Public Invited To Learn About Ivory-Billed Woodpecker Discovery at Cache River NWR, Next Steps in Recovery Effort

Contacts:
Jeff Fleming, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, 404-679-7287
Nancy Ledbetter, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, 501-223-6318

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission invite interested citizens to attend three town hall meetings May 17, 18 and 19 to learn more about the discovery of the ivory-billed woodpecker at Cache River National Wildlife Refuge. Each meeting will begin at 7 p.m.

• Tuesday, May 17, BrinkleyConvention Center, 1501 Weatherby Drive, Brinkley.
• Wednesday, May 18, Arkansas National Guard Armory, 500 Highway 64 East, Augusta.
• Thursday, May 19, PhillipsCommunity College of the University of Arkansas-Stuttgart, Seminar Room, Highway 165 South, Stuttgart.

Representatives from the Service and AGFC will discuss the recovery effort for the Ivory-billed woodpecker and outline how the process will work. Biologists also will explain what the bird looks like compared to more common woodpeckers to aid citizens in identifying the ivory-billed woodpecker.

The Nature Conservancy, which played an instrumental role in the work that led to the bird’s discovery, will also be on hand to describe the search and how the bird was found.

After the presentation, agency representatives will answer questions about the discovery and the recovery planning process.

The Ivory-billed woodpecker, thought extinct since it was last seen in the 1940s, was spotted in 2004 at the Cache River National Wildlife Refuge. A search team made up of top bird researchers has confirmed that the ivory-billed woodpecker does still exist in the bottomland hardwood swamps of the refuge.

For more information, contact the Cache River National Wildlife Refuge at 870-347-2074, or the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission at 501-223-6300 or visit http://cacheriver.fws.gov.