2020

Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay in Georgia received a $5 million 2020 REPI Challenge Award to acquire an easement on 16,000 acres to, among other actions, protect, restore, and manage habitat for threatened, endangered, and at-risk species such as the gopher tortoise, eastern indigo snake, and woodstork.

The Longleaf Partnership Council met virtually with the greater longleaf conservation community in October to discuss updates and impacts to longleaf pine restoration efforts.  The theme of the latest meeting, “Giving Longleaf Its Moment”, encouraged new and innovative ways to acknowledge and celebrate the iconic species and ecosystem outside of in person festivities!

NFWF recently released the 2021 Request for Proposals for the Longleaf Landscape Stewardship Fund, inviting all interested to submit applications for project grants that restore, enhance, and maintain the longleaf pine ecosystem on private and public lands, as well as support bottomland hardwood restoration and enhancement in focal areas of Texas, Louisiana, North Carolina, and South Carolina.  This year, projects that help improve the understanding and quantification of the carbon and water benefits of longleaf pine and bottomland hardwood restoration and enhancement are of particular interest.  An informational webinar will be held on Wednesday, December 2, 2020, at 3:00pm Eastern and all proposals are due by 11:59pm (Eastern Time) on Thursday, February 4, 2021.

From nighttime burning in Georgia to storm cleanup in Louisiana and youth education in South Carolina, check out what the local implementation teams have been up to this Fall!

The USFWS announced a proposal to change the status of the red-cockaded woodpecker from endangered to threatened under the Endangered Species Act. This will be published in the Federal Register, opening a 60-day public comment period.

The proposal comes from the many years of conservation actions undertaken by federal, state, and private partners to resurrect the RCW and its preferred longleaf pine habitat. ALRI is referenced in the announcement due to the collaborative efforts to restore the longleaf pine in the Southeastern landscape.

Meeting in the time of COVID-19!  Though things looked a little different this year, the Longleaf Partnership Council was still able to join together virtually this summer to discuss progress in ALRI’s efforts to restore longleaf pine and a variety of other topics.

Despite setbacks and limitations due to COVID-19, the local implementation teams, ALRI's boots-on-the-ground, were persistent in their efforts to further longleaf pine restoration. Read about all the work they've been up to this Spring and Summer!

The Sentinel Landscapes Partnership released their 2020 accomplishments report outlining the Partnership's land conservation and natural resource restoration projects that strengthen military readiness, bolster agricultural and forestry productivity, conserve natural resources, and increase access to recreational opportunities.

Three of the seven Sentinel Landscapes occur in the longleaf pine range: Georgia, Eastern North Carolina, and Avon Park Air Force Range.  Read more about each of those Sentinel Landscapes and connections to longleaf pine in the report.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) today released its new 5-year plan to conserve the Southeast’s threatened gopher tortoise by focusing on the conservation and restoration of its key habitat―longleaf pine forests, and fire will play a leading role in the efforts. The initiative has already conserved 274,302 acres of gopher tortoise habitat since 2017, and the new plan’s goal is to conserve an additional 975,687 acres by the end of 2024. The gopher tortoise is one of nine species to represent the USDA’s premier wildlife conservation program―Working Lands for Wildlife (WLFW).

The 2020 Sentinel Landscapes Accomplishment Report released today describes the work done to strengthen military readiness and protect the environment by a partnership that includes the Defense Department, the Agriculture and Interior departments, state and local governments, and nongovernmental organizations.

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Longleaf Stewardship Fund awarded 23 grants totaling $5.6 million to restore, enhance, and protect longleaf pine forests in the Southeast.  With non-federal matching contributions of $6.9 million, a total of $12.5 million will go towards an impressive longleaf ecosystem conservation impact!

Private landowners like Joseph McKinney are a vital piece of the ALRI success story. By utilizing NRCS cost share and technical assistance programs and working with local partners, Mr. McKinney is bringing back the majestic longleaf pine to his land and leaving a legacy for future generations.

The Longleaf Partnership Council is pleased to announce a new communications fact sheet emphasizing the benefits of longleaf pine during windstorms such as hurricanes and tornadoes.  

The 2019 Range-wide Accomplishment Report shines the spotlight on achievements in longleaf pine restoration activities over the past year and encourages further collaboration among partners in a push to reach our goal of 8 million acres of longleaf pine across the range.

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation has released the a Request for Proposals for the development of a longleaf pine growth and yield model.  The deadline for proposals is Thursday, April 30th. 

The Texas Longleaf Implementation Team has created a photo gallery of groundcover plants of longleaf forests.  These species can be found in wet longleaf pine forests and upland pine forests/woodlands in East Texas.  The photo gallery is an ongoing project so check back for updates!

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service recently released the Longleaf Pine Ecosystem Restoration FY20-24 Implementation Strategy! The five-year strategy provides guidance on restoring, improving, and maintaining longleaf pine forests in the Southeast U.S.

The Sentinel Landscapes Partnership will premiere “The Sentinels” on March 13^th during the D.C. Environmental Film Festival.

Find out why current Longleaf Partnership Council Chair Tiffany Woods is excited to be involved in longleaf restoration and the ALRI mission!

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation has released the 2020 Request for Proposals for the Resilient Communities program.  This national program supports projects that focus on enhancing healthy forest ecosystems.  The deadline for pre-proposals is Tuesday, February 18th. 

The Sentinel Landscapes Partnership has released a new Interactive Landowner Resources Tool.  The goal for this product is to make it easier for landowners to find voluntary state and federal landowner assistance programs and can be found on the redesigned Sentinel Landscapes website.