Listed Species in Evans County
(updated May 2004)

SpeciesFederal StatusState StatusHabitatThreats
Bird 
Red-cockaded woodpecker

Picoides borealis
EENest in mature pine with low understory vegetation (<1.5m); forage in pine and pine hardwood stands > 30 years of age, preferably > 10" dbhReduction of older age pine stands and   encroachment of hardwood midstory in older age pine stands due to fire suppression
Wood stork 

Mycteria americana
EEPrimarily feed in fresh and brackish wetlands and nest in cypress or other wooded swamps.Decline due primarily to loss of suitable feeding habitat, particularly in south Florida. Other factors include loss of nesting habitat, prolonged drought/flooding, raccoon predation on nests, and human disturbance of rookeries.
Reptile 
Eastern indigo snake

Drymarchon corais couperi
TTDuring winter, den in xeric sandridge habitat preferred by gopher tortoises; during warm months, forage in creek bottoms, upland forests, and agricultural fields Habitat loss due to uses such as farming, construction, forestry, and pasture and to overcollecting for the pet trade
Gopher tortoise

Gopherus polyphemus

No Federal StatusTWell-drained, sandy soils in forest and grassy areas; associated with pine overstory, open understory with grass and forb groundcover, and sunny areas for nestingHabitat loss and conversion to closed canopy forests. Other threats include mortality on highways and the collection of tortoises for pets.
Amphibian 
Flatwoods salamander

Ambystoma
cingulatum
TTAdults and subadults are fossorial; found in open mesic pine/wiregrass flatwoods dominated by longleaf or slash pine and maintained by frequent fire. During breeding period, which coincides with heavy rains from Oct.-Dec., move to isolated, shallow, small, depressions (forested with emergent vegetation) that dry completely on a cyclic basis. Active breeding sites found in Evans County since 1990. Habitat destruction as a result of agricultural an silvicultural practices (e.g., clearclutting, mechanical site preparation), fire suppresion and residential and commercial development.
Plant 
Georgia plume

Elliottia racemosa
No Federal StatusTSand ridges, dry oak ridges, evergreen hammocks, and sandstone outcrops in a variety of sandy soil conditions ranging from moist to very dry  
Pondspice

Litsea aestivalis

No Federal StatusTMargins of swamps, cypress ponds, and sandhill depression ponds and in hardwood swamps