Officials propose changing red-cockaded woodpecker from 'endangered' to 'threatened' status

FORT BENNING, Ga. – Officials of the U.S. Army and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service sign a conservation agreement here Sept. 25 to support management of natural resources on Army-controlled lands. Signing are Alex A. Beehler (left), assistant secretary of the Army for installations, energy and environment and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Aurelia Skipwith. The signing came on the occasion of a ceremony here at which federal officials proposed that the red-cockaded woodpecker be removed from the endangered species list and placed instead in the "threatened" category. The red-cockaded woodpecker, which makes its home in pine forests, including those at Fort Benning, has been on the endangered list since 1970. But concerted efforts by a broad spectrum of agencies and others, including the U.S. military, has led to an increase in its population. The proposal will now be open for public comment before a final decision is made.
(U.S. Army photo by Markeith Horace, Maneuver Center of Excellence and Fort Benning Public Affairs)