WILDLIFE Rediscovery of woodpecker sparks debate in Arkansas

Plan is in the works to manage the potential influx of birdwatchers.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) -- Opinion is divided on whether the recent rediscovery of the ivory-billed woodpecker will -- or should -- result in a torrent of tourists in the Arkansas Delta.
Officials confirmed recently that the bird, which was previously thought extinct, lives in the Cache River National Wildlife Refuge.
Dennis Widner, a manager of the refuge, says he's not worried about an influx of birdwatchers because the region is so remote. Its swampy habitat is also rife with snakes and alligators.
"It's dangerous work to be out in these swamps," he said.
A rare sight
The remoteness might explain why the bird hadn't been seen since 1944 before it was spotted again last year, and then verified in sightings by a half-dozen researchers this winter.
But Sam Hamilton, the regional director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Southeast region, predicts the bird will draw thousands of tourists.
Hamilton said the bird has proven it can coexist with human intrusion. The area is popular for duck-hunting and fishing.
"Our concern is obviously to make sure we protect the bird, but the bird has existed for many, many years with public land use. There are different beliefs, there are some who say that this is the last rare woodpecker and we need to close it all down. But this is an area that has accommodated a great amount of public use," he said.
Preservation
Federal agencies are putting up $10 million to help preserve the habitat.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife and Arkansas Game and Fish Commission officials have limited access to many areas near the bird's habitat while they develop a long-term plan for managing the potential influx of birdwatchers.
Meanwhile, the small city of Brinkley, Ark., population 4,000, is ready for all those tourists. Brinkley, the biggest community near the ivory bill's habitat, has between 400 and 500 hotel rooms.
"At this particular moment, you could probably get a room fairly easily," said Patsy Arnett, Brinkley's executive director of promotions. But once word gets out about the town's proximity to the bird's habitat, "I don't know" how easy it will be to get a room, she added.