Media Advisory: Questions answered relating to the discovery of the Ivory-billed woodpecker at Cache River National Wildlife Refuge in Arkansas

Contacts:
Jeff Fleming, USFWS, 404-274-6693 or Kyla Hastie, 770-329-1697
Nancy Ledbetter, AGFC, 501-912-1979 or Keith Stephens, 501-951-3562
Jane Jones-Schulz, Heritage, 501-324-9159
Jay Harrod, TNC, 501-614-5081, cell 501-920-8006

What:

Media availability to answer questions related to the discovery of the ivory-billed woodpecker at Cache River National Wildlife Refuge.

Where:

Cache River National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters, Dixie, Ark

From Memphis or Little Rock on I-40: Take Ark Hwy 33/Biscoe exit. Proceed north until intersection with Hwy 38. Turn right on Hwy 38/33. After approx. 7 miles, turn left to follow Hwy 33. Proceed 5 miles, headquarters is located on right immediately off of Hwy 33.

When:

Friday, April 29, 2005, 11 a.m. central
Brief remarks followed by question and answer and interviews

Photo ops:

Media boat tours are not available into the managed access area. However, following availability, tours are available for media only to adjacent areas. For planning purposes, media must schedule a tour by contacting Nancy Ledbetter at 501-912-1979.

Who:

Sam D. Hamilton, Southeast Regional Director, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service;
David Goad, Deputy Director, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission;
Lee Moore, Lower MS River Program Manager, The Nature Conservancy;
Marynell Branch, Deputy Director, Department of Arkansas Heritage

Background:

The ivory-billed woodpecker, considered to be extinct by many birders, has been rediscovered on Cache River National Wildlife Refuge.

The discovery is the result of a collaborative effort by The Nature Conservancy of Arkansas, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, working together with Cornell University as the primary researcher, to determine if the ivory-billed woodpecker existed in the bottomland hardwood habitat of the White and Cache River basins.

Prior to this discovery, the ivory-billed woodpecker was last definitively documented in the Southeast U.S. in the mid-1930's to the mid-1940's in northeast Louisiana.

For more information about the refuge visit http://www.fws.gov/cacheriver .