Red-cockaded Woodpecker
To teeter or thrive, that is the question
The Francis Marion National Forest is one of the largest remaining intact stands of the longleaf pine forests that once dominated the Southeastern coastal plain. It is also key in to recovery of the red-cockaded woodpecker, a federally protected bird that has been on the endangered species list for 35 years.
©Bill Lea
The red-cockaded woodpecker was among the first species designated as endangered under the Endangered Species Act.
For the woodpecker to have a true chance of coming off the endangered species list, the Francis Marion and other national forests throughout the South must provide the cornerstone for the bird's recovery. Unfortunately, the federal government has never fully committed to allowing the woodpecker to prosper on national forest lands. Many national forests have experienced dramatic red-cockaded woodpecker declines; overall, populations of the bird on the region's national forests have teetered for almost two decades at only 25 percent of the species' recovery goals.
The red-cockaded woodpeckers of the Francis Marion National Forest, north of Charleston, face a host of challenges, many of which are related to encroaching development and traffic. One immediate problem is the proposed widening of Steed Creek Road (S.C. Highway 133), a project of the South Carolina Department of Transportation in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration and the U.S. Forest Service. This project cuts through known woodpecker habitat.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has said the widening of Steed Creek Road will not jeopardize the red-cockaded woodpecker. The agency reached this conclusion through the use of under-protective, watered-down habitat standards that defy the agency's own Recovery Plan and other scientific evidence. In relying on these weak standards, the agency has greatly underestimated the bird's habitat needs - a precedent which, if left unchallenged, spells trouble for the woodpecker. In stark contrast to its actions here, the Fish and Wildlife Service and other federal agencies have an obligation to ensure survival, expansion and the ultimate recovery of endangered populations.
The Southern Environmental Law Center is challenging the Fish and Wildlife Service's authorization of the Steed Creek Road project in order to reinforce the red-cockaded woodpecker recovery effort and to ensure that no agency undercuts the bird's habitat needs. In the process, SELC is defending the letter and spirit of the Endangered Species Act for the benefit of wildlife nationwide.
