WEBVTT 00:06.920 --> 00:09.380 The background of red cauc woodpeckers 00:09.390 --> 00:12.539 or RCW as we call them , they tend to 00:12.550 --> 00:15.579 occur in these more open pine forests 00:15.590 --> 00:18.170 in the Southeast . They also need kind 00:18.180 --> 00:20.347 of an open mid story like this , which 00:20.347 --> 00:22.459 is kept this way with fires . 00:22.469 --> 00:24.580 Historically , fires used to occur in 00:24.580 --> 00:27.799 these habitats every 1 to 3 years . So 00:27.809 --> 00:29.920 on base , we try to mimic that with a 00:29.920 --> 00:32.799 three year fire rotation . Uh Another 00:32.810 --> 00:34.921 thing that happens on base frequently 00:34.930 --> 00:37.689 is fires due to training , training 00:37.700 --> 00:39.700 starts a lot of fires on base , you 00:39.709 --> 00:42.169 know , fire , it beats back hardwoods . 00:42.180 --> 00:45.439 It also is uh beneficial to a lot of uh 00:45.450 --> 00:47.560 herbaceous layer plant species which 00:47.569 --> 00:50.799 are important for RCW ecology . The 00:50.810 --> 00:53.520 rcws are very unique . They're the only 00:53.529 --> 00:55.696 species of woodpecker in North America 00:55.729 --> 00:58.520 that actually utilizes live pine trees . 00:58.650 --> 01:01.490 They're a primary cavity excavator , 01:01.659 --> 01:03.639 they come in and they create this 01:03.650 --> 01:06.120 resource that ultimately gets utilized 01:06.129 --> 01:09.000 by tons of other species . And they're 01:09.010 --> 01:11.959 just fascinating group birds . A 01:11.989 --> 01:15.029 cluster is nomenclature that we use to 01:15.040 --> 01:18.650 indicate a grouping of red car of 01:18.660 --> 01:22.019 woodpecker , RCW cavity trees . Camp 01:22.029 --> 01:24.339 Lee's population is really unique in 01:24.349 --> 01:26.910 that it's been utilized over the 01:26.919 --> 01:30.500 decades for research in order to help 01:30.510 --> 01:33.720 expand rcws across the southeastern 01:33.730 --> 01:35.897 United States , a lot of that research 01:35.897 --> 01:39.165 has happened here . And so that's where 01:39.345 --> 01:41.845 part of what we do is continue 01:41.855 --> 01:44.555 collecting all of that data . So that 01:44.565 --> 01:46.787 if we have questions or you know , when 01:46.787 --> 01:48.843 questions come up in the future , we 01:48.843 --> 01:50.954 can look at our data and help to fill 01:50.954 --> 01:54.220 in holes for them to be able to 01:54.230 --> 01:56.440 excavate the cavity out of a living 01:56.449 --> 01:58.709 pine tree . The tree needs to be about 01:58.720 --> 02:01.629 60 to 80 years old . So typically , you 02:01.639 --> 02:04.099 will not see these birds outside of 02:04.110 --> 02:07.580 military bases now or state forests , 02:07.589 --> 02:11.309 national parks , places like that . So 02:11.319 --> 02:14.199 a restricted cluster has white paint 02:14.208 --> 02:18.169 bands . Um 200 ft out from the 02:18.179 --> 02:20.828 cavity trees and within that white 02:20.839 --> 02:23.108 buffer , that's around that cluster . 02:23.119 --> 02:25.230 Uh marines can only do certain things 02:25.230 --> 02:27.341 inside that cluster . You know , they 02:27.341 --> 02:29.397 can still walk through the cluster . 02:29.397 --> 02:31.452 They can do , they can fire blanks , 02:31.452 --> 02:33.848 they can dig hasty positions as long as 02:33.858 --> 02:35.858 they fill them back up . Um You can 02:35.858 --> 02:37.858 drive through a cluster or you just 02:37.858 --> 02:40.025 can't do stuff for extended periods of 02:40.025 --> 02:42.247 time . Uh More than a couple of hours , 02:42.247 --> 02:44.469 the blue bands in restricted sites will 02:44.469 --> 02:46.691 have a white band through the middle in 02:46.691 --> 02:48.858 those restricted sites . You know , we 02:48.858 --> 02:51.080 asked marines not to drive within 50 ft 02:51.080 --> 02:53.136 of cavity trees . So that helps them 02:53.136 --> 02:55.191 kind of stay 50 ft away . So for our 02:55.191 --> 02:59.182 process to ban nestlings as we 02:59.192 --> 03:01.593 monitor them until they get within the 03:01.602 --> 03:04.175 window , so that it's safe for us to go 03:04.186 --> 03:06.916 up and pull them out . Then we climb up 03:06.925 --> 03:09.246 the tree , we pull them out of their 03:09.255 --> 03:11.315 cavity , bring them back down to the 03:11.326 --> 03:14.195 ground , put color bands on them , 03:14.205 --> 03:16.372 which is a way for us . It's basically 03:16.372 --> 03:18.916 a visual name for each individual bird . 03:18.925 --> 03:21.065 So we can come out later with our 03:21.076 --> 03:23.436 spotting scopes and be able to identify 03:23.455 --> 03:26.776 an individual bird and know exactly who 03:26.785 --> 03:29.315 it is and what cluster did it come from . 03:29.326 --> 03:31.493 So it's like a first and last name for 03:31.493 --> 03:35.089 them . I love seeing the change over 03:35.100 --> 03:38.110 time and getting to be in a population , 03:38.119 --> 03:40.850 being able to watch groups that have 03:40.860 --> 03:42.860 appeared and established themselves 03:42.860 --> 03:44.971 while I was here are groups that I've 03:44.971 --> 03:46.916 worked on helping to establish and 03:46.916 --> 03:48.971 actually seeing them succeed is just 03:48.971 --> 03:50.971 really satisfying and watching this 03:50.971 --> 03:53.000 population grow . It's just been um 03:53.009 --> 03:56.979 amazing . Oh , yeah . E MD uh goal in 03:56.990 --> 03:59.220 support of the Red Car of Woodpeckers 03:59.229 --> 04:01.396 is , you know , to get to our recovery 04:01.396 --> 04:04.039 goal of 100 and 73 . And most likely 04:04.050 --> 04:06.050 we'll grow above that . Once we get 04:06.050 --> 04:08.217 there , we can take restrictions off . 04:09.529 --> 04:11.889 Well , without em , D's help the RCW 04:11.899 --> 04:13.880 population on Camp Lejeune would 04:13.889 --> 04:16.769 probably have stayed static . It's 04:16.779 --> 04:18.720 especially great to work on Camp 04:18.730 --> 04:20.841 Lejeune as a biologist . You know , I 04:20.841 --> 04:22.897 spend the mornings sometimes down on 04:22.897 --> 04:24.897 the beach doing sea turtle work and 04:24.897 --> 04:27.063 then in the afternoons up , up here in 04:27.063 --> 04:29.397 the uplands working with red , you know , 04:29.397 --> 04:31.397 woodpeckers . So , um , I don't , I 04:31.397 --> 04:33.563 don't know if I could ask for anything 04:33.563 --> 04:32.670 more than that .