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Post by papilio28570 on Apr 15, 2011 17:59:53 GMT -8
The Ivory-billed Woodpecker Recovery Plan and Status of Fish and Wildlife Service Actions The Fish and Wildlife Service, thanks to the hard work and dedication of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker recovery team, now has a comprehensive recovery plan ready to implement wherever and whenever it is needed. Historical information, references, habitat analyses, and examples of action plans are compiled in the recovery plan. The Fish and Wildlife Service and its partners can readily follow the action plan found in Appendix G if there is any change in current status such as new photographic evidence, video, repeated location of birds, identified roost cavity, or active nest(s). Copies of the recovery plan are available by request from the Service’s Lafayette Field Office at 646 Cajundome Boulevard, Suite 400, Lafayette, Louisiana, 70506, or by visiting the web at: www.fws.gov/endangered/species/recovery-plans.htmlThe Fish and Wildlife Service is aware that writing a recovery plan and taking conservation action for the Ivory-billed Woodpecker generated intense interest and some controversy. The Ivory-billed Woodpecker is an icon of southeastern floodplain forests and a symbolic reminder of our historic loss of these wetland habitats. Much of the controversy surrounds the evidence that generated the conservation actions documented in the final recovery plan. The Fish and Wildlife Service has, independently and objectively, reviewed published interpretations of the Luneau video cited in Fitzpatrick et al. (2005). This review led us to conclude that the alternative interpretations of Sibley et al. (2006) and Collinson (2007) fail to credibly support their assertion that the woodpecker in the Luneau video could reasonably be a Pileated Woodpecker. Additional comparative video footage or the use of models may lead us to formulate alternative interpretations on the identity of the Luneau video woodpecker. However, at this point, our conclusion is that this primary piece as well as other recent evidence compelled us to act on behalf of the species. Like many in the conservation arena, the Fish and Wildlife Service was hopeful that field searches would lead to additional evidence of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker in the Big Woods of eastern Arkansas and other parts of its historic range. Additional evidence was collected during the past four years (including both auditory encounters and sightings concentrated in certain areas). This additional evidence supports the hypothesis that Ivory-billed Woodpeckers continue to exist in Arkansas and other parts of the range. However, due to the inability to reliably locate birds, we cannot at this time conclude that a population of Ivory-billed Woodpeckers is established in this region. www.fws.gov/ivorybill/ |
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Post by papilio28570 on Apr 15, 2011 18:47:25 GMT -8
Ivory Bill video here. Between minute 43 and 52 is actual video and analysis
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Post by Chris Grinter on Apr 15, 2011 22:19:42 GMT -8
wow that video is horrible evidence - hope they can come up with better proof to warrant the effort that has gone into a recovery plan...
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Post by autiger85 on Apr 18, 2011 14:07:20 GMT -8
I sometimes think that female entomologists are mythical Well, all you non-believers out there, here is one female entomologist that is not extinct yet. Being from down here in the state of Alabama, I would love to get our state bird back. I have seen Indian hens here on our homeplace when I was younger and always hoped it was an Ivory bill but it would always be a Piliated woodpecker. My late father would call them Indian hens and said in his youth he had seen giant ones in old pine forests when turpentining. I hear the stories about sightings and hearings in the Bankhead forest, Cuba, or coastal Miss., but they all have dies out without proof. I still have hope, one day. |
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Post by dertodesking on Apr 21, 2011 3:53:27 GMT -8
wow that video is horrible evidence - hope they can come up with better proof to warrant the effort that has gone into a recovery plan... Chris, The amateur video is undoubtedly poor quality...but did you watch the analysis? The guy from Cornell goes on record saying that in his opinion its an Ivory Bill. I appreciate its "his opinion" only but my experience of academics is that they "sit on the fence" unless they really do believe they have to evidence to prove something. He could be setting himself up to be a laughing stock in academic circles if he wildly claimed proof of Ivory Bills... Simon |
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Post by Chris Grinter on Apr 21, 2011 12:32:52 GMT -8
True, his opinion of the video is much more valuable than mine. I'd just love to see more definitive evidence, as I'm sure we all would!
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Post by dertodesking on Apr 21, 2011 13:06:34 GMT -8
True, his opinion of the video is much more valuable than mine. I'd just love to see more definitive evidence, as I'm sure we all would! Hey Chris! Your opinion is just as valid as his!!!  (he just has the advantage of a University Research Dept behind him to try and validate his theories!). It doesn't make him correct though...I think we'd both agree that the "evidence" in this case (such as it is) is VERY shaky and so far proves little. If it sounds like I'm arguing against my previous views I'm not...just don't know enough about the Ivory Bill Woodpecker to come to any firm conclusions of my own! I share your view tho'...I'd like something more tangible myself as well. Simon |
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Post by Chris Grinter on Apr 21, 2011 15:59:50 GMT -8
Oh my opinion is valid! Just not as valuable as an ornithologist's. I'm not an expert with birds at all, so I can only give my 2 cents when it comes to the crappy evidence. But if the ornithology community steps up and says they all agree then my kicking and screaming means nothing! haha
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vwman
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Posts: 72
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Post by vwman on Apr 21, 2011 21:57:19 GMT -8
Well, I am an ornithologist and even this story is HIGHLY suspect among the ornithology community. This audio has been played ad nauseum and he is the ONLY one who has vehemently insisted this is an ivory bill without any other supporting evidence. As a scientist, an ornithologist, and a general biologist you need more than a few seconds of audio to validate a theory like that. I would love to be proven wrong, but so many people have searched those swamps after that audio was recorded and they found nothing to support the claim. No signs of nesting holes or otherwise that couldn't be traced back to the pileated woodpecker. There is still the issue that the sound could have been made by another woodpecker. Animal behavior is not an exact science. It would be like me saying I heard an elephant in my neighbor's back yard because his pig learned to make an new noise. Even if there was an ivory bill the chances of it surviving and maintaining a viable breeding couple is slim to none. The same thing happen to the Spix's macaw. The last male was documented and then lost with no possibility of a mating pair. Luckily there are still some strong beeding programs around the world for them simply because of their value among parrot collectors for their rarity, but they will not likley see the wild ever again.
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Post by starlightcriminal on Apr 22, 2011 10:06:17 GMT -8
Heck, any one remember the re-discovery of the Atala? I wouldn't put it on par with finding the Chupacabra at all. One we know is/was around and it is a distinct possibility that it could be still around, just obscure, the other is flat out unrealistic given the ecological needs of such large creatures (also, anyone ever notice that there isn't a mythical creature small enough to be possibly out there? always some giant monster mammalian thing or huge aquatic shadowy silhouette). I think that's the difference that Wiki fails to qualify. My favorite "cryptozooligical" re-discovery: the Cuban Selenodon. A creepy venomous possum-rat looking thing from way back in time. I hardly consider this cryptozoology though. There is not a "cryptobotany" for all these reasons- if a plant is thought to be extinct then it is written off with the knowledge it could easily be re-discovered in a remote enough location. If it's new, it isn't a mythological creature being discovered, it's just like insects- you get to describe a new species and give it a name and that's that. But somehow animals get to share a title with aliens and yeti if it decides to go incognito for a while. Seems like an artificial distinction. I think in order to be "cryptozooligical" you really have to be imaginary. Otherwise you are just unknown to science. Even the giant squid is not really that impressive relative to the stories and imagery associated with it. Can it pull a whole cargo ship under water? No way. The whaling boats these squid were purportedly sinking back in the day were actually successfully catching and killing its major predator, so much so that the whales almost became the stuff of "cryptozoological" myth themselves. If you're big and tough enough to take down a sperm whale then you aren't at risk of giant squid attack (that and who has ever seen one alive at the surface to date? no body). I don't buy it personally. vwman and anthony- you should relocate to my city, there are hives of female entomologist here |
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Post by beetlehorn on Apr 24, 2011 4:36:33 GMT -8
In regards to the sighting of the Ivory Billed Woodpecker, I must say it is a whole lot easier to swallow than stories of huge hairy apes roaming around the countryside. Not saying it is impossible, but since we know they once existed, and we have scientific documentation of these birds, it is easier to believe that a small population still persists in the vast forested regions of that area. Also I should mention after seeing the video footage, even though it is a fleeting image, it is compelling. I have seen lots of Pileated woodpeckers in my outdoor ventures, but have never seen one with extensive white fringes on the wings. The bird in the footage is definately not a Pileated woodpecker in my opinion. Just the possibility of their existence has prompted a program to protect the habitat from chainsaws and bulldozers, and this is definately a good thing because as the forest matures, the likelyhood of this species surviving gets better. Not to mention the benefits to all the other species in the area. If there are still remnants of these birds, someone will eventually get hard evidence to present to the public. Tom
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vwman
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Post by vwman on Apr 24, 2011 11:04:36 GMT -8
. Just the possibility of their existence has prompted a program to protect the habitat from chainsaws and bulldozers, and this is definately a good thing because as the forest matures, the likelyhood of this species surviving gets better. Not to mention the benefits to all the other species in the area. If there are still remnants of these birds, someone will eventually get hard evidence to present to the public. Tom Completely agree Tom |
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Post by saturniidave on Apr 25, 2011 8:34:22 GMT -8
Me too!
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rjb
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Post by rjb on Apr 30, 2011 4:06:05 GMT -8
Science Daily has a new report this morning on the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker, newest sightings. I heard several talks about his observations a couple years back and he makes a rather convincing case for the woodpecker's existence. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110428132236.htmAs to El Chupacabra, one of our local ghost investigators, Ben Radford, pretty much puts that one to rest. In 1995, Madelyne Tolentino in Puerto Rico saw a scary movie "Species" and then reported seeing a creature that looked remarkably like the monster "Sil" in the movie. Then, this Sil-look-alike El Chupacabra went viral and will never go away because people love to believe in these things. see for example: www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42215060/ns/technology_and_science-science/Rick |
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Post by wingedwishes on Apr 30, 2011 18:58:04 GMT -8
For an entertaining waste of time, google image search Cryptozoology and laugh.
Besides the Ivory Billed Woodpecker, I'd be thrilled to see the Thylacines reappear. The last Tasman Wolf seemingly died out in captivity. I can't think of another marsupial apex predator.
Lastly, there are taxidermied Great Auks. Would we want to clone the DNA and use/plant the resulting zygotes in an Emperor Penguin?
There are already freswater fish spliced with jellyfish to make a brightly colored fish.
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(he just has the advantage of a University Research Dept behind him to try and validate his theories!). It doesn't make him correct though...I think we'd both agree that the "evidence" in this case (such as it is) is VERY shaky and so far proves little. If it sounds like I'm arguing against my previous views I'm not...just don't know enough about the Ivory Bill Woodpecker to come to any firm conclusions of my own!
