ATLANTA, Aug. 15, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern
Company, in partnership with the National Fish and Wildlife
Foundation and other public and private partners, have awarded over
$5.5 million in grants to 24
community-led projects that will support, restore and enhance the
longleaf ecosystem. The grants include $2.2
million in funding for 10 projects across Alabama, Georgia, Florida and Mississippi, which are home to Southern
Company's retail electric-utility subsidiaries. These projects are
also strategically-located for longleaf pine conservation in areas
including military bases, national forests and national wildlife
areas.
The grants are a part of NFWF's Longleaf Stewardship Fund, a
landmark public-private partnership that includes the U.S.
Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service,
the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, Southern Company, International Paper's
Forestland Stewards partnership, Altria Group, American
Forest Foundation's Southern Woods
for At-Risk Wildlife Initiative and Louis
Bacon's Orton Foundation which is an affiliate of The Moore
Charitable Foundation.
Longleaf Stewardship Fund projects will restore more than 13,300
acres and enhance more than 270,000 additional acres of longleaf
pine habitat across the historic longleaf range. The projects
supported by Southern Company will impact more than 199,000 acres,
of which 6,100 acres will be newly planted longleaf pine.
"We're pleased to play a role in restoring a remarkably diverse
ecosystem that is deeply connected to the culture and economic
growth of our region," said Southern Company Environmental and
System Planning Vice President Jeff
Burleson. "Through the landscape-scale conservation approach
of the Longleaf Stewardship Fund, a wide range of plants and
wildlife that depend on this critical habitat will benefit."
The Longleaf Stewardship Fund builds on the success of the
Longleaf Legacy program, a partnership between Southern Company and
NFWF, which for eight years invested more than $8.7 million in projects to restore more than
87,000 acres of longleaf pine forest and the native species that
rely on the habitat. Another 20,000 acres were restored through the
company's closely aligned Power of Flight program with NFWF. To
date, the longleaf pine forest has increased from 3 million acres
to a projected 4.7 million acres.
"The longleaf pine is an iconic and beloved tree throughout most
of the South, and the forests these trees anchor represent some of
our nation's richest areas of biodiversity", said Jeff Trandahl, executive director and CEO at
NFWF. "Restoring these vital habitats at such a large scale could
not be done without the cooperation and support of private
landowners, federal agencies, military installations, private
corporations like Southern Company, and a coalition of conservation
organizations."
The 2017 Longleaf Stewardship Fund projects supported by
Southern Company include:
The Fort Stewart-Altamaha Longleaf Partnership
(Georgia) – The Longleaf Alliance
will coordinate with partners to establish 140 acres of longleaf
pine, treat an additional 21,600 acres with prescribed fire, and
build a network of public and private landowners focused on native
groundcover restoration through prescribed burns, native seed
collection and planting. This project will improve habitat for the
gopher tortoise and other longleaf-dependent species on public and
private lands within close proximity to Fort Stewart and Townsend Bombing Range.
The Okefenokee – Osceola Local Implementation Team
(Georgia/Florida) – The Nature Conservancy,
Georgia will coordinate with
partners to establish 2,574 acres of longleaf pine and improve
management of an additional 27,880 acres of existing longleaf
habitat on public and private lands. Project will continue training
young people living below the poverty level to serve on longleaf
restoration teams, build prescribed fire capacity, and educate
private landowners through a prescribed fire manager certification
session, two landowner workshops and a longleaf academy.
Tall Timbers Research, Inc. (Georgia/Florida) and partners will install artificial
nest cavities and translocate 25 red-cockaded woodpeckers (RCWs) on
private lands in the Red Hills region of Florida and Georgia. Project will treat more than 38,000
acres of existing longleaf with prescribed fire to improve and
maintain forage and nesting habitat for translocated RCWs.
The Talladega Mountain Longleaf Conservation Partnership
(Alabama/Georgia) – The Nature Conservancy,
Alabama will coordinate with
partners to establish 447 acres of longleaf pine and improve 17,700
acres of existing longleaf habitat with prescribed fire on public
and private lands with the support of a seasonal fire crew. Project
will develop a conservation plan to prioritize and guide future
restoration and conduct outreach to engage private landowners to
restore longleaf pine.
The Forest Landowners Association (Alabama/Florida/Georgia) will establish or enhance 2,000 acres
of longleaf pine habitat and host Forest Forums and Timber Talks to
bring together landowners, USFWS and other key stakeholders.
Project will engage large working forest landowners and forest
consultants in key longleaf pine priority areas to increase
communication and identify specific actions for addressing barriers
to longleaf restoration.
The Appalachicola Regional Stewardship Alliance
(Florida) – The Nature
Conservancy, Florida will
coordinate with partners to establish 862 acres of longleaf pine
and improve more than 25,000 acres of existing longleaf habitat
through the use of prescribed fire and planting of native
groundcover on public and private lands. Project will benefit
Tyndall Air Force Base, improving habitat both on and off base for
numerous wildlife species including the eastern indigo snake, a
federally-threatened species, as well as the gopher tortoise and
Bachman's sparrow.
The Gulf Coastal Plain Ecosystem Partnership
(Alabama/Florida) – The Longleaf Alliance will
coordinate with partners to establish 333 acres of longleaf pine
and improve an additional 55,350 acres of existing longleaf habitat
through prescribed fire and private landowner outreach and
technical assistance. Project will translocate 140 gopher
tortoises, a candidate species for possible listing under the
Endangered Species Act, to high-quality, managed land and provide
technical assistance and educational opportunities for private
landowners, including a Longleaf Academy.
The Longleaf Alliance, Inc. (Alabama/Florida/Georgia/Mississippi) and partners will translocate 60
red-cockaded woodpeckers (RCWs) to properties designated as
recovery sites by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Project will
manage and improve 6,000 acres of longleaf pine forest, providing
high quality habitat for RCW nesting and foraging.
The Alabama Wildlife Federation (Alabama) will provide technical assistance,
outreach, and information to private landowners, contractors, and
resource professionals to establish or enhance grassland habitat
throughout Alabama. Project will
increase awareness of the ecological value of native grassland
habitat, foster a collaborative environment among project partners
and restore 3,000 acres of grassland habitat for northern bobwhite
quail and other grassland birds.
The DeSoto-Camp Shelby Longleaf Implementation
Team (Mississippi) – The
Nature Conservancy, Mississippi
will coordinate with partners to establish more than 745 acres of
longleaf pine and enhance an additional 2,500 acres of existing
longleaf habitat with prescribed fire on private lands to benefit
several rare species including the gopher tortoise, black pine
snake and dusky gopher frog. Project will engage 850 private
landowners through outreach and technical assistance and enroll 12
new landowners in stewardship programs.
About Southern Company
Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is America's premier energy company,
with 46,000 megawatts of generating capacity and 1,500 billion
cubic feet of combined natural gas consumption and throughput
volume serving 9 million customers through its subsidiaries. The
company provides clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy
through electric operating companies in four states, natural gas
distribution companies in seven states, a competitive generation
company serving wholesale customers across America and a nationally
recognized provider of customized energy solutions, as well as
fiber optics and wireless communications. Southern Company brands
are known for excellent customer service, high reliability and
affordable prices that are below the national average. Through an
industry-leading commitment to innovation, Southern Company and its
subsidiaries are inventing America's energy future by developing
the full portfolio of energy resources, including carbon-free
nuclear, 21st century coal, natural gas, renewables and energy
efficiency, and creating new products and services for the benefit
of customers. Southern Company has been named by the U.S.
Department of Defense and G.I. Jobs
magazine as a top military employer, recognized among the Top 50
Companies for Diversity by DiversityInc, listed by Black Enterprise
magazine as one of the 40 Best Companies for Diversity and
designated a Top Employer for Hispanics by Hispanic Network. The
company has earned a National Award of Nuclear Science and History
from the National Atomic Museum Foundation for its leadership and
commitment to nuclear development and is continually ranked among
the top energy companies in Fortune's annual World's Most Admired
Electric and Gas Utility rankings. Visit our website at
www.southerncompany.com.
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