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DNR e-news; indigo snake photo
February 2009
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Also in this issue:
* Indigo initiative
* Snake dog at work
* Why keep feeders clean?
* Our state reptile

Plate update
The survey for a new nongame wildlife license plate isn’t online yet, but please stay tuned to your e-mail. Georgia Wild subscribers will receive notice as soon as the questionnaire is available.

WILD Facts
Snakes are cold-blooded, or ectothermic, which means their body temperature matches their surroundings. For example, if the temperature outside is 32 degrees Fahrenheit, a snake’s body temperature is close to freezing. The colder the weather, the less active a snake will be – which is why you’re less likely to see snakes in winter. Be on the lookout on 60-degree or warmer days, though, as snakes become more active. Even in winter, you could find a snake warming in a sunny spot, perhaps in the middle of your favorite hiking trail. Don’t be alarmed. Simply watch where you’re stepping and walk around the snake.
In education
Teens interested in birds and nature can learn more and see some of the hottest birding sites on Georgia’s coast through Camp TALON, held by Georgia DNR June 14-19 with the Georgia Ornithological Society and the Atlanta, Ogeechee and Coastal Georgia Audubon societies. St. Simons Island will be base camp. Hands-on projects will be the norm, from monitoring endangered wood storks to banding songbirds. Teen naturalists will learn basic tools of bird research and explore critical habitat types, including on barrier islands few Georgians get to see. Some of the state’s top ornithologists and ecologists will give presentations. Cost: $500 (scholarships available). Ages: 13-17. Capacity: 20. For more, contact Julie Duncan, The Outdoor Discovery School director at the DNR’s Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center in Mansfield, (770) 784-3059; julie.duncan@gadnr.org.

Legislative updates
Tracking proposed natural resources spending in the economic stimulus bill will prove tricky as lawmakers reshape the massive package daily. The press also is on for energy changes, including climate legislation. For example, the United States Climate Action Partnership recently announced support for conservation funding from cap and trade revenues. President Obama says his plan for clean energy investments, increased vehicle fuel efficiency and lower greenhouse gas emissions will generate 460,000 jobs. Groups tracking the issues include the National Wildlife Federation, the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. This overview (PDF) from Fish and Wildlife Agencies outlines conservation priorities.
* Options for real-time news and commentary on Georgia legislation include the AJC’s Gold Dome Live blog and Georgia Legislative Watch.

photo of gopher tortoise
Up close
Gopher tortoise
Gopherus polyphemus
Family: Georgia’s only tortoise, gopher tortoises grow to nearly 15 inches in carapace length (the carapace is the upper shell).
Also called: Gophers, gopher turtles. The gopher tortoise is also Georgia’s state reptile.
Range: Southeastern Louisiana to southwestern South Carolina, and from Georgia’s fall line to southern Florida. Most found in South Georgia and north-central Florida.
Favors: Sandy soils south of the fall line. Key factor is fire, which spurs groundcover growth and keeps dry upland habitats such as longleaf pine and scrub oak forests open.
Digging in: Wide, hard-scaled front feet with large nails are geared for digging burrows, which provide critical refuge from temperature extremes and fires. The tunnels average 6 feet deep and 15 feet long, though some run more than 40 feet. Tortoises often frequent more than one burrow in a year.
Neighbors: Other species such as eastern indigo snakes and gopher frogs also depend on the burrows.
Eats: Mainly grasses and low-growing plants, such as legumes. Will also dine on less desirables like prickly pear cactus and stinging nettle.
Breeds: Generally April to July. Lays clutch of five to seven eggs in the sandy mound outside burrow. Hatchlings emerge August to October.
Status: State listed as threatened in Georgia. Federally listed as threatened in Louisiana, Mississippi and western Alabama.
Threats: Habitat loss and fragmentation due to intensive forestry, development and fire suppression, disease, invasive species such as fire ants (which destroy eggs and hatchlings), low recruitment of juvenile tortoises (from predation), and gassing burrows, an illegal practice for finding rattlesnakes. Male gopher tortoises take up to 18 years to reach sexual maturity; females, up to 21 years.
Throw down the gular: Adult males will fight over females and burrows, ramming each other with their gular projections, elongated scutes or plates under their neck. Females and males also defend burrows by turning sideways in the tunnels, blocking access.
Sounding off: Disturbed gopher tortoises sometimes hiss loudly when drawing in their head and feet.
photo of sandhill rosemary
Public lands profile
Ohoopee Dunes Natural Area in Emanuel County is one of Georgia’s most significant natural communities and floristic areas. The central topographic feature of these nearly 3,000 acres divided into five tracts is a ridge of Kershaw sand dunes, part of the most extensive riverine sandhill formation in the state. Ohoopee Dunes is home to rare generalist species such as the few-flower gayfeather (Liatris pauciflora) and specialists such as the state-threatened and fire-dependent sandhill rosemary (Ceratiola ericoides), found here and on the coasts of other southern states but, oddly, not along Georgia’s coast. Read the full profile.

Ranger reports
Heron help: DNR officers came to the rescue when a blue heron lodged its leg in a tree limb about 40 feet high in a west Henry County subdivision Jan. 24. As a crowd watched, Ranger 1st Class Kevin Godbee sized up the situation and called the county fire department to cut the limb, freeing the big bird. Godbee then worked with Ranger 1st Class Travis Sweat to capture it, finally throwing a blanket over the heron, drawing cheers and thanks from onlookers. The rangers took the bird to Noah’s Ark, a rehabilitation center for animals and a group home for children in Locust Grove. Unfortunately, the heron died hours later, having suffered damage to its leg and tissue in other areas, according to Noah’s Ark.
Not just trash: Cpl. Eric Sanders discovered a large illegal dump site in Rockdale County Jan. 11. In the trash, Sanders found cards with a name and an address, and an envelope with U.S. savings bonds – 19 with a total value of $10,701. He went to the address, talked with a relative who said the family had paid to have the trash hauled off, then showed the woman the bonds. Amazed and grateful, she said they would pay the owner’s health care for a year. Sanders later cited the person hired to haul away the trash for illegal dumping.
Ducks? Following a complaint, Cpl. Ben Payne and Ranger 1st Class Grant Matherly checked three duck hunters after seeing them shoot at red-winged blackbirds at Phinizy Swamp WMA in Richmond County Jan. 24. One hunter had more than the bag limit of ducks. One received a written warning and “verbal guidance” for shooting at blackbirds.

Nongame in the news
* ESPN: "Ultralight-led whooping cranes reach Florida," about Wisconsin-Florida migration of 14 young whoopers led by ultralight. (Jan. 30)
* Outdoor News blog: "Prescribed burning and wildfires," DNR news release posted about prescribed fire vs. wildfires concerning climate change. (Jan. 26)
* University of Florida: "New disease may cost Florida’s avocado industry millions, UF experts warn," about university research estimating potential impact of laurel wilt disease, deadly to avocado trees, redbays and others, on state's avocado industry. (Jan. 26)
* Washington Post: “Warming trends alter conservation,” about how policymakers and environmentalists are considering climate change in conservation practices. (Jan. 25)
* The Charlotte Observer: “Whooping cranes settle on Carolina's coast,” about a handful of whoopers wintering in S.C.’s Lowcountry marshes. (Jan. 25)
* The New York Times: “Eating the wild,” editorial about how consumption of wild turtles threatens their populations. (Jan. 25)
* “Sustainable Georgia:” GPB radio interview with John Jensen on North American Amphibian Monitoring program. Click on the Jan. 24 show.
* The Moultrie Observer: “Undaunted eagles rebuild nest that storm blew down,” about bald eagle pair nesting again in area near Moultrie. (Jan. 22)
* Outdoor News Daily: “Gov. Perdue announces Forestry for Wildlife partners,” DNR release about Georgia Power, Plum Creek honored for as 2008 Forestry for Wildlife Partnership members. (Jan. 22)
* The (Gainesville) Times: “Invasive species eating up Georgia, but DNR has a plan,” about draft Georgia Invasive Species Strategy and comments period. (Jan. 22)
* Chattanoogan.com: “Georgia students can explore nature in poster contest,” about 19th annual Give Wildlife a Chance Poster Contest. (Jan. 21)
* The (Bainbridge) Post-Searchlight: “Annual bird count nets 92 species,” about 19-year-old Decatur County event led by retired DNR biologist Oscar Dewberry as part of Audubon Christmas bird counts. (Jan. 20)
* The (Bainbridge) Post-Searchlight: “Whooping cranes visit Climax,” about flight through southwestern Georgia of 14 crane chicks in Operation Migration. (Jan. 19). Also coverage on BainbridgeGa.com (Jan. 13).
* (Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.) Star Tribune and others: “News of the Weird,” includes brief about DNR searching for volunteers to help with frog monitoring routes. (Jan. 16)
* Savannah Morning News: “Whale rescue attempted off Brunswick,” about DNR crew’s work to disentangle a right whale, at that time the third disentanglement tackled this winter off Georgia’s coast. (Jan. 16)
Follow-ups included Associated Press and more than 400 other media, “Wind hampers effort to free endangered right whale,” (Jan. 16 and afterward).
* “Georgia Gazette:” GPB radio interview with Thomas Floyd on North American Amphibian Monitoring routes. Click on the Jan. 15 program. (The interview is about 6:45 minutes into the show.)
* The (Dalton) Daily Citizen: “Wild Facts: The frogs that ‘chuckle,’” Linda May's brief about Southern leopard frog. (Jan. 13)
* Augusta Chronicle: “Study sought before canal drains,” about call to postpone draining Augusta Canal and Lake Olmstead until impacts on fish, waterfowl and plants are assessed. (Jan. 13)
* Savannah Morning News: “A treasure worth saving,” column about illegal fishing in Gray’s Reef and need to protect the national marine sanctuary. (Jan. 12)
* Florida Times-Union: “Ships blamed for manatee deaths,” about increasing fatal ship strikes in Florida’s Duval County and elsewhere, including in Georgia. (Jan. 10)
* The (Charleston, S.C.) Post and Courier: “Beetles attacking redbays,” about spread of laurel wilt and fatal impact on redbays. (Jan. 8)
* The Florida Times-Union: “Eat 'em raw or roasted, then recycle shells for reef,” about UGA Marine Extension Service project collecting oyster and other shells for oyster reef restoration on Sapelo and Tybee islands. (Jan. 8)
* The Beaufort (S.C.) Gazette: “Biologists concerned dredging Savannah River could affect prehistoric fish,” about concerns deepening the channel will affect shortnose sturgeon. (Jan. 5)
* Bio-Medicine.org: “Northern right whales head south to give birth, leave genetic 'fingerprints' with NOAA researchers,” about DNA sampling of whales. (Jan. 3)
* Los Angeles Times: “Asia appetite for turtles seen as a threat to Florida species,” about Asian-fueled turtle trade and concerns about impacts in Florida. (Dec. 27)

Upcoming "Outdoors"
"Georgia Outdoors" is shown on GPB channels at 9:30 p.m. Fridays, noon and 6 p.m. Saturdays and 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays (except when other programming intervenes). Click for  schedule on the digital channel GPB Knowledge.
* Kayaking (episode's premiere broadcast), 9:30 p.m. Feb. 13, noon and 6 p.m. Feb. 14, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 17
* Fire ecology, 9:30 p.m. Feb. 20, noon and 6 p.m. Feb. 21, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 24
* Healthy outdoors, 9:30 p.m. Feb. 27, noon and 6 p.m. Feb. 28, 7:30 p.m. March 3

Photo credits (from top):
* Indigo snake (masthead). Dirk J. Stevenson/Project Orianne
* Entangled right whale aerial view. Wildlife Trust
* Nongame Conservation Section whale disentangling crew, from left, Brad Winn, Kate Sparks, Clay George, Mark Dodd.
* Matt Elliott with indigo snake. Dirk J. Stevenson/Project Orianne
* Gopher tortoise. John Jensen/Ga. DNR
* C.J. at rest and at work. Rick Lavender/Ga. DNR
* Sandhill rosemary. Matt Elliott/Ga. DNR
* Indigo close-up. Dirk J. Stevenson/Project Orianne
* Brown pelican on Cumberland Island during midwinter bird census. Kristina Summers/Ga. DNR
 Disentangling whales
conservation in action

"... Next thing you know I look over the side and see this huge fluke disappearing toward the bottom. She just did this massive nosedive as she was about to surface! Crazy."

photo of entangled whale   Trying to untangle a North Atlantic right whale from commercial fishing gear has been described as part ballet, part battle -- all played out on the open ocean with a bus-sized animal. But in recent weeks a team including staff from the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division’s Nongame Conservation Section tried ... repeatedly.
    Read some in-the-boat views from the DNR whale crew (pictured below).

Also:photo of Nongame disentangling crew.

Project Orianne aim: Help indigos
   Part of the scientific name for eastern indigo snakes loosely translates as “commander of the forest.”
   The Latin fits. Eastern indigos are North America’s longest snake, reaching more than 8 feet. Adults can be as thick as two fists and weigh upward of 10 pounds. Their color is a striking glossy or bluish black. Their home ranges cover thousands of acres. Their diet is expansive, encompassing almost anything smaller that can be swallowed live, even rattlesnakes.
   But this commander is in trouble.
   Federally listed as threatened in 1978, Drymarchon couperi has seen its historic range from South Georgia to the Florida Keys and southwestern Alabphoto of Matt Elliott with indigoama shredded by habitat loss and fragmentation. Populations dwindled as the non-venomous snakes were run over by cars, killed by people and gassed in gopher tortoise burrows, an illegal practice tied to rattlesnake roundups.
   Now, an effort with moxie matching the indigo’s iconic status is aimed at helping.
   Project Orianne: The Indigo Snake Initiative began about two years ago after a member of the project’s founding family held an indigo and, moved by the experience, asked her father to save the snake. The result is a growing organization with a simple but far-reaching goal: Conserve eastern indigos and their habitats across the snake’s range.
   “This should be one of … the largest snake-focused conservation efforts in the world,” said Chris Jenkins, Project Orianne executive director and a former research scientist with the Bronx Zoo-based Wildlife Conservation Society.
   That focus translates into conserving habitat through acquisitions and easements, and establishing programs for land management and restoration, captive breeding and propagation, and for snake inventory and monitoring. Project Orianne will also conduct and support research, including with the universities of Florida and Georgia.
   As examples, Jenkins said the initiative has bought 900 acres of indigo habitat in Telfair County and is developing computer models with the University of Massachusetts to guide conservation practices such as prescribed fire in Georgia’s Altamaha River basin.
   The organization is also teaming with the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division and other agencies and nonprofits across the region. Matt Elliott, program manager with Wildlife Resources’ Nongame Conservation Section, said there are shared interests in the species and the ecosystem.
   “Their goals in land protection and habitat restoration will be similar to ours,” Elliott said.
   Word is eking out – Project Orianne is host for the Snake Ecology Group meetings in July in Idaho – and work is gaining steam.  Jenkins is exploring potential project headquarter sites in the Southeast in preparation for moving the organization this year. Test trials are being done using dogs to sniff out indigos (see below). Other startup research is geared toward answering why indigos declined in some areas.
   “It’s not a piecemeal approach,” Jenkins said.

closeup of CJ, the dogSniff. Wag. Sit. Snake!
Conservation dog trained to track indigos
   C.J. is all Lab: big, bad to jump on you, bent on chasing tennis balls. Oh, and trained to find eastern indigo snakes.
   On a recent romp in turkey-oak and pine flats near Valdosta, the chocolate Labrador roamed the forest, trailing leash and handlers Kara and Mike Ravenscroft, and answering Kara’s frequent calls to stick a nose down gopher tortoise burrows and sniff.
   Dirk Stevenson, an indigo expert with Project Orianne, a fledgling conservation organization centered on the protected species, said a dog like C.J. can help pinpoint these rare snakes that wander far in warm months and often hole up in the back of tortoise burrows during cold weather.
   “Even when they’re abundant,” Stevenson said of indigos, “they’re in low numbers.”
photo of CJ at work   Using dogs’ keen sense of smell for wildlife research is a growing practice, with conservation canines sniffing out everything from a threatened lupine in Oregon to brown tree snakes in Guam. C.J.’s resume already lists spider monkeys in Nicaragua and bats in Texas, plus a trained aversion to rattlesnakes.
   Project Orianne rented the retriever from PackLeader Dog Training of Washington to explore survey methods for indigos, federally and state listed as threatened. C.J. didn’t disappoint, finding live snakes and year-old scales, his “alert” for each discovery starting with a slaphappy tail and ending in a sit.
   “He has … come onto the trail of a snake and gone as far as 200 meters to find a snake,” Stevenson said.
   This cold day spent searching likely indigo sites on The Langdale Co.  property yielded some excited looks but no alerts. Yet, Georgia Wildlife Resources Division staff had a chance to watch C.J. make a cursory check of areas where indigos haven’t been documented. For Langdale’s part, Jim Barrett said his company wants to be good stewards and work with the state.
   C.J.’s interest boiled down to basics: Find a snake, get to retrieve a ball.
   At day’s end, Kara even coaxed the dog to sit for a photograph. Her challenge? “Getting him to cooperate,” she said, laughing.

Eastern indigos …
  • Are sometimes confused with black racers, the indigo's slimmer, smaller and faster cousins.
  • Are closely tied in Georgia to the Coastal Plain’s longleaf pine sandhills, where the snakes use gopher tortoise burrows as winter shelter.
  • Often return to the same gopher tortoise colonies and sometimes closeup photo of indigo to the same burrow each winter, often traveling near identical paths (a University of Georgia student doing research for DNR found that one male indigo followed the same course even though part of the area had since been clearcut).
  • Are diurnal, or active mostly by day.
  • Range far and wide, with one study sizing some males’ home ranges at 3,000-4,000 acres.
  • Are non-venomous and even eat venomous snakes such as rattlers.
  • Are protected by federal and state law: Harming an indigo is a federal offense.
Sources include Amphibians and Reptiles of Georgia
 

Out my backdoor
Clean feeders less risky for birds
By Terry W. Johnson
   When you enter a restaurant and see a health inspection rating of 70 or below posted, do you eat there? Probably not. By the same token, you don’t want to expose birds to often-fatal diseases while eating at your backyard bird diner.
   You know there is a potential problem when seeds tossed out of feeders have sprouted, creating what looks remarkably like the top of a Chia head. Another clue is a mini-volcano of discarded seed hulls beneath a feeder. Of course, if you find dead birds or birds with swollen or watery eyes, or ones acting abnormally, other birds that show up for your blue plate special are at risk.
photo of finch with finch disease   Five of the most common diseases that can infect feeder birds are salmonella, aspergillosis, avian pox, trichomoniasis and finch disease, a form of conjunctivitis. These diseases are spread bird to bird through feeding or moldy seeds, direct contact, and eating food or drinking water contaminated with droppings from sick birds.
   Begin by periodically cleaning feeders and bird baths with a solution of 10 parts water to one part liquid household bleach. Rinse with clean water. Don’t refill feeders until they are completely dry. Also don’t place a birdbath near a seed feeder. Some birds don’t have any table manners. The water will quickly be fouled with seeds and hulls.
   Don’t let seeds or hulls accumulate beneath feeders. Deadly molds grow on moist seeds and hulls. The mold produces spores inhaled by birds. Rake up and disposed of seed buildups in plastic bags at least once a week. Even change feeder locations from time to time.
   Keep all birdseed dry. Avoid using feeding trays with solid floors but no drainage holes. Instead, use hopper-type feeders, feeding trays covered by roofs or feeding trays with screen bottoms. Additionally, it is not a good idea to scatter seed on the ground during warm, damp weather. Spread your feeders across the yard as much as possible, which concentrates birds less and diminishes the potential for spreading disease.
   If you spot a sick or dying bird at your feeders, remove the remaining food, clean up the area as best you can and, as much as you hate to, cease feeding for two weeks. This will cause the birds to disperse and reduce health risks.
    Because some diseases that infect birds, such as salmonella, can be transmitted to humans, wear plastic gloves or place your hands in plastic bread bags when handling dead birds. Thoroughly wash your hands after touching dead or sick birds or cleaning feeders.
   When it comes to cleaning feeders and feeding areas, don’t procrastinate. Quick action can save birds and ensure that you backyard bird diner is the best that you can make it.
   Read Terry’s full column.

Terry Johnson is a former Nongame program manager with the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division, a noted backyard wildlife writer and expert, and executive director of TERN, the friends group for Wildlife Resources' Nongame Conservation Section.

photo of brown pelican

Noteworthy
* Cold temperatures and winds up to 25 mph didn’t stop dedicated bird watchers from taking this year’s midwinter waterbird survey on Georgia’s barrier islands Jan. 16. Participants counted 99,293 shorebirds and more than 104,300 birds all told. The numbers included 66,986 dunlins, 383 American oystercatchers, 303 marbled godwits and 1,748 red knots.
* The immature bald eagle found in November at Paradise Public Fishing Area, apparently injured from a gunshot wound, has almost fully recovered. See next month's Georgia Wild for details on possibly releasing the bird back into the wild.
** Florida’s annual manatee count marked an all-time high of 3,807 manatees in January, topping the previous record from 2001 by more than 500. Wildlife officials are encouraged by the count, which trails population models showing manatee increases in northwest Florida, along the Atlantic Coast and on the upper St. Johns River, but cautioned against using the snapshot survey to size up populations or trends.
** A revised recovery plan for Northwest Atlantic loggerhead sea turtles is complete. The federally threatened species is the primary nesting sea turtle on Georgia’s coast.
** A plan still in the works is the Georgia Invasives Species Strategy, what hopefully will be the bane of more than 180 invaders from ambrosia beetles to cogongrass. The comment deadline is Feb. 16 (send to Jon Ambrose) and a public meeting is set for 5:30 p.m. Feb. 12 at Wildlife Resources’ Conservation Center in Social Circle.
** The whoopers have landed. All 14 young whooping cranes made it from Wisconsin to Florida, breezing through Georgia in slightly more than a day, then splitting and making their way seven by seven to two wildlife refuges on the Gulf Coast late last month.
** LandScope America covers the changing landscape of land conservation in the U.S.  The joint NatureServe and National Geographic Society project is rich in maps, features such as “Places worth saving” and state-specific data.
** Gov. Sonny Perdue recognized Georgia Power and Plum Creek Jan. 21 as 2008 partners in Wildlife Resources’ Forestry for Wildlife Partnership. The two, representing nearly 940,000 acres in Georgia, are long-standing members of the program that promotes conservation-minded forest management.
** A Mississippi man who pleaded guilty to killing a Mississippi black bear, a federally threatened species, was sentenced in federal court to 30 days in jail, a $5,000 fine and $10,000 in restitution. Darryl Eubanks began serving time Jan. 6.
** A recent Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry article cites research showing that mercury levels among bird populations varies with feather growth, making the birds more vulnerable after feathers stop growing. The authors said the results can help assess the risks of mercury contamination to birds.
** Wildlife biologists, take note: A new bibliography listing publications that explore the effects of conservation practices on North American wildlife is free from the National Agricultural Library, part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Download here.

Georgia Wild
volume 2, issue 2

Georgia Wild is an e-newsletter produced by the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division and focused on conserving nongame species, those not legally trapped, fished for or hunted. The newsletter is delivered free to subscribers. Subscribe or read archive issues here. Wildlife Resources' Nongame Conservation Section conserves and protects Georgia's diversity of native animals and plants and their habitats through research, management and education. The section receives no state funds, depending on grants, donations and fundraisers such as nongame license plate sales, the Give Wildlife a Chance state income tax checkoff and Weekend for Wildlife. Call (770) 761-3035 or click here for details on direct contributions. The nongame plates -- the bald eagle/U.S. flag and ruby-throated hummingbird -- are available for a one-time $25 fee at county tag offices, by checking the wildlife license plate box on mail-in registration forms or through online renewal.

Calendar
Feb. 13-15: Georgia Wildlife Federation Great Outdoors Show, Georgia National Fairgrounds, Perry.
Feb. 13-16: Great Backyard Bird Count.
Feb. 20-21: Annual Georgia River Network conference, The Classic Center, Athens.
Feb. 21: Georgia Conservancy 2009 Oyster Roast, 12:30-4:30 p.m., Pelican's Point, Crescent.
Feb. 24-25: Georgia DNR Board of Natural Resources committee meetings (1 p.m. Feb. 24), monthly meeting (9 a.m. Feb. 25), DNR board room, Atlanta.
March 13-14: Environmental Education Alliance of Georgia 2009 conference, UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center.
March 21: Fitzgerald Wild Chicken Festival, downtown Fitzgerald.
March 24-25: DNR Board of Natural Resources committee meetings (1 p.m. March 24), monthly meeting (9 a.m. March 25), DNR board room, Atlanta.
Submit items.

Coming next month
* Granite outcrops.
* Swallow-tailed kites.
* Backyard wildlife tips.

Previous issues
* January 2009
* December 2008
* November 2008
More in the Georgia Wild archives.

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