Red-Cockaded Woodpecker Conservation at Fort Polk, Louisiana

Colorado State University‘s Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands (CEMML) works closely with the Department of Defense, US Army Corps of Engineers, National Park Service, and other departments and agencies, providing resource conservation expertise in various specializations – including threatened and endangered species.

The Red-Cockaded Woodpecker (RCW), an endangered species under the U.S. Federal Government’s Endangered Species Act of 1973, makes its home amongst the longleaf pine forests of the American southeast. CEMML biologists are helping Fort Polk, a US Army training installation in west-central Louisiana, ensure the bird’s survival. Through banding efforts that track the bird’s population as well as the installation of artificial nesting cavities, RCW populations have grown since the 1970’s and 80’s to the point that the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is considering downlisting the species to “threatened.”

This video highlights the impact RCW programs, at Fort Polk and elsewhere, have had on the species. CEMML threatened & endangered species biologist, Chris Melder, and conservation outreach specialist, Amy Brennan, provide an overview of RCW conservation efforts at Fort Polk.

Video Recording & Editing by Timothy Schommer | Introduction Voiceover by Tiffany Schommer
Footage of the RCW in this video was generously provided by Larry Bond (eBirdr.com).
Special thanks to U.S. Army JRTC & Fort Polk for their partnership and support.