A Bird Worth Saving, A Fresh Approach

Hello, my name is Matt Courtman. Thank you for taking the time to consider helping us save the magnificent, endangered jewel of America's deep swamp woods, the Ivory-billed Woodpecker. Saving the Ivorybill will be a difficult task requiring lots of hard work and money. It will require a long-term, full-time, public effort led by people who live in the areas where Ivorybills have been seen. My wife, Lauren, and I are organizing that effort. We urgently need your help to save the Ivorybill before it’s too late.

If we don't act swiftly and effectively, the entire species might vanish from the face of the Earth. Once gone, the Ivorybill would be gone forever. Future generations would be robbed of the chance to see these majestic birds in their breathtakingly beautiful forest home.

You might not care much about saving birds. If, however, you value hope, truth, and adventure, please consider supporting our cause. In these gloomy days of stress and strife, saving the Ivorybill would provide a bright ray of hope.

Saving the Ivorybill is a tough issue. Powerful forces want the Ivorybill declared extinct. As a result, a misinformation campaign has been launched to cloud the Ivorybill issue. Even highly experienced people who report that they have seen Ivorybills have ridicule and hostility heaped upon them for simply stating the truth. With your help, through effective public outreach and education, we can get the truth out about the Ivorybill: that it still exists and that it is worth saving.

In this digital age of artificial pursuits, exploring the exciting and daunting deep swamp woods where very few people tread will provide a unique adventure. If you join us for searches in the Ivorybill woods, you will have unforgettable outdoor experiences. Even if you can’t come along physically, you can participate in the adventure through our frequent updates full of vivid videos and photos. Also, this is a PUBLIC effort. If you have experience or knowledge that could help save the Ivorybill, we would be delighted if you joined us as an advisor.

The Ivorybill is an extraordinary bird. It is the iconic symbol of the wildness of the remote deep swamp woods where it lives. Larger than a crow, with piercing yellow eyes, a beautiful, bold feather pattern of black and white, and — of course — a big, gleaming white bill, the Ivorybill needs large, unbroken tracts of swamp woods to raise its young. Break up those woods, and you will doom the Ivorybill to extinction. Many fear that the pending U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposal to remove Endangered Species Act protection from the Ivorybill will break up those woods in a process called “fragmentation.” This would be catastrophic not only for the Ivorybill, but it would destroy our beautiful swamp woods.

I have studied the Ivorybill for over 50 years. When I was an eight-year-old boy in 1969, Dr. George Lowery let me hold actual Ivorybill specimens at the Louisiana State University Museum of Natural Science. Dr. Lowery’s long-ago, thoughtful act of kindness kindled in me a passion for the Ivorybill. On March 10, 2019, I saw a pair of Ivorybills in Louisiana’s Kisatchie National Forest. Knowing that Ivorybills still survived ignited my passion. I knew I had to do all I could to save the Ivorybill. Since that time, Lauren and I have made saving the Ivorybill our full-time pursuit.

After three years of being self-funded, we are launching this GoFundMe campaign to pay for the initial phases of what will be a five-year public mission to:

75% of funding 1) search for and document the Ivorybill; and,

25% of funding 2) engage and educate the public about the Ivorybill.

Our funding allocation for searching would go primarily to expenses, but we could also use some additional equipment, mainly game cameras and automated recording units. Public engagement and education funds would go to reward offers, website improvements, social media, and travel to give in-person talks.

To implement our plan, we have organized Mission Ivorybill. Focusing on Louisiana initially, we have conducted aerial surveys of the state to pinpoint the most promising Ivorybill habitat. Based on those surveys, we set a list of priority locations and launched our formal search on February 9, 2022, in Northeast Louisiana. So far, we have had searchers from eight states and Canada join us. The preliminary results are promising. We have had one possible sighting and have heard Ivorybills on several occasions, most recently on June 24, 2022. Of course, we realize that what is really needed is excellent photographic or video evidence of Ivorybills.

Since 2019, we have given seventeen free Ivorybill talks in Ohio, Iowa, and throughout Louisiana to promote public engagement and education. Additionally, we have given thirty-eight, free Ivorybill Zoom presentations.

Here was our program on recent Ivorybill sightings: https://youtu.be/ly6chrq0B_Y

This was our discussion with leading experts about why the Ivorybill should NOT be declared extinct: https://youtu.be/cugM_kRYdKI

Mission Ivorybill is the leading public advocate for the Ivorybill. Recognizing that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife proposal to remove protection from the Ivorybill was both unscientific and potentially catastrophic for the Ivorybill and its unique habitat, we asked for and were granted a public hearing to oppose that proposal. That hearing took place on January 26, 2022. In an encouraging sign, the USFWS announced on July 6, 2022, that it has delayed final action on the Ivorybill for another six months. While this certainly is a victory for the Ivorybill, the battle is not over yet. Final action by USFWS will now take place in March 2023. With your help, we are cautiously optimistic that we will produce clear evidence that the Ivorybill still survives before the USFWS deadline expires.

Again, thank you so much for considering investing money to save the Ivory-billed Woodpecker. While financial support is needed, public understanding of the Ivorybill’s vulnerable situation is also vital. Please share this with anyone who might be interested.

You can also learn more about the magnificent Ivorybill and our mission by visiting our websites: https://missionivorybill.org/

https://www.thelouisianawilds.org/

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MissionIvorybill/

and YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmLnB5_tJEtlLVn5NdNcRoA