The eastern black rail has declined throughout much of its range and was added to the federal endangered species list as a threatened subspecies during 2020

This federal Project Grant award from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund (CFDA 15.615) provides $151,655.72 to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources to monitor the status of the threatened Eastern Black Rail in coastal South Carolina and promote targeted habitat management to benefit the species. The grant will fund complete call and response surveys on SCDNR properties where prior Black Rail detections have occurred, coordinate with SCDNR biologists to refine habitat management approaches, and intensively monitor habitat conditions and Black Rail presence/breeding status on properties where targeted management is underway. Additionally, the grant will support habitat management for the endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker on SCDNR-managed Wildlife Management Areas and private lands enrolled in the Safe Harbor program. The award period runs from October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2025.

Coastal south carolina currently supports a substantial proportion of the black rails on the atlantic coast of the united states. South carolina encompasses more acres of coastal marshes than any other atlantic coast state including approximately 70000 acres of impounded tidal wetlands. Black rails in south carolina utilize high elevation areas of managed tidal marsh impoundments as well as unimpounded high elevation tidal marsh. We plan to monitor the status of black rails in coastal south carolina during the 2025 breeding season and promote and assist with targeted habitat management to benefit black rails on scdnr properties and monitor the outcomes of targeted habitat management efforts to inform the refinement of management approaches during subsequent years and in additional wetlands. This includes complete call and response surveys on properties where substantial numbers of black rail detections have occurred during recent years and coordination with scdnr biologists to incorporate and refine targeted habitat management for black rails on properties where potentially suitable habitat is available. Provide management guidance based on knowledge of black rail ecology and habitat requirements and on monitoring data collected during prior years and intensively monitor habitat conditions and the presence and breeding status of black rails in wetlands on scdnr properties where targeted habitat management is planned or underway. The red cockaded woodpecker is a key indicator species for the restoration and recovery of the imperiled longleaf pine ecosystem. This project will focus on habitat management for rcws on private lands through the safe harbor program and state owned wildlife management areas. We plan to consult with interested landowners located in the historic RCW range whose properties qualify for the safe harbor program and focus on enrolling properties that contain active woodpecker clusters. We will evaluate sites in person when IT is not economically feasible for the landowner to retain a consultant and review site evaluation forms. We will inspect all properties to ensure compliance with the safe harbor agreements and develop and execute agreements. We will provide any follow up consultations needed to initiate management under the agreements and assist scdnr property managers in monitoring and habitat management for RCW.