snowgyre
Well-known member
From the Orianne Society (fundraiser link here: https://connect.clickandpledge.com/...Sandhill+Habitat+Crowdfunder&utm_medium=email)
For more information on the Orianne Society, please visit their website at: http://www.oriannesociety.org/initiatives
Our land management team has been incredibly busy this year restoring several tracts of the 48,704-acre Orianne Indigo Snake Preserve (OISP). We work on many different projects throughout the year to restore land on the preserve where hundreds of wildlife species thrive, including Georgia’s state reptile and keystone species, the Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus), and Orianne’s flagship species, the federally-threatened Eastern Indigo Snake (Drymarchon couperi).
But restoring habitat on the OISP is an involved process that takes thoughtful, strategic preparation on a daily basis. Applying prescribed fire, for example, requires in-depth preparation including training staff properly, purchasing safety gear to protect them, meeting with landowners and partners regularly, checking the weather, and prepping fire lines—all before any burning can begin. We also must purchase necessities like fuel for equipment, and we collect seeds and purchase seedlings to plant on primed tracts of land. All of these daily activities are the vital elements that make our land restoration and preservation successful.
We need your help to keep the gears turning for our Sandhill Habitat Preservation efforts—our goal is to raise $,5000 by June 30. We can do a lot with just a little—like burning an entire acre for just $20 in fuel costs—but we can’t do it without your support.
Our land management team is dedicated to restoring this ecosystem and has been successful, but we can do so much more with you as part of our team.
Benefits to the Land and Wildlife
The sandhill ecosystem of the Coastal Plain of Georgia was formed millions of years ago when winds distributed the sands within dense forests. Longleaf Pines, Wiregrass, Three-awn Grass, Turkey Oak and other vegetation are characteristic of the sandhill ecosystem. But since historic times, Longleaf Pine has declined by 98% which has altered historic habitat, affecting the wildlife that relies on these landscapes. Many of the birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians endemic to the area are now of special concern, threatened or endangered because their habitats are dwindling.
Eastern Indigo Snakes, Orianne’s flagship species, rely on our land preservation activities that maintain habitat within their range. The acreage we refer to when talking about these activities translates into critical habitat for Indigos and our other focal species. Let’s take the 2,601 acres of the OISP owned by The Orianne Society: this area supports dozens of Indigos and approximately 300 adult Gopher Tortoises at any given time. Just one adult male Indigo Snake can call up to 3,000 acres its home range, and females use up to a few hundred acres each. A five-acre area on the preserve can be vital as a hot spot for Indigos to come together for breeding. And a Gopher Tortoise burrow provides shelter for wintering, breeding and protection for Indigos and many other species like Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnakes, Gopher Frogs, Florida Pine Snakes, insects, quail, mice, rabbits and burrowing owls. So when we discuss land preservation, we are discussing the survival of hundreds of species of wildlife that need well-maintained acreage to thrive.
We work with a variety of partner agencies—such as the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, The Nature Conservancy and the Longleaf Alliance—as well as private landowners to achieve our land management goals, ultimately benefiting wildlife and their habitats in a more impactful, successful way.
How to Help
Contribute by choosing a level to the right of this page.
Spread the word online—ask your friends to join you in supporting our Sandhill Habitat Preservation project.
Are you part of a forestry or wildlife-related club? Join as a fundraiser by clicking the green button to the right of this page, set a goal, and ask your club members to support this project by contributing and/or spreading the word. (You can do this as an individual if you’re not part of a club, too!)
Volunteer your time by collecting seed, maintaining roads and more. For more information about volunteering, please email us at [email protected].
Want to Learn More?
Our land management activities fall within our Fire Forest Initiative which focuses on the Altamaha River Corridor landscape and several focal species: the Eastern Indigo Snake, Gopher Tortoise, Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake and Spotted Turtle. You can learn more about each of these and how your support helps them at www.oriannesociety.org/fire-forest-initiative.
For more information on the Orianne Society, please visit their website at: http://www.oriannesociety.org/initiatives
Our land management team has been incredibly busy this year restoring several tracts of the 48,704-acre Orianne Indigo Snake Preserve (OISP). We work on many different projects throughout the year to restore land on the preserve where hundreds of wildlife species thrive, including Georgia’s state reptile and keystone species, the Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus), and Orianne’s flagship species, the federally-threatened Eastern Indigo Snake (Drymarchon couperi).
But restoring habitat on the OISP is an involved process that takes thoughtful, strategic preparation on a daily basis. Applying prescribed fire, for example, requires in-depth preparation including training staff properly, purchasing safety gear to protect them, meeting with landowners and partners regularly, checking the weather, and prepping fire lines—all before any burning can begin. We also must purchase necessities like fuel for equipment, and we collect seeds and purchase seedlings to plant on primed tracts of land. All of these daily activities are the vital elements that make our land restoration and preservation successful.
We need your help to keep the gears turning for our Sandhill Habitat Preservation efforts—our goal is to raise $,5000 by June 30. We can do a lot with just a little—like burning an entire acre for just $20 in fuel costs—but we can’t do it without your support.
Our land management team is dedicated to restoring this ecosystem and has been successful, but we can do so much more with you as part of our team.
Benefits to the Land and Wildlife
The sandhill ecosystem of the Coastal Plain of Georgia was formed millions of years ago when winds distributed the sands within dense forests. Longleaf Pines, Wiregrass, Three-awn Grass, Turkey Oak and other vegetation are characteristic of the sandhill ecosystem. But since historic times, Longleaf Pine has declined by 98% which has altered historic habitat, affecting the wildlife that relies on these landscapes. Many of the birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians endemic to the area are now of special concern, threatened or endangered because their habitats are dwindling.
Eastern Indigo Snakes, Orianne’s flagship species, rely on our land preservation activities that maintain habitat within their range. The acreage we refer to when talking about these activities translates into critical habitat for Indigos and our other focal species. Let’s take the 2,601 acres of the OISP owned by The Orianne Society: this area supports dozens of Indigos and approximately 300 adult Gopher Tortoises at any given time. Just one adult male Indigo Snake can call up to 3,000 acres its home range, and females use up to a few hundred acres each. A five-acre area on the preserve can be vital as a hot spot for Indigos to come together for breeding. And a Gopher Tortoise burrow provides shelter for wintering, breeding and protection for Indigos and many other species like Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnakes, Gopher Frogs, Florida Pine Snakes, insects, quail, mice, rabbits and burrowing owls. So when we discuss land preservation, we are discussing the survival of hundreds of species of wildlife that need well-maintained acreage to thrive.
We work with a variety of partner agencies—such as the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, The Nature Conservancy and the Longleaf Alliance—as well as private landowners to achieve our land management goals, ultimately benefiting wildlife and their habitats in a more impactful, successful way.
How to Help
Contribute by choosing a level to the right of this page.
Spread the word online—ask your friends to join you in supporting our Sandhill Habitat Preservation project.
Are you part of a forestry or wildlife-related club? Join as a fundraiser by clicking the green button to the right of this page, set a goal, and ask your club members to support this project by contributing and/or spreading the word. (You can do this as an individual if you’re not part of a club, too!)
Volunteer your time by collecting seed, maintaining roads and more. For more information about volunteering, please email us at [email protected].
Want to Learn More?
Our land management activities fall within our Fire Forest Initiative which focuses on the Altamaha River Corridor landscape and several focal species: the Eastern Indigo Snake, Gopher Tortoise, Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake and Spotted Turtle. You can learn more about each of these and how your support helps them at www.oriannesociety.org/fire-forest-initiative.
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