Wood Storks (Mycteria americana) are important wetland indicators and are listed as Endangered in the southeastern United States. This project was designed to update the nesting dataset for storks, and to help establish criteria for identifying and prioritizing existing and future Wood Stork colony habitat. In this research, we examined possible criteria by comparing attributes of Wood Stork colonies (e.g., vegetation, physiographic, land use, and hydrological characteristics) that lasted many years, with those that winked out after only a few years, using an occupancy analysis framework. With a 41-year record of colonies history, our goal was to make the resulting data and GIS information directly usable by permitting, conservation and land planning agencies, NGOs, and others interested in Wood Stork conservation. |