July and stayed there until early August. At Coats Island, he geared up for the next leg of what would become a marathon migration flight. During the early morning hours of Aug. 5, Chinquapin flew 600 miles south over Hudson Bay, then continued down the length of James Bay, over Quebec, over Maine and finally out over the open Atlantic. Tropical Storm Colin was pumping north toward Bermuda as Chinquapin headed south. He appears to have skirted the storm's cyclonic winds by swinging 300 miles east of Bermuda on Aug. 8. His transmitter beeped next from the beaches of northwest Puerto Rico on Aug. 10 near Playa de Isabela -- a nonstop journey of 3,470 miles. That's the equivalent of flying about five days around-the-clock from Boston to Anchorage, Alaska. The small bird was not finished. After a two-week rest, he headed 1,300 miles south over the island of Grenada to Suriname, his current location. Although from only one bird, the information received is invaluable, said Nongame Conservation Section Program Manager Brad Winn. "Chinquapin is just one tagged whimbrel, but it is important to remember that these are gregarious birds, so it is likely he is flying in a flock. His movements also represent thousands of other smaller shorebirds that make similar flights from the Arctic to South America and back," Winn said. "It is pretty mind-boggling that a bird the size of a pigeon can leave subarctic Canada and go nonstop to the beaches of Puerto Rico. "It is an amazing journey and it is something to be awed and admired." The transmitter-toting whimbrels are not only showing scientists the resources they and their kind need to exist, such as seasonal foods and nesting habitat, they are also reminders that maintaining the health of coastal landscapes has implications beyond state lines and even areas affected by the Deepwater Horizon spill as of mid-September. The Fish and Wildlife Service is promising more detailed estimates of birds rescued or collected, providing a better grasp of the spill's impact, at www.fws.gov/home/ dhoilspill. Former DNR intern Amos Tuck is profiled as one of the "amazing students" on the University of Georgia's home page. The self-proclaimed fish fanatic from Cedartown spent summer 2009 helping the Nongame Conservation Section look for rare fishes and mussels. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has approved new rules for managing threatened species. The goals: Conserve threatened species and "ensure no fish or wildlife goes extinct in the state because of human action or inaction," according to the commission. The Georgia Conservancy's 2010 Distinguished Conservationist award will go to E. Cody Laird of Buckhead. Noted for his work with the Mountain Conservation Trust and in longleaf pine restoration in southwest Georgia, Laird will be honored at the Conservancy's ecoBenefte Nov. 4 in Atlanta. A Florida burrowing owl was hours away from becoming a cruise ship stowaway when crew members discovered it on the ship's minigolf course. Wildlife officials removed the small owl, prompting one official to remark, "Never in all of my 25 years with the (agency) have I seen anything like this." Nongame in the news Savannah Morning News: "How native plants can rebuild Georgia food webs," entomologist national borders. Whimbrels and many other species of shorebirds are in Georgia by the thousands for a short period of each year. "These global migrants visit us on their migratory trek for about six weeks each spring to feast on the fiddler crabs in our marshes," Winn said. "The energy they get from our crabs supports them during the next 2,000- to 3,000-mile leg of their annual migration. If our marshes are destroyed or become polluted, the crabs will be gone and this vital link in the migratory chain will be lost. "We have a responsibility to be good stewards of our coastal habitats for birds that call the entire Western Hemisphere home." Wandering whimbrels q Track their travels q Update: There are three satellite-tagged whimbrels on the coast of Suriname -- Chinquapin and two tagged in Virginia Out my backdoor Giving goldenrod its due By Terry W. Johnson Weeks before the kaleidoscope of fall foliage takes center stage, we are treated with another visually spectacular show. This floral tapestry Doug Tallamy and others, including Nongame Assistant Chief Jon Ambrose, discuss natives valuable role at Richmond Hill event. (Sept. 22) The Newton Citizen: "Hydrilla horrors: Invasive plant causes bird deaths at lake," invasive plant blamed for killing bald eagles, geese and coots at Lake Varner. (Sept. 16) The Atlanta-Journal Constitution: "Dawson Forest a new player in state water debate," talks about possible 2,000-acre reservoir on Atlantaowned tract stir conservation concerns, including over rare fish. (Sept. 16) AFP: "Escaped cobras strike fear in southwest China," most of 160-plus cobras from illegal breeding laboratory are accounted for, after some close calls. (mid-September) The Atlanta-Journal Constitution: "In wake of snake escape, DNR advises Zoo Atlanta to review protocols," human error blamed for loose tiger rattler. (Sept. 13) The Florida Times-Union: "West Georgia lawyer is Altamaha's new riverkeeper," Douglas County assistant DA changes jobs Oct. 18. (Sept. 10) Savannah Morning News: "Cousteau kin tours the Ogeechee River," Jacques Cousteau's granddaughter visits her first blackwater stream for Expedition Blue Planet. (Sept. 8) Los Angeles Times: "Meat-eating plants losing ground in U.S.," habitat loss, poaching and lack of fire undercutting populations of pitcherplants and others. (Sept. 7) Bryan County News (and others): "States make headway on sandhills conservation," DNR's yearone update on a three-year project involving Georgia. (Sept. 6) is fashioned with plumes of gold waving from roadside ditches, old fields and even along the edges of backyards such as mine. Like far too many of our wild plants, goldenrod is largely unappreciated by most Georgians. Many who suffer from allergies blame their stuffy noses and watery eyes on this showy plant. Yet, goldenrod pollen is rarely the cause. Goldenrod only produces about 12 percent of the pollen floating about during the time it is blooming. Ragweed, also blooming then, is often the culprit. However, since ragweed flowers are drab and inconspicuous, allergy sufferers rarely notice its blossoms. Ragweed is wind-pollinated, while goldenrod pollen is quite heave and sticky. Consequently, goldenrod pollen is spread primarily by insects, not fall breezes. While goldenrod is blooming, untold numbers of nectar feeders such as moths, butterflies, bumblebees, wasps, soldier beetles, honeybees, syrphid flies and others converge on the plants' breathtaking floral displays. While goldenrods are often featured in gardens throughout Europe, only now are they beginning to take a well-deserved place in American gardens. This perennial requires little care, rarely needs staking and often takes on a more pleasing shape when grown in gardens. Perhaps the easiest way to establish goldenrods is by dividing the rhizomes of mature plants in early spring. A large goldenrod plant can be broken into two-dozen or more pieces. If you want to try goldenrods, purchase cultivated varieties from nurseries that specialize in native plants or take them from the wild. If you collect plants from the wild, make sure you get the landowner's permission. Then, look at a number of goldenrod stands while they are in full bloom. When you find one that has the proper height and flowering characteristics, flag it, come back and dig it up next spring, and set it out in your garden. In my backyard, goldenrods are confined to the north boundary, where they are intermingled with other native plants that serve as a 25foot wide natural border with my neighbor. Should you decide to incorporate cultivated varieties, begin by visiting a nursery that specializes in native plants. You can choose Savannah Morning News: "Sea turtles nest at record rate in Georgia," loggerheads log a record year. (Sept. 4) DailyMe: "Watching birds can be big business," Georgia benefits in many ways from birding's growth. (Originally in The Brunswick News.) (Sept. 2) Georgia Front Page (blog): "Georgia events mark 10th anniversary of Wildlife Grants," DNR celebrates federal State Wildlife Grants program. (Sept. 1) Also: The Forest Blade (Swainsboro), The Moultrie Observer. WSAV-TV (Savannah): "Forest lands added to Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge," Fish and Wildlife Service announces 1,046 acres planned for longleaf restoration and as fire buffer. (Aug. 31) Savannah Morning News: "700-year-old cypress tell story of survival," ancient trees on Townsend WMA in McIntosh County inspire awe. (Aug. 30) Fox News.com: "U.S. accepts stunning gift of land," Fish and Wildlife Service accepts 420acre conservation donation, capping Vermont/ Canada border confusion. (Aug. 27) The Forest Blade (Swainsboro): "Beauty of nature," aerial Ohoopee Dunes Natural Area photo and caption describing role of seasonal ponds. (Aug. 26) San Francisco Examiner (via Associated Press): "Endangered fish found in north Ga. river," rare darter species discovered in Coosawattee River. (Aug. 24) Also: GoFISHn, World Fishing Network Knoxville (Ky.) News Sentinel: "Thousand varieties based on when they bloom (from mid-summer to fall), height (1 to more than 4 feet tall), leaf size, texture and color, and soil moisture (wet to dry). If you have never visited a stand of goldenrod in full bloom, you are in for a real treat. When you do, I strongly suggest you take a camera and close-focusing binoculars. This equipment will help you appreciate the amazing numbers and varieties of insects you will find. Some I have discovered on goldenrod plumes include great purple, gray and red-banded hairstreaks, ailanthus webworm moths, brightly colored bees, and wasps and hornets. If you allow goldenrod plants to remain standing throughout the winter, they will provide cover for songbirds, rabbits and small mammals. The seeds will be eaten by a number birds and small mammals. The American goldfinch is particularly fond of goldenrod. Swamp sparrows, eastern towhees, pine siskins and dark-eyed juncos, among others, also dine on the tiny seeds. If you live the mountains, don't be surprised to see ruffed grouse eating goldenrod seeds on winter days. If goldenrod doesn't grace your yard, next spring set some plants out in a flowerbed, in a natural border or in an overlooked corner of your yard. You will be adding another beautiful bit of diversity to your landscape. Then next fall, enjoy a spectacular prelude to the fall's eyepopping foliage without having to leave your yard. For more details, including goldenrod species and the plant's therapeutic value, read Terry's entire column! Terry Johnson is a former Nongame program manager with the Wildlife Resources Division, a backyard wildlife expert, and executive director of TERN. His column is a regular Georgia Wild feature. Parting shot cankers disease hits ET," disease-causing fungus that kills black walnut trees confirmed in east Tennessee. (Aug. 8) The Forest Blade: "DNR conducts mussel and snail sampling," video interview with Nongame's Jason Wisniewski and Southeastern Tech's John Thrift on sampling Little Ohoopee River. (July 28) Calendar Sept. 25: National Hunting and Fishing Day. Events. Oct. 2: CoastFest, DNR offices, Brunswick. Oct. 5-8: Eastern Native Grass Symposium, Knoxville, Tenn. Oct. 6: DNR 2010 Natural Leaders awards ceremony, 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Loudermilk Center, Atlanta. Oct. 7-10: Georgia Coast Birding and Nature Festival, Jekyll Island. Oct. 8: Go Fish Education Center grand opening, Perry. Oct. 12-15: Longleaf Alliance Regional Conference, Columbia, S.C. Oct. 15-16: Fall native plant sale, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at Chattahoochee Nature Center, Roswell. Nov. 4: Georgia Exotic Pest Plant Council annual meeting and conference, Zoo Atlanta. Nov. 5: Outdoor Classroom Symposium, Zoo Atlanta. Submit events Jabba the toad? This American toad recently caught, measured and released in White County by Dirk J. Stevenson and Piedmont College student Bryan Hudson measured 4.5 inches from snout to vent. The published record for Bufo americanus is 4 3/8s inches. Stevenson, director of inventory and monitoring for Project Orianne, said Hudson and others found the hefty amphibian under the same rock on the Chattahoochee National Forest two months ago. Photo credits (from top) * In masthead: Whimbrels in flight. Brad Winn/ Ga. DNR: * A girl tries the freshwater fishing simulator at Go Fish Education Center. Linda Patrick/Ga. DNR * Go Fish Center display. Rick Lavender/Ga. DNR * Banding a red-cockaded woodpecker. Ga. DNR * Sherman's fox squirrel. Joseph W. Jones Ecological Research Center at Ichauway * Wildlife biologist Jonathan Stober, formerly of Joseph W. Jones Ecological Research Center measures a net to a red-cockaded woodpecker cavity for a translocation at Francis Marion National Forest, S.C. Phil Spivey/Ga. DNR * State Wildlife Grants hiking group at Ohoopee Dunes Natural Area. Jon Ambrose/Ga. DNR * Nongame botanist Tom Patrick answers a question from 4-year-old Reed Parker during the State Wildlife Grants walk at Doerun Pitcherplant Bog Natural Area. Rick Lavender/Ga. DNR * Ailanthus webworm moth on goldenrod bloom. Terry W. Johnson * Jabba the (American) toad. Dirk J. Stevenson/ Project Orianne Georgia Wild volume 3, issue 9 This is: A free monthly e-newsletter produced by DNR and focused on nongame. Subscribe or see previous issues. Nongame: Wildlife not legally trapped, fished for or hunted, plus native plants and natural habitats. We are: The Wildlife Resources Division's Nongame Conservation Section. Our mission: Conserve and protects Georgia's diversity of native animals and plants and their habitats through research, management and education. It's worth repeating that we depend on grants, donations and fundraisers such as nongame license plate sales, the Georgia Wildlife Conservation Fund state income tax checkoff and Weekend for Wildlife. Buy a tag: Nongame license plates the eagle and hummingbird are available at county tag offices, by checking the wildlife license plate box on mail-in registration forms and through online renewal. More info: q www.georgiawildlife.com q (770) 761-3035 in Social Circle, (478) 994-1438 in Forsyth or (912) 264-7355 in Brunswick q Conserving Nongame Wildlife: 20082009," our biannual report Connect with us on ... You are receiving this newsletter because you requested it through the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division. The newsletter also goes to Wildlife Resources Division employees. Unsubscribe stuggle@uga.edu. Update your profile. Add us to your address book. Georgia DNR 2070 U.S. Highway 278 S.E. Social Circle, Ga. 30025 770.918.6787 Forward this e-mail. Or share it on ... Copyright (C) 2010 Georgia DNR. All rights reserved.