State Implementation Teams Update

1. State Implementation Teams Update Bonnie Stine Longleaf Partnership Council Meeting Charleston, South Carolina October 22, 2013

2. Current State Teams • North Carolina • South Carolina • Georgia • Florida • Alabama • Mississippi • Texas/Louisiana • Virginia

3. Longleaf Accomplishment Report • Most State Coordination Teams indicate that a good portion of activity since our last meeting has centered around the accomplishment report. • Deadline has been extended to end of month to complete and submit reports due to government shutdown. • Glen Gaines will provide update later this afternoon.

4. North Carolina Team Leads Susan Miller – US Fish and Wildlife Service Activities • Currently working on collection of data for the accomplishment report. • An exploratory meeting between the NC Sandhills Conservation Partnership and the SC Sandhills Longleaf Pine Conservation Partnership was held on July 10th to discuss the potential for cross-border coordination aimed at the eventual linking of these two conservation landscapes along the Fall line Sandhills. • The NC Longleaf Coalition (NCLC) and NC Prescribed Fire Council (NCPFC) held a joint meeting in Wilmington on August 27th and field tour to Orton Plantation on August 28th. The meeting was well attended by approximately 175 persons folks. • Phil Wallace with the NC Forest Service is a Longleaf Conservation Specialist working through a contract with NRCS to help facilitate implementation of Farm Bill contracts in a timely manner. Phil helps match up private contractors with landowners to get work done. Main focus is prescribed burning, and implementation of longleaf contracts implemented (WHIP, EQIP, CRP). • The NC Forest Service received an Atlantic Coast Longleaf Initiative Grant which helped fund the Longleaf 101 workshop, provided support for the joint meeting of the NCLC and NCPFC, is supporting an effort to create an updated web-based longleaf GIS model, and providing support for meetings between VA and NC to help support restoration of longleaf in its Northern range.

5. South Carolina Team Lead Russell Hubright – SC Forestry Commission Activities • Coordination activities mainly included accomplishment information gathering. • The Sandhillls Longleaf Pine Conservation Partnership held a landowner workshop this summer and also hosted a Certified Prescribed Fire Manager workshop.  • The Sewee Longleaf Conservation Cooperative has held several meetings and is in the process of initiating a cost-share program for private landowners in the Charleston area.

6. Georgia Team Leads Reggie Thackston – GA DNR Wildlife Resources Division Scott Griffin - GA Forestry Commission Activities • There are over 10 organizations that comprise the Georgia state team.

7. Florida Team Lead Bonnie Stine – FL Forest Service Activities • Several Local Implementation Teams are forming this year with additional NFWF funds. The Okefenokee/Osceola Local Implementation Team has hired a coordinator, Alan Dozier, and their next meeting is November 6. Other teams have formed around the Ocala and Apalachicola National Forests. • Florid Forest Service Foresters completed the field collection portion of the longleaf pine ecosystem rapid assessment that includes condition of overstory, mid-story and ground cover. This assessment protocol was developed by the Florida Natural Areas Inventory and will provide the first qualitative geospatial information regarding current statewide longleaf conditions. Draft document is under review and final report is expected in December.

8. Alabama Team Leads Hank McKinley – Alabama Forestry Commission Ad Platt – Longleaf Alliance Tim Albritton – USDA NRCS Activities • ALERT (Alabama Longleaf Ecosystem Restoration Team) Update. – Hank McKinley

9. Mississippi Team Lead Jim Hancock – MS Forestry Commission Activities • The Mississippi State Coordination Team has organized workgroups that includes Media/Outreach, Economics, Reforestation, Ecosystem Implementation, and Research. The team’s most recent meeting was September 12. Various entities reported out and there was additional discussion regarding accomplishment reporting. • The team’s next meeting is scheduled for December 5 and will discuss working group workshop updates and Restore Act opportunities.

10. Texas/Louisiana Team Leads • Todd Nightingale – Texas Co-Chair, TX Forest Service • Rick Jacob Louisiana Co-Chair, The Nature Conservancy • Luke Lewis – National Wild Turkey Federation Activities • LLP landowner field day- Tuesday May 21st in Jasper, TX &  Thursday, May 23rd in Natchitoches Parish on the Kisatchie Ranger District.The state taskforce leaderships both executed landowner events in each state during May.  These field tours had expert speakers including Longleaf Alliance staff.  Events included multiple stops on private and public lands to demonstrate to private landowners the value of the Longleaf ecosystem and how it can be incorporated into the management on their properties.  Attendance was well over 120 at each event. • Longleaf Reporting Project Conference Call  The taskforce leadership held multiple conference calls in May to inform the partners on the reporting process and how they could participate.  The report from each state will be combined and forwarded to the partnership council to help represent the overall accomplishments for the entire range.  This effort builds on the estimates created last year of current acreage and condition. • Taskforce Steering Committee Meeting  The taskforce leadership held a meeting in Zwolle, LA to report and plan for upcoming events.

11. Virginia Team Leads Todd Edgerton – VA Division of Forestry Brian Van Eerden – The Nature Conservancy Activities • No formal report.

12. In Conclusion…. Next steps – • Complete submissions of state accomplishments • Review draft Range-wide Performance Report