After fires and pine beetles: new life in the Black Hills

The first Moon Walk for 2011 took place near Horse
Creek Road south of Pactola Reservoir.  'Twas a bit
soggy, but mere rain isn't likely to cancel the event.

Despite drenching rains and brisk temperatures Saturday evening (5/21/11), a couple of dozen hardy souls braved the elements to help launch another season of Moon Walks in the Black Hills National Forest.

But with a surprising suspension of the downpour, Mother Nature delivered a rather pleasant evening for the Moon Walkers to learn about the Black-backed Woodpecker and the forest fires that provide the species with a habitat.  The setting for this event was in a high meadow of the Horse Creek area southwest of Pactola Reservoir about a mile west of U.S. 385.

Recreation Forester Amy Ballard told the assembled group that this is the 16^th consecutive year of Moon Walks in the Black Hills, and she assembled a great cast of characters to guide the group through an informative evening.

USFS Fire and Fuels Specialist Chris Stover, who works out of the Mystic Ranger District, gave folks an overview of how prescribed burns and thinning projects help to improve wildlife habitat.  Such burns help move the land toward a more natural condition and allow a more rapid regeneration of the ponderosa pine trees that are so abundant in this region. 

“There are about 140 starts (fire starts) in the Black Hills every year,” said Stover. “Most of those are caused by lightning.”

He referenced two exceptional fires in the Hills:  the 1939 McVey Fire, and the more recent Jasper fire, which destroyed more than 90,000 acres in just three days.

“Then there was the 1991 Horse Creek prescribed fire.  We lost control of it – due to some unusual weather circumstances.”  Nonetheless, the success of prescribed fires has resulted in a greener forest and improved habitat for animals.

“The Horse Creek area is now an ideal elk habitat,” Stover added.

Chad Lehman and a
Black-backed Woodpecker

Wildlife biologist Chad Lehman is researching the effects of fire on woodpecker reproduction.  He observed that you can now see large patches of green forest, offering high quality forage for elk that now graze in the area. 

“In time, we may see grouse in this area, along with additional stands of aspen trees.”

After a short uphill hike, Chris Rota from the University of Missouri broadcast a Black-backed Woodpecker bird call through a portable amplifier – hoping to lure one of the birds to the high outcropping of rocks where the Moon Walkers were clustered.

At first, there was nothing.  Then we heard a response from a nearby woodpecker, but he only tempted us with his return calls – he (or was it a she?) wouldn’t hazard a flight to our location.

A doctoral student, Rota led our group to a nearby stand of pine trees, one of which had hosted a Black-backed Woodpecker nest, identified by a small hole about two inches in diameter.  Rota’s graduate work has been focused upon this species, which he says are attracted to habitat created by wildfire and mountain pine beetle infestations.

“Our research seeks to understand the role prescribed fire can play to simultaneously create habitat for this species while reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire,” he said.

"Both the male and female woodpeckers participate in building the nest, which is simply a hollowed out area within the tree, usually at a fairly low level.”

“Squirrels are perhaps the greatest predator for the Black-backed Woodpeckers,” said Rota, “but the birds will fight back at the squirrels.”

Rota has banded many of the birds, often cutting a hole in the side of the tree right next to the nest.  He can then reach in and band the smaller birds.

Chris Rota points to a nesting hole of a Black-backed
Woodpecker during the first "Moon Walk" of 2011.

“I’ve actually learned the genealogy of some of these birds; although we don’t know for certain what their life span is, some of the birds I banded back in 2007 are still around.”

The Black-backed Woodpecker is found primarily in western North America, but their range in Canada extends east to the Maritime Provinces.  It is not thought to be a migratory bird.  While not considered “endangered,” the bird is considered a “sensitive” species.  Their populations are high in areas that have endured wildfires and the onset of pine beetles.

The Moon Walkers trek back down the hillside to their vehicles was not any to soon; more rain was imminent.  By the time many of them reached U.S. 385 – less than a mile away – rains returned.

It was a fine start for another season of Moon Walks, especially since organizers were tempted to cancel the event because of the weather.

Normally, only lightning will cause cancellation of Black Hills Moon Walks, but this has been an unusual May.  Heavy snow just a few days earlier left many folks wondering if the walk would go on as planned. 

The next Moon Walk is slated for Saturday, June 18^th in the northern Black Hills and is entitled “Forest Wildflowers."  The event is dedicated to the memory of USFS botanist Andrew Korth, who led a similar outing last year but lost his life in a boating accident the following day.

Details about the June outing will be forthcoming.  Persons who want to be included on the e-mail notification list should contact Amy Ballard of the Mystic Ranger District..  

Don’t forget, we also post additional information and photographs in our Moon Walk Gallery.