Audubon Rallies Support for Woodpecker Search

Bird Previously Thought Extinct May Still Exist in Florida Panhandle

 

December 1, 2006, Choctawhatchee River Basin, Florida—Audubon of Florida will help fund the search for the Ivory-billed Woodpecker beginning next month in Florida’s Panhandle. Audubon has pledged $5,000 and has rallied its partners including the Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund, the Apalachee Audubon Society, and the St Joe Company to contribute an additional $15,000 to aid the search for this inspirational bird. 

 

The Ivory-billed Woodpecker once ranged across much of the southeast, but due to habitat destruction, was rare by the 1920’s and thought extinct by the end of the 20th century. In 2004, tantalizing reports in Arkansas rekindled hope for the bird’s existence. This October, a team led by Auburn University researcher Dr. Geoff Hill announced new sightings and evidence they believe indicate the birds still exist in some river swamps of the Florida Panhandle.

 “I desperately hope Geoff Hill and his colleagues return from the Choctawhatchee River Basin with clear, identifiable photos; or maybe one of them will walk out with an Ivory-billed perched on a shoulder,” said Audubon of Florida Executive Director David Anderson. “I hope the birds are there.” 

“Audubon has contributed much-needed funds,” said Dr. Geoff Hill, leader of the search.  “This $20,000 will help start the search in the Panhandle in January, but the expedition will need an additional $50,000 to reach its projected completion in May.”  

“The Ivory-billed Woodpecker has inspired me and generations of other birders,” added Anderson.  “Finding indisputable evidence of its existence would call attention to the uniqueness of the Panhandle’s large remaining expanses of hardwood swamp, capable of supporting this remarkable species.” 

Audubon of Florida is the state’s oldest conservation organization, advocating for more than a century for the conservation and restoration of natural ecosystems, focusing on birds and other wildlife.  Visit www.audubonofflorida.org.  To learn more about and to support this inspiring search, visit: www.auburn.edu/ivorybill.