After years of investigating leads, we have discovered that the ivory-billed woodpecker, long believed extinct, still exists in a precariously small population in eastern Arkansas. We are attempting to learn how many birds exist, what they require for survival and reproduction, and how the population could be recovered.

The ivory-billed woodpecker is America`s premier "poster species" for extinction and poor natural resource management. If the species can recover, it will represent a spectacular example of the resilience of nature and provide hope for many other cases in which humans appear to have ruined precious natural heritage. The impact of this extends far beyond the forested areas of the southeastern United States. It provides a visible beacon of hope to any community that desires to restore seemingly lost ecosystem health.

We have amassed a research team of more than 25 paid field experts and over 30 long-term volunteers to search the vast forests of eastern Arkansas. We have joined forces with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and The Nature Conservancy in a major effort of public education, natural resource modeling, and forest conservation across the southeastern U.S.

Discovery of this woodpecker has resulted in the development of a major ecotourism industry in eastern Arkansas, which is among the most economically challenged areas of rural America. The project also has had major impact on public policy regarding improved conservation practices in southeastern bottomland hardwood forests of the U.S.

• Ken Rosenberg
• Martjan Lammertink
• M. David Luneau
• Scott Simon
• Tim Gallagher
• Marc Dantzker
• Ron Rohrbaugh
• J. Van Remsen, Jr.
• Jon Andrew
• Jim Bednardz