St. Johns River Water Management District

News Release

nr09-036

Volunteer photographer recognized with Bob Owens Award

PALATKA, Fla., June 9, 2009 - Danny Bales, a volunteer photographer who has been instrumental in the monitoring of the endangered red-cockaded woodpeckers, was recognized today by the St. Johns River Water Management District's Governing Board with its 2009 Bob Owens Award.

To properly plan for prescribed burning, tree planting and other management activities at Hal Scott Regional Preserve and Park in Orange County, it is essential to know in which trees the red-cockaded woodpeckers live. District staff are charged with monitoring the birds, and Bales, of Titusville, has made the District's work easier by photographing every red-cockaded woodpecker at Hal Scott. The birds can be distinguished by the colored bands that each one has on its legs, but to get absolute identification, staff must be able to see the entire leg band combination on each leg.

"All of the woodpeckers look the same, so the only way to tell them apart is to get close enough to see the leg bands," said Maria Zondervan, a senior land resource planner for the District. "Most people use high-powered spotting scopes to see those leg bands, but Danny uses his camera. He is an amazingly gifted photographer."

The photos that Bales takes help District staff know exactly how many birds are on the preserve at any given time, as well as know family composition, exactly which tree each bird roosts in at night, which tree each family uses for nesting, and how many young were produced and survived.

Other 2009 Bob Owens Award recipients are Mark Miller of Apopka and John Fergus of Satellite Beach.

The annual District award is named for the late Bob Owens of Ormond Beach, a vocal supporter of environmental programs who attended nearly every District Governing Board meeting from the mid-1970s until his death in 1991.

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