WHAT: Red-cockaded Woodpecker Symposium IV.
WHO: Organized and hosted by the Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
WHEN: January 27-31, 2003
WHERE: Savannah, Georgia; all day field trip (January 29th) on Fort Stewart.
Symposium IV program.
General information:
Historical Context - There have been 3 previous Red-cockaded Woodpecker Symposiums:
First - 1971 at Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Folkston, Georgia; 17 papers
Second - 1983 at Gulf Coast Community College, Panama City, Florida; 33 papers
Third - 1993 at Marriott Hotel, North Charleston, South Carolina; 71 papers
RCW Symposium IV - people, presentations and program
Red-cockaded Woodpecker Symposium IV brought together most, if not all, of the individuals, agencies, institutions, and organizations involved and/or interested in, or affected by, the conservation, recovery and management of the red-cockaded woodpecker (RCW). There were 73 papers given and 33 posters displayed. The oral presentations covered a wide variety of topics, including, state-of-the-art population and habitat management techniques; latest research findings; regional and landscape-scale conservation partnerships; population status and trends reports; safe harbor and other private land initiatives; population dynamics, demography and ecology; computer-based population monitoring, habitat management, data tracking, and accomplishment reporting systems; and outreach programs. The poster session provided opportunities for individuals to share data and research findings, tell a conservation or recovery story, promote an outreach program, or inform participants about other RCW-related conservation and management programs. Presenters represented all aspects of the RCW world, including academicians/professors, privately and publicly funded researchers, land managers, consultants, graduate students, field biologists, representatives of non-governmental organizations, and state and federal program administrators.
An all-day field trip (transportation provided) was held at Fort Stewart, home of the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized), which not only highlighted Fort Stewart’s first-class RCW recovery program, but also included stops and discussions about wiregrass/longleaf pine restoration, integration of past and present intensive military training with RCW management, conservation of other longleaf pine ecosystem-related species, and live-fire demonstrations of modern weapon systems. The day concluded with an outdoor barbeque at a local plantation. The conference also featured a Monday night social, and a Tuesday night banquet with a guest speaker, and an awards ceremony.
