Subject: Thought Extinct...Ivory-Billed Woodpecker,
Alive!
Image: George M.
Sutton
Dear Lewis B.,
Today's
announcement of a confirmed sighting of the ivory-billed
woodpecker in Arkansas, a species last seen in the wild in
the 1930s and long considered to be extinct, is simply
terrific.
The discovery is a wondrous glimmer of
life that had been feared forever dimmed.
We extend
our heartiest congratulations to all those involved,
including our colleagues at The Nature Conservancy, the
Cornell University Ornithology Laboratory, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.
We are also proud that the Arkansas Wildlife
Federation, our state affiliate, has long been in the
forefront of successful efforts to conserve the rare
bottomland hardwood forest habitat where the ivory-billed
woodpecker has been re-discovered. This area, that includes
the Cache and White River National Wildlife Refuges, has one
of the nation's largest wintering duck populations and is
home to several imperiled species. Hunters and anglers have
been indispensable in safeguarding its wildlife values. That
effort has now produced the additional benefit of having
provided sufficient habitat for the ivory-billed woodpecker
to survive.
This discovery is also further proof why
the ill-conceived $300 million Grand Prairie
pump-canal-and-pipeline project that threatens to drain the
White River water flow through these National Wildlife
Refuges and other adjoining conservation areas is one of the
worst ideas ever presented to the American public by the
U.S. Corps of Engineers.
Using the safety net
provided to imperiled wildlife by the Endangered Species
Act, we can now look forward to the day our children will
enjoy seeing the ivory-billed woodpecker recovering in the
wild.
If you would like to support NWF's efforts to
protect the ivory-billed woodpecker and other endangered
wildlife throughout America, please
make a special donation today.
Thank you for
making a difference for our children's future.
Sincerely
Larry Schweiger President
& CEO
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