Courtesy Photo | The Red-cockaded Woodpecker (RCW) population at Marine Corps Base (MCB) Camp Lejeune,...... read more read more
Subscribe
The Red-cockaded Woodpecker (RCW) population at Marine Corps Base (MCB) Camp Lejeune has surpassed a significant milestone. For the first time since the species was listed as endangered, MCB Camp Lejeune’s RCW population has exceeded 150 active clusters, for a total of 153. An RCW cluster is defined as a stand of trees containing and surrounding the cavity trees in which a group of RCWs nest and roost. Surpassing the benchmark of 150 clusters allows for the removal of training restrictions from up to 22 RCW clusters. MCB Camp Lejeune currently has 85 unrestricted RCW clusters and 68 restricted clusters.
This achievement represents a win-win for both military training and endangered species conservation on the base. The removal of training restrictions from additional RCW clusters, marked by white painted 200-ft buffers, will enable more efficient and effective training operations while continuing to grow the RCW population.
MCB Camp Lejeune has actively managed its RCW population since 1986, with a recovery goal of 173 active clusters established in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The base's Integrated Natural Resource Management Plan (INRMP) was updated in 2007 to include an incentive system, allowing for the removal of training restrictions as population milestones are reached.
The decision to remove training restrictions was based on research initiated in 1999, which found no significant difference in nesting and survival rates between marked and unmarked clusters. The active cluster number is determined by an RCW monitoring team from Virginia Tech that works on base under a cooperative agreement.
“While there is a possibility of regression, the population rarely declines, and the base does not expect the number of active clusters to go down from year to year,” said Craig Ten Brink, MCB Camp Lejeune’s natural resource manager. “The removal of training restrictions is not expected to impact the continued growth of the RCW population, as long as habitat management, including forest management and prescribed fire, and use of artificial cavities continue.”
The base will continue to monitor and manage the RCW population, with the only noticeable change in operations being the removal of training restrictions around certain clusters. Its aim is to reach and maintain the recovery goal of 173 active clusters while minimizing impact on training operations. Once MCB Camp Lejeune reaches and maintains its goal of 173 active RCW clusters, restrictions for any remaining restricted clusters can be removed.
The success of MCB Camp Lejeune's RCW conservation efforts is attributed to a combination of habitat management, artificial cavities, intensive population monitoring, and the cooperation of installation training and operations department and tenant training units. This formula has been emulated in other populations, including military installations, national forests, and private land.
"This achievement is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our Environmental Management Division," said Col. Ralph J. Rizzo, Jr., commander, Marine Corps Installations East-MCB Camp Lejeune. "While our primary mission remains training Marines to project combat power at a time and place of our Nation’s choosing, we're also proud to have turned a problem into a solution, benefiting both the RCW and our military training operations."
| Date Taken: | 12.17.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 12.17.2024 08:45 |
| Story ID: | 487674 |
| Location: | CAMP LEJEUNE, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 65 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Camp Lejeune achieves significant milestone in Red-cockaded Woodpecker conservation efforts, by Nat Fahy, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
