Will end of endangered status for red-cockaded woodpecker reduce role of Georgia military bases?

U.S. Fish & Wildlife / Federal land, including army bases in Georgia such as Fort Moore near Columbus and Fort Stewart near Savannah, have played prominent roles in efforts to preserve and grow habitat for the red-cockaded woodpecker. U.S. Fish & Wildlife / Federal land, including army bases in Georgia such as Fort Moore near Columbus and Fort Stewart near Savannah, have played prominent roles in efforts to preserve and grow habitat for the red-cockaded woodpecker.

By Leon Stafford / Georgia Recorder November 16, 2024 5 min read

The red-cockaded woodpecker’s population had dwindled to around 1,470 clusters when federal officials decided to classify the bird as endangered back in 1970.

But decades of efforts to preserve the species’ habitats have substantially increased the bird’s numbers.

The repopulation effort was so successful, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, that late last month the federal government changed the status of the bird from endangered to threatened.

Some environmental groups, however, are worried that the federal government’s decision might be premature.

The red-cockaded woodpecker can be found in 11 southern states, from Georgia to Virginia to Texas. But that’s a smaller footprint from their habitat reach when Europeans first settled in the United States and the birds could be found as far north as New Jersey.