Georgia Ecological Services Field Office

10/01/2025

Due to the federal government shutdown, this account is not being actively updated.
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Operations in the Absence of Appropriations

09/24/2025

Through the 💪 power of partnerships, the Georgia Gopher Tortoise Conservation Initiative has reached its goal: Permanently protecting 65 viable populations of our state reptile! 🏞️🤝
This work helped:
📝Keep GA gopher tortoises off the U.S. Endangered Species list, avoiding red tape and economic impacts.
🌳Conserve 1,000s of acres for people and wildlife.
🔑Restore a keystone species: Tortoise burrows in south GA provide refuge for over 300 species. 🐍🐸🪳🌱
Thank you to our partners USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, USFWS Southeast Region, The Nature Conservancy in Georgia, and U.S. Army Garrison Fort Benning
Learn more about this 🏆conservation collaboration at the 🔗 in the comments!

09/05/2025

🦋 Butterflies Are Booming at Piedmont! Back in 1994, just nine biologists took part in the first North American Butterfly Association 4th of July Count at Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge and Rum Creek WMA. This August, three times as many joined the 32nd annual count—and recorded an incredible 3,188 butterflies across 60 species!

This growth in both butterflies and biologists highlights the power of long-term data collection and thoughtful land management. Each count tells a story of how Piedmont’s habitat restoration supports pollinator health and biodiversity across Georgia.

📊 Conservation works when we count what matters.

08/04/2025

Conservation in Action for Tennessee Yellow-eyed Grass!

Last week, Mincy Moffett, Jim Bates, and Morgan Harris teamed up with Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to meet with two private landowners who host populations of the endangered Tennessee Yellow-eyed Grass (Xyris tennessensis)—a rare wetland plant found almost exclusively on private lands in Georgia.

They discussed conservation incentive programs like Partners for Fish & Wildlife, DNR Private Lands, and Farm Bill initiatives to help protect these sensitive habitats.

🏞️ Shropshire Springs holds Georgia’s largest and highest-quality population, but faces threats from land-use changes. 🌊 Clear Creek has seen a 30-year decline due to unrestricted cattle access.

Efforts are underway to encourage sustainable land management—like seasonal mowing and streamside fencing—to safeguard this unique species.

💚 Collaboration with landowners is key to keeping Georgia’s rare plants thriving!

07/07/2025

🦅 The national bird is still soaring strong in Georgia!

This year’s bald eagle surveys by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources zeroed in on the southern part of the state—and while nesting numbers hovered around average, our skies are still full of promise. Out of 176 active nests, 127 successfully fledged an estimated 190 eaglets into the world! 🌤️🪶

https://georgiawildlife.com/survey-eagle-nesting-steadfast-south-georgia?utm_campaign=&utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term=

04/07/2025

🌱 Conservation in action! USFWS Botanist Mincy Moffett & Lisa Kruse with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources teamed up with the Georgia Plant Conservation Alliance to restore 10 vital seeps at Ohoopee Dunes WMA, thanks to a USFWS Coastal Program grant.

This impressive effort targeted 12 plant species of conservation concern, including Wireleaf Dropseed, Purple Honeycomb Head, Georgia Bully, and a variety of pitcherplants. The latest workday involved controlling woody competition with hand tools and prescribed fire, followed by outplanting 150 Sweet Pitcherplants and 50 Parrot Pitcherplants. 🌾✨

🌟 Protecting Georgia’s rare plants, one restoration at a time!

11/26/2024

“Encountering a monarch is akin to seeing an Olympic athlete to me,” USFWS Biologist Meg Hedeen says. “The skills and determination it takes to accomplish amazing things always comes to mind when a monarch flutters by.”
But even the monarch, which carries so much admiration, can face difficulties.
Monarch butterflies need a variety of habitats to breed, feed, and rest during migration. Urban development, habitat conversion, and use of pesticides and herbicides all make the journey more challenging.
Learn how the Service is joining together with partners to shape a hopeful future for this special species: https://ow.ly/wj2J50Ug9Ki

📸Renee Bodine/USFWS

Daphne, Alabama -- In the heart of a small Alabama town, locals can explore Daphne Middle School's Butterfly Garden Exhibit. Filled with stunning firewheels, yellow daisies and milkweed, Principal Kerry Edwards knew the project would be a huge success for students, teachers and nature-lovers alike.....

11/14/2024

Must read story! Unraveling the Mysteries of the Alligator Snapping Turtle: Innovations in Conservation

Cutting-edge research and technology guides scientists to protect and understand these ancient creatures, ensuring their survival in a changing world

Deep in the soggiest, undisclosed corners of the American wilderness, a Mississippi biologist and other researchers trapped and released hundreds of hulking dino-like alligator snapping turtles in the spring and summer of 2024. Fish and Wildlife Biologist Luke Pearson, the turtle expert studying thi...

11/08/2024

A diverse, young crew of wildland firelighters shares their journey in the challenging field of prescribed fire and reflects on the importance of environmental conservation.

From Florida and Georgia’s Red Hills to the Everglades, and throughout the Southeast, fire is a critical tool for scientists and land managers: to manage wildlife…

10/30/2024

A Georgia wildlife corridor is for the birds, bats, and more! 🦇
You’d think bats and birds wouldn’t need contiguous, conserved lands with their ability to fly over roadways and subdivisions to find suitable habitat. But avian, migrating creatures need safe passageways around sprawling cities, tall buildings, wind turbines, and predators. They need forests, caves, culverts, or mines to roost. And, bats in particular, oftentimes seek out the same, safe wintering spots year after year.
A burgeoning wildlife corridor stretches from Atlanta’s western suburbs to the Talladega National Forest in Alabama, a 30-mile stretch of public and private lands where deer, bear, at-risk bats, and federally endangered fish have more room to roam, and more chances to survive.
The Dugdown Mountain Corridor is coming together as one of Georgia’s most critical wild animal pathways.
Learn more about how animals are using the corridor: https://ow.ly/9e5250TWBX2

A Georgia wildlife corridor is for the birds, bats, and more! 🦇

You’d think bats and birds wouldn’t need contiguous, conserved lands with their ability to fly over roadways and subdivisions to find suitable habitat. But avian, migrating creatures need safe passageways around sprawling cities, tall buildings, wind turbines, and predators. They need forests, caves, culverts, or mines to roost. And, bats in particular, oftentimes seek out the same, safe wintering spots year after year.

A burgeoning wildlife corridor stretches from Atlanta’s western suburbs to the Talladega National Forest in Alabama, a 30-mile stretch of public and private lands where deer, bear, at-risk bats, and federally endangered fish have more room to roam, and more chances to survive.

The Dugdown Mountain Corridor is coming together as one of Georgia’s most critical wild animal pathways.

Learn more about how animals are using the corridor: https://ow.ly/9e5250TWBX2



📸Tri-colored bat by Gary Peeples/USFWS

10/26/2024

Bat houses, activate!

The Weaver Cave Preserve in Anniston now boasts seven new artificial bat roosts, courtesy of a partnership between the Georgia-Alabama Land Trust and Alabama Power and funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services Partners Program and a grant from the Alabama Power Foundation!!!!

The Weaver Cave Preserve in Anniston now boasts seven new artificial bat roosts, courtesy of a partnership between the Georgia-Alabama Land Trust and Alabama Power and funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services Partners Program and a grant from the Alabama Power Foundation. On Wednesday, represen...

08/30/2024

Seeds to the rescue!!!!

An ongoing federally-funded project is dedicated to creating a native seed network to help with natural disasters in Georgia.

How???

Check it out!! 👇👇

Native plants provide green infrastructure that is critical for emergency preparedness and food security.