Safe Harbor Program Aids Red-Cockaded Woodpecker
An adult male red-cockaded woodpecker.
MEDIA: Hi-res versions of these images may be downloaded here. Please credit the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission.
FUN FACTS ABOUT THE RED-COCKADED WOODPECKER
- FAMILY VALUES: Red-cockaded woodpeckers live in groups consisting of two parents and one or more helpers that are male offspring from previous years. All members of the family take care of the babies, defend the territory, and maintain the cavities where they sleep every night.
- PINEY-WOODS HOME: For nesting and roosting, the red-cockaded woodpecker prefers open stands of mature longleaf pines. They maintain year-round territories and therefore, do not migrate like some other birds. This is the only species of woodpecker that excavates it’s cavity in the trunk of a living pine tree.
- HELPING OTHERS: The red-cockaded woodpecker plays a vital role in the pine woods community. Old red-cockaded woodpecker cavities provide roosting and nesting sites for other birds, such as bluebirds and small mammals like flying squirrels. Red-cockaded woodpeckers feed primarily on beetles, ants, roaches, caterpillars, wood-boring insects and spiders that they find on the trunk and branches of pine trees.
WHAT I CAN DO TO HELP
- Participate in the N. C. Safe Harbor Program
- Keep some pine trees that are 10 inches or more in diameter
- Maintain pine forests in an open, park-like condition with minimal hardwood mid-story
- Keep mature pine stands on your property with trees older than 30 years old
- Use and promote prescribed burning
- Learn more
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ELIZABETHTOWN, N.C. (Feb. 12, 2008) – A program that helps landowners help the red-cockaded woodpecker could use your help.
By checking Line 26 on your state income tax form, you can give any portion of your refund to the Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Fund. This fund helps the Wildlife Diversity Program of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission with projects such as the Red-cockaded Woodpecker Safe Harbor Program, a voluntary program that promotes beneficial habitat management for the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker on private property.
Jenna Begier at work.
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“The red-cockaded woodpecker is dependent upon open, park-like stands of mature pine for survival,” said Jenna Begier, the red-cockaded biologist with the Commission. “The survival of the Wildlife Diversity Program depends on the generosity of the citizens of North Carolina.”
The Safe Harbor Program was established to encourage and facilitate the restoration and enhancement of red-cockaded woodpecker nesting and foraging habitat on private property in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain regions of the state. The primary objectives are to encourage landowners to implement voluntary habitat management activities in their pine forests that will benefit red-cockaded woodpeckers and, in return, landowners are relieved from some of the regulatory restrictions that may be imposed under the Endangered Species Act. Landowners enrolled in the program can make any lawful use of their property.
The red-cockaded woodpecker likes open stands of mature pine.
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Landowners who enroll agree to manage their pine forests for the open, park-like condition that is preferred by the birds and agree to protect and maintain any habitat currently occupied by red-cockaded woodpeckers. Even if a landowner does not have red-cockaded woodpeckers using their property, they can still help by managing their pine forests to create and maintain suitable habitat and therefore, provide benefits for many other species of plants and animals, such as bobwhite quail, bluebirds, fox squirrels, and many species of wildflowers. One such landowner is the DuPont Fayetteville Works plant in Bladen and Cumberland counties. DuPont signed a Safe Harbor Management Agreement this month, specifying their commitment to implementing beneficial habitat management on approximately 900 acres of pine-dominant forests within the plant boundary.
For every dollar that is given to the Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Fund through the Line 26 option on state income tax forms, the program can receive an additional three grant dollars to support the program.
Tax season isn’t the only time to give to wildlife. Other ways to help North Carolina’s wildlife and their habitats year-round include:
Donations can also be sent to: Non-game and Endangered Wildlife Fund, 1722 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, N.C. 27699-1722. Make checks payable to NCWRC. All donations are tax-deductible.
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