Jeff Larkin (Biology) and his recent
work with the Working Lands for Wildlife project are the subject of an exciting
multimedia
story produced by USDA’s
Natural Resources Conservation Service. Larkin provided this
introduction about the project and its goals.
The Golden-winged Warbler is a
critically threatened migratory songbird that breeds in portions of eastern
North America. In 2010, this species was
petitioned for protection under the Endangered Species Act. The US Fish and Wildlife Service determined
that the petition had substantial merit, and a listing decision is expected by
2023. Experts agree that loss of
breeding habitat, in part, contributes to Golden-winged Warbler population
declines, especially in the Appalachian Mountain portion of its breeding
distribution. As such, efforts to create and maintain high-quality nesting
habitat for this species on public and private lands, and ultimately prevent an
ESA listing, are underway.
In 2012, USDA-Natural Resource
Conservation Service included the Golden-winged Warbler as one of seven
focal species for their Working Lands for
Wildlife effort, which added considerable funding and momentum toward
efforts to recover the species on private lands in several Appalachian
states. Since 2012, The IUP Research Institute has played a
significant role in assisting NRCS with the landowner outreach and implementation
of WLFW in Pennsylvania and Maryland. Specifically, IUP-RI has secured considerable external funding from
sources such as National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, American Bird
Conservancy, and NRCS to hire full-time conservation planners and foresters. The positions are strategically housed in
NRCS field offices across Pennsylvania and western Maryland. The availability
of experienced conservation planners and foresters to assist NRCS field office
staff with various components of program delivery is critical for achieving
program goals.
Additionally, IUP-RI and our partners
have secured funding from the NRCS-Conservation Effects Assessment Project,
Pennsylvania Game Commission, and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to
monitor Golden-winged Warbler, American Woodcock, and other songbird responses to habitat management on private
lands enrolled in Working Lands for Wildlife. This funding has provided opportunities for several graduate and
undergraduate students to gain significant experience conducting applied
science and to contribute to further understanding the ecology of this
imperiled species.