The red-cockaded woodpecker is a small black and white bird crowned with a touch of red which lives in pine forests of the southeast United States. The endangered woodpecker has been in decline throughout its limited, fragmented range, which exists primarily in the national forests extending along the Coastal Plain from North Carolina to Texas, the Piedmont of Georgia and Alabama, and the interior highlands of Arkansas, Oklahoma and Kentucky. The population in the Sandhills region in the south-central portion of North Carolina constitutes the second largest remaining population of this species in its range. 

Protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) often results in restrictions on land use in its habitats, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has developed guidelines for activities in the vicinity of the species. The presence of red-cockaded woodpeckers can and often has restricted the land management options of some landowners. Because of these restrictions, landowners in North Carolina Sandhills have sometimes consciously avoided some land uses which might attract red-cockaded woodpecker or increase the extent of its habitat on their land. Some landowners may in fact purposely take action--such as prematurely harvesting timber or destroying abandoned clusters of cavity trees--to reduce the likelihood that their land will be used by the red-cockaded woodpecker. At the same time, there are some land uses relating to residential developments, forest products, and even golf courses which are congruent with the continued existence of red-cockaded woodpecker. A coordinated, multi-agency effort to protect this species was recommended by the U.S. Department of the Army, Fort Bragg Military Reservation (Fort Bragg), in coordination with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and a working group was formed with additional representatives from the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, North Carolina Natural Heritage Program, North Carolina State University, and the Sandhills Area Land Trust. 

The resulting Safe Harbor program encourages voluntary enhancement and restoration of red-cockaded woodpecker habitat on private lands in return for a "safe harbor"--protection against any additional future liabilities under the Act. The Safe Harbor program relieves a landowner who enters into a cooperative agreement with the Service from any liability beyond the documented baseline (i.e., the number of bird populations in the area at the time of the signing of the agreement) that exists at the time of signing. 

Since the implementation of the program in 1995, over 25 landowners have enrolled more than 20,000 acres of land in this program to voluntarily conserve the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker. Given the opportunity to explore congruent land uses, without the severe restrictions of the Endangered Species Act, landowners have voluntarily contributed to endangered species recovery. 

Success Factors:  

• the Safe Harbor concept was easy to understand; 
• habitat enhancement activities for red-cockaded woodpecker were tied to other resource management and conservation goals, promoting an ecosystem management (holistic) approach; 
• inclusion of private landowners in the process; and 
• culture change in the Service from regulation towards collaboration.

Challenges were met by:  

• building trust through a "tailgate" approach, informal discussions with the local Service biologist; 
• flexibility of the documented baseline approach helps avert landowner fears of being locked into particular land management techniques; 
• focusing on incentives to manage for red-cockaded woodpecker rather than punitive actions; and 
• formal consensus-building process/techniques used for problem-solving.

Future Opportunities or Concerns: 

• approach can serve as a springboard to other projects, such as wetlands management; 
• possible creation of mitigation credits; 
• codification of Best Management Practices (BMPs) for longleaf pine ecosystem; and 
• increased involvement by other groups and landowners.

Prairie Wolf Slough, located in Lake County, IL, was originally part of a large system of wet prairies and marshes which fed the branches of the Chicago River. Settlers dredged large channels and drained the water of the land to farm but the land was never very productive. As development from Chicago progressed, the Prairie Wolf Slough site remained one of the few open areas, although adjacent to a well-travelled highway and shopping mall. The site encompasses 15 acres of degraded oak savanna and 25 acres of active agricultural land. 

In 1993, the Friends of the Chicago River conducted a major assessment of natural resources along the river corridor to determine possible sites for local conservation projects to improve wetlands, provide environmental education, open space, and recreation opportunities. The site, now called Prairie Wolf Slough, was one of many identified during this investigation. In 1994, the Chicago Urban Resources Partnership (URP), approved funding for the project, bringing together the local, state, and federal partners needed to successfully make this group's vision a reality. The project was selected because it provided an opportunity to demonstrate a wetland/prairie restoration effort in an urban area. 

Stakeholders include the Urban Resources Partnership, the Lake County Forest Preserve District (LCFPD), the Friends of the Chicago River, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Lake County Stormwater Management Commission (LCSMC), Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA), the National Park Service (NPS), and the Lake County Forest Preserve District Youth Conservation Corps, among others. 

The project site, as well as many sites downstream, was subject to continual flooding and damage, erosion, and a declining capacity to support biodiversity. Exacerbating any conservation action was the general lack of knowledge or concern about this particular natural ecosystem and its environmental and cultural value. As a result, one of the key project objectives was to increase the public's appreciation for and level of understanding about the resource through opportunities for outdoor studies and passive recreation activities. 

Many players and partners worked together, garnering community involvement, combining skills, resources, and ideas to incorporate water management and water quality objectives, open space protection, improved wildlife habitat, and educational and recreational activities into the project's outcomes. Successes have included the restoration of wetlands, improvement of water quality and quantity control, the restoration and enhancement of wildlife habitat for several species, education and awareness improvements, and the creation of a successful coalition of many agencies, environmental groups and citizens. The Prairie Wolf Slough project provides a shining illustration of the value of natural resource solutions to common urban problems. 

Success Factors  

• the ability to define responsibilities and involvement clearly; 
• willing participation from landowners and conservation corps (Americorps); 
• organized leadership, persistence and determination to make it work; and 
• project scope was "doable" and served a community need.

Challenges were met by:  

• clear communication (especially about delays) with volunteers; 
• solid technical assessment such as anticipation of seasonal weather changes and better soil testing; 
• the diversity of the partners; and 
• involving corporations and local businesses more actively from the outset.

Future Opportunities or Concerns:  

• education programs integrated into conservation corps curriculum; 
• provision of visitor center and bike path to trail; 
• fundraising from private sources; and 
• more detailed monitoring and control measures to maintain quality of work.