Windknot
02-21-11, 11:51 AM
SUMMARY OF RELEASES
1. Rx ‘FIRELIGHTERS’ KEEP FLAME FOR RESTORING GEORGIA WILDLIFE
HABITAT - Visitors at many of Georgia’s state parks, wildlife management areas and natural areas this winter are in for a treat: an up-close glimpse of habitat restoration in progress as trained “firelighters” set controlled, prescribed fires to the forest understory.
2. GEORGIA LAKE STURGEON RESTORATION PROJECT RECEIVES NATIONAL
RECOGNITION - Georgia is one of four states recently recognized by the American Fisheries Society’s Fisheries Administrator’s Section for their efforts to provide the public with quality fishing opportunities and aquatic education programs.
Wildlife Resources Division contacts:
Shan Cammack, wildlife biologist - (770) 918-6411; shan.cammack@dnr.state.ga.us (shan.cammack@dnr.state.ga.us) Rick Lavender, communications/outreach specialist - (770) 918-6787; rick.lavender@dnr.state.ga.us (rick.lavender@dnr.state.ga.us)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Rx ‘FIRELIGHTERS’ KEEP FLAME FOR RESTORING GEORGIA WILDLIFE HABITAT
SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. (Feb. 21, 2011) - Visitors at many of Georgia’s state parks, wildlife management areas and natural areas this winter are in for a treat: an up-close glimpse of habitat restoration in progress as trained “firelighters” set controlled, prescribed fires to the forest understory.
<O:p></O:p>
These dormant-season burns, taking place outside most plants’ active growing season, improve habitat for dozens of native plant and animal species by opening up overgrown areas of the forest floor. The fires also reduce fuel loads that could spark costly and dangerous wildfires.
One major species that benefits from prescribed fire is the longleaf pine, a stately tree that once blanketed the American Southeast but is now found in a fraction of its historic territory. A healthy longleaf pine forest can play host to an amazing diversity of native animal species, including some that have been threatened in recent years, such as the red-cockaded woodpecker, gopher tortoise and eastern indigo snake.
<O:p</O:p
Conservation is very much on the minds of the firelighters themselves.
Each prescribed burn is ignited and monitored by a crew consisting of park staff, volunteers, and state and federal environmental employees.
The core is the Interagency Burn Team, which includes agencies and organizations such as the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Forest Service, The Nature Conservancy and the Georgia Forestry Commission, plus a seasonal prescribed-fire strike team.
The strike team is assembled and trained by the DNR’s Nongame Conservation Section. This marks the third year DNR has hired a crew for prescribed fire, and the 2011 crew is double the size of last year’s.
Last year proved a banner year for this eco-burning team, which helped with prescribed burns on more than 25,660 acres. Goals for this year include more than 20,000 acres, weather willing.
The strike team mixes veterans and newcomers. Members hail from six states and bring to the table varied experiences in environmental and conservation work, ranging from organic farming to trail construction, exotic plant removal to environmental education. Three of the crew are interns with the Student Conservation Association, or SCA, an organization that matches applicants with environmental positions in parks and natural areas across the U.S. The other three members were SCA interns on the 2010 crew and are now seasonal DNR employees.
One thing unites the crew: a love for fire, and a keen interest in watching fire refresh and restore biodiversity to a fire-suppressed landscape. The signing earlier this month of a prescribed fire proclamation by Gov. Nathan Deal supports this sentiment. The signing kicked off Prescribed Fire Awareness Week, which recognizes prescribed fire as a safe way to apply a natural process that is healthy for wildlife and people. Prescribed fire helps maintain Georgia’s diverse wildlife and safeguard property and air quality by reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire.
At the end of a successful prescribed fire, a burned area consists of fire-blackened ground, often devoid of living vegetation, dotted only with stubs of scorched plants and patches of toasted pine straw. To the unsuspecting passerby, the area often looks like a wasteland that might never grow anything again.
“I can understand why they would see that, because on the surface, everything’s black,” says seasoned firelighter and DNR crew leader Shan Cammack. “But I would invite them to come back in a month or two, to see the life that comes back after a fire, more diverse and vibrant than before.”
The public is encouraged to visit one of these special places in Georgia. Enjoy a walk in the woods. Visitors may even get to witness this important management tool in action or talk with one of the conservationists dedicated to restoring rare species habitat.
Prescribed fire as a habitat management tool is emphasized in Georgia’s Wildlife Action Plan, a comprehensive strategy that guides DNR efforts to conserve biological diversity.
The agency’s use of fire to manage habitats and meet Wildlife Action Plan goals also includes traditional game management practices. DNR’s Game Management Section burned an additional 32,845 acres on wildlife management areas last year. Game Management is responsible for land management efforts on Wildlife Resources Division state-owned properties.
“The use of fire to help manage wildlife, especially game species, has a history predating European colonization,” said Mark Whitney, Game Management Section chief. “The department has employed this highly beneficial practice since the department’s inception.”
Learn more online:
§ Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division,
www.georgiawildlife.com/conservation/prescribed-fire (http://www.georgiawildlife.com/conservation/prescribed-fire)
§ Georgia Prescribed Fire Council, www.garxfire.com (http://www.garxfire.com/)
§ State Wildlife Action Plan,
www.georgiawildlife.com/conservation/wildlife-action-plan (http://www.georgiawildlife.com/conservation/wildlife-action-plan)
<O:p
[If you have a chance to watch a prescribed burn, do it! It's incredible. And follow up with a visit in June. Windknot]</O:p>
###
Photos: Rick Lavender (rick.lavender@dnr.state.ga.us (rick.lavender@dnr.state.ga.us)) or Public Affairs (770-918-6400).
For more information, contact Melissa Cummings, Communications/Outreach Specialist - 770.918.6795; Melissa.cummings@dnr.state.ga.us (Melissa.cummings@dnr.state.ga.us)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
GEORGIA LAKE STURGEON RESTORATION PROJECT RECEIVES NATIONAL RECOGNITION
SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. (February 21, 2011) - The Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division is one of four states recently recognized by the American Fisheries Society’s Fisheries Administrator’s Section for their efforts to provide the public with quality fishing opportunities and aquatic education programs. Other state agencies recognized include the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.
“We had some excellent projects submitted for consideration this year and it is clear that state agencies are responding to both the needs of the anglers and the fish with Sport Fish Restoration Program funds”
said Doug Nygren, president-elect of the American Fisheries Society’s Fisheries Administrators Section and the chief of fisheries for the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks.
The Fisheries Administrator’s Section annually recognizes outstanding fisheries conservation projects and programs that are funded from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Sport Fish Restoration program, commonly known as the Wallop- Breaux or Dingell-Johnson grant program.
The projects receiving recognition were selected from a score of outstanding proposals submitted from several state fisheries agencies.
Georgia received the “2010 Outstanding Sport Fish Restoration Access
Award- Lake Sturgeon Reintroduction in Georgia.” This project benefits anglers in Georgia and Alabama with its far sighted and far reaching efforts to re-establish lake sturgeon in the Coosa River system.
Historically, the Coosa River supported a population of this prehistoric looking game species. However, none have been documented since about 1970. While the exact cause of the decline of this species in Georgia is not known, biologists believe that intense stocking efforts will result in a self-sustaining population in the future.
Lake sturgeon eggs are provided by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Warm Springs Hatchery in Georgia. Sturgeons have a slow growth rate, so biologists do not expect to allow anglers to harvest any fish until 2027. In addition to stocking, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources has also implemented an aggressive outreach effort to involve local school children with the project.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Sport Fish Restoration Program has provided more than $6 billion to state fisheries agencies since the program’s inception in 1950. The program provides critical funding to state agencies for their fisheries conservation and management programs.
Additional information on this program can be found at http://wsfrprograms.fws.gov/Subpages/GrantPrograms/SFR/SFR.htm (http://wsfrprograms.fws.gov/Subpages/GrantPrograms/SFR/SFR.htm).
The American Fisheries Society is the nation’s leading organization of professional fisheries scientists. Its membership includes fisheries scientists from all 50 states as well as international members.
1. Rx ‘FIRELIGHTERS’ KEEP FLAME FOR RESTORING GEORGIA WILDLIFE
HABITAT - Visitors at many of Georgia’s state parks, wildlife management areas and natural areas this winter are in for a treat: an up-close glimpse of habitat restoration in progress as trained “firelighters” set controlled, prescribed fires to the forest understory.
2. GEORGIA LAKE STURGEON RESTORATION PROJECT RECEIVES NATIONAL
RECOGNITION - Georgia is one of four states recently recognized by the American Fisheries Society’s Fisheries Administrator’s Section for their efforts to provide the public with quality fishing opportunities and aquatic education programs.
Wildlife Resources Division contacts:
Shan Cammack, wildlife biologist - (770) 918-6411; shan.cammack@dnr.state.ga.us (shan.cammack@dnr.state.ga.us) Rick Lavender, communications/outreach specialist - (770) 918-6787; rick.lavender@dnr.state.ga.us (rick.lavender@dnr.state.ga.us)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Rx ‘FIRELIGHTERS’ KEEP FLAME FOR RESTORING GEORGIA WILDLIFE HABITAT
SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. (Feb. 21, 2011) - Visitors at many of Georgia’s state parks, wildlife management areas and natural areas this winter are in for a treat: an up-close glimpse of habitat restoration in progress as trained “firelighters” set controlled, prescribed fires to the forest understory.
<O:p></O:p>
These dormant-season burns, taking place outside most plants’ active growing season, improve habitat for dozens of native plant and animal species by opening up overgrown areas of the forest floor. The fires also reduce fuel loads that could spark costly and dangerous wildfires.
One major species that benefits from prescribed fire is the longleaf pine, a stately tree that once blanketed the American Southeast but is now found in a fraction of its historic territory. A healthy longleaf pine forest can play host to an amazing diversity of native animal species, including some that have been threatened in recent years, such as the red-cockaded woodpecker, gopher tortoise and eastern indigo snake.
<O:p</O:p
Conservation is very much on the minds of the firelighters themselves.
Each prescribed burn is ignited and monitored by a crew consisting of park staff, volunteers, and state and federal environmental employees.
The core is the Interagency Burn Team, which includes agencies and organizations such as the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Forest Service, The Nature Conservancy and the Georgia Forestry Commission, plus a seasonal prescribed-fire strike team.
The strike team is assembled and trained by the DNR’s Nongame Conservation Section. This marks the third year DNR has hired a crew for prescribed fire, and the 2011 crew is double the size of last year’s.
Last year proved a banner year for this eco-burning team, which helped with prescribed burns on more than 25,660 acres. Goals for this year include more than 20,000 acres, weather willing.
The strike team mixes veterans and newcomers. Members hail from six states and bring to the table varied experiences in environmental and conservation work, ranging from organic farming to trail construction, exotic plant removal to environmental education. Three of the crew are interns with the Student Conservation Association, or SCA, an organization that matches applicants with environmental positions in parks and natural areas across the U.S. The other three members were SCA interns on the 2010 crew and are now seasonal DNR employees.
One thing unites the crew: a love for fire, and a keen interest in watching fire refresh and restore biodiversity to a fire-suppressed landscape. The signing earlier this month of a prescribed fire proclamation by Gov. Nathan Deal supports this sentiment. The signing kicked off Prescribed Fire Awareness Week, which recognizes prescribed fire as a safe way to apply a natural process that is healthy for wildlife and people. Prescribed fire helps maintain Georgia’s diverse wildlife and safeguard property and air quality by reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire.
At the end of a successful prescribed fire, a burned area consists of fire-blackened ground, often devoid of living vegetation, dotted only with stubs of scorched plants and patches of toasted pine straw. To the unsuspecting passerby, the area often looks like a wasteland that might never grow anything again.
“I can understand why they would see that, because on the surface, everything’s black,” says seasoned firelighter and DNR crew leader Shan Cammack. “But I would invite them to come back in a month or two, to see the life that comes back after a fire, more diverse and vibrant than before.”
The public is encouraged to visit one of these special places in Georgia. Enjoy a walk in the woods. Visitors may even get to witness this important management tool in action or talk with one of the conservationists dedicated to restoring rare species habitat.
Prescribed fire as a habitat management tool is emphasized in Georgia’s Wildlife Action Plan, a comprehensive strategy that guides DNR efforts to conserve biological diversity.
The agency’s use of fire to manage habitats and meet Wildlife Action Plan goals also includes traditional game management practices. DNR’s Game Management Section burned an additional 32,845 acres on wildlife management areas last year. Game Management is responsible for land management efforts on Wildlife Resources Division state-owned properties.
“The use of fire to help manage wildlife, especially game species, has a history predating European colonization,” said Mark Whitney, Game Management Section chief. “The department has employed this highly beneficial practice since the department’s inception.”
Learn more online:
§ Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division,
www.georgiawildlife.com/conservation/prescribed-fire (http://www.georgiawildlife.com/conservation/prescribed-fire)
§ Georgia Prescribed Fire Council, www.garxfire.com (http://www.garxfire.com/)
§ State Wildlife Action Plan,
www.georgiawildlife.com/conservation/wildlife-action-plan (http://www.georgiawildlife.com/conservation/wildlife-action-plan)
<O:p
[If you have a chance to watch a prescribed burn, do it! It's incredible. And follow up with a visit in June. Windknot]</O:p>
###
Photos: Rick Lavender (rick.lavender@dnr.state.ga.us (rick.lavender@dnr.state.ga.us)) or Public Affairs (770-918-6400).
For more information, contact Melissa Cummings, Communications/Outreach Specialist - 770.918.6795; Melissa.cummings@dnr.state.ga.us (Melissa.cummings@dnr.state.ga.us)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
GEORGIA LAKE STURGEON RESTORATION PROJECT RECEIVES NATIONAL RECOGNITION
SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. (February 21, 2011) - The Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division is one of four states recently recognized by the American Fisheries Society’s Fisheries Administrator’s Section for their efforts to provide the public with quality fishing opportunities and aquatic education programs. Other state agencies recognized include the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.
“We had some excellent projects submitted for consideration this year and it is clear that state agencies are responding to both the needs of the anglers and the fish with Sport Fish Restoration Program funds”
said Doug Nygren, president-elect of the American Fisheries Society’s Fisheries Administrators Section and the chief of fisheries for the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks.
The Fisheries Administrator’s Section annually recognizes outstanding fisheries conservation projects and programs that are funded from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Sport Fish Restoration program, commonly known as the Wallop- Breaux or Dingell-Johnson grant program.
The projects receiving recognition were selected from a score of outstanding proposals submitted from several state fisheries agencies.
Georgia received the “2010 Outstanding Sport Fish Restoration Access
Award- Lake Sturgeon Reintroduction in Georgia.” This project benefits anglers in Georgia and Alabama with its far sighted and far reaching efforts to re-establish lake sturgeon in the Coosa River system.
Historically, the Coosa River supported a population of this prehistoric looking game species. However, none have been documented since about 1970. While the exact cause of the decline of this species in Georgia is not known, biologists believe that intense stocking efforts will result in a self-sustaining population in the future.
Lake sturgeon eggs are provided by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Warm Springs Hatchery in Georgia. Sturgeons have a slow growth rate, so biologists do not expect to allow anglers to harvest any fish until 2027. In addition to stocking, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources has also implemented an aggressive outreach effort to involve local school children with the project.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Sport Fish Restoration Program has provided more than $6 billion to state fisheries agencies since the program’s inception in 1950. The program provides critical funding to state agencies for their fisheries conservation and management programs.
Additional information on this program can be found at http://wsfrprograms.fws.gov/Subpages/GrantPrograms/SFR/SFR.htm (http://wsfrprograms.fws.gov/Subpages/GrantPrograms/SFR/SFR.htm).
The American Fisheries Society is the nation’s leading organization of professional fisheries scientists. Its membership includes fisheries scientists from all 50 states as well as international members.