The red knot (calidris canutus) was recently federally listed and utilizes SC intertidal habitats during its annual migrations

The Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Region 4 awarded a $121,500 Cooperative Agreement under the Endangered Species Recovery Implementation Program (CFDA 15.657) to the Natural Resources South Carolina Department. The project aims to apply new genetic tools and reanalyze existing datasets to identify optimal foraging habitat characteristics for the federally listed red knot shorebird along the South Carolina coast. The project team will work with stakeholders to develop a habitat assessment tool, which will support efforts to protect endangered species and manage coastal habitats impacted by sea level rise, coastal development, and declining shorebird populations. This project aligns with priorities outlined in the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's business plan and the draft recovery plan for the rufa red knot.

As with many shorebirds, this species has exhibited population declines in recent years, and this is believed to result from impacts to migratory habitats, which provide essential nutrition for their long migration. Recent collaborative research between the SC department of natural resources and the US fish and wildlife service has established linkages between benthic prey abundance and foraging activity along SC beaches. However, most of these projects focused on determining impacts from shoreline modification, rather than quantifying habitat characteristics. The proposed project seeks to apply new genetic tools and reanalyze these datasets to identify a suite of prey needs and optimal foraging habitat characteristics. The project team will work with a stakeholder group to develop a habitat assessment tool for these species. This will be invaluable to those tasked with protecting endangered species and permitting coastal impacts as well as resource managers faced with managing beaches and intertidal habitats in the face of sea level rise, increasing coastal development and shoreline modifications, and declining shorebird populations. This project aligns with multiple program priorities outlined in the nfwf business plan (2018), targeted recovery units, and strategies outlined in the draft rufa red knot recovery plan (USFWS 2021).