Research Projects:
U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE
In Georgia 63 threatened or endangered species, including 23 species of plants, are listed under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Act). The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), along with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the Nature Conservancy, and other organizations, is working to protect and recover these species. Plants receive less protection than animals under the Act, a vestige of old English Common Law that considers plants part of the real estate they occupy—in contrast to animals, which are part of the public trust and receive protection from harm and harassment. Hence, the USFWS faces the challenge of recovering from potential extinction plant species that may, in total or in part, be restricted to lands held in private ownership.
Many plant species are threatened with unregulated or unguided habitat conversion, encroachment of exotic competitors, suppression of natural habitat dynamics, and other anthropogenically influenced stressors. However, various USFWS programs help to ensure the future viability of imperiled plant species.
- The USFWS works cooperatively with states and territories under section 6 of the Act, providing funds for: research; recovery efforts; and land acquisition that preserves habitat necessary for the continued existence and survival of threatened or endangered species.
- The USFWS, under section 7 of the Act, consults with other Federal agencies to ensure that Federal projects, or projects that these Federal agencies permit or fund, do not jeopardize the continued existence of listed species. Section 7 also requires federal agencies to use their authorities to further conservation of listed species to the point where they can be eventually removed from the Federal list of endangered species (referred to as recovery). Section 7 consultations offer the USFWS the opportunity to comment on project design and provide technical assistance to help eliminate or ameliorate impacts to federally protected plants and animals. Optional conservation recommendations, aimed at recovery for federally listed species, are provided during the consultation process to assist other Federal agencies in meeting their responsibilities under section 7.
- The USFWS administers a number of grant programs to provide assistance to private landowners interested in participating in restoring, protecting, or improving habitat for rare and imperiled plant and animal species. Some of the grant programs that are available to landowners either directly from the USFWS or through cooperative agreements with states are: Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program; Landowner Incentive Program; Tribal-Landowner Incentive Program; North American Wetlands Conservation Act; and the Private Stewardship Program.
As public environmental concern grows in our Nation, more and more Federal agencies seek opportunities to showcase examples of good environmental stewardship, and agencies occasionally augment project budgets to include conservation measures, providing valuable research, land preservation, and/or the control of exotic pest species in sensitive habitats. Many private landowners, organizations, and corporations also are concerned about plant diversity, and are working with the USFWS to restore habitat and protect populations.
Highlights of Recent USFWS Projects Benefiting Plants:
- Coosa Prairies Management Grant
The USFWS worked cooperatively with Temple-Inland Forest, The Nature Conservancy, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, and the Georgia Botanical Society to develop a management plan for one of the most biologically diverse plant communities in the state. - Consultation with the U.S. Forest Service for Smooth Coneflower Studies
This cooperative effort with the U.S. Forest Service helped develop strategies for the propagation of smooth coneflower seedlings and determined success criteria in the re-establishment of this species in the natural environment. - Cooperative Planning Effort with Federal Highways Administration (FHWA) and Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT)
The USFWS is currently working with the FHWA and the GDOT to recover a waning population of federally endangered fringed campion. Excessive browsing by deer, ground fires, and competition with Japanese honeysuckle and Chinese privet have diminished a once flourishing population of fringed campion to a mere six plants. FHWA and GDOT have agreed to modify the design for the replacement of a bridge to avoid direct disturbance of fringed campion and its habitat, where a large population of the federally endangered relict trillium is also found. An aggressive invasive species control program, the first of its type for GDOT, would control exotic weeds three years subsequent to project construction. Propagated fringed campion, collected from the same genetic clone two decades ago, would be safeguarded within experimental deer exclosures and would offer insights into the effects of a burgeoning deer population to native wildflower species. - Potential Partners for Fish and Wildlife Project
The USFWS is currently working with landowners to help control a suite of exotic weeds that threatens a population of fringed campion on their property. This potential project would educate the landowners on the different techniques available to control common weeds such as English ivy, Chinese privet, Japanese honeysuckle, and silverthorn (exotic olive) in a suburban setting and maintain the integrity of natural flora that currently exists in their wooded backyard. Currently, only one population of fringed campion out of the approximately 20 known sites is located on public land. Working with private landowners for the protection of this species is of paramount importance to the recovery of this species.