Wildfire endangers Kirtland's warbler habitat

The Lansing State Journal reports on the 6,000 acre forest fire that swept through the Huron-Manistee National Forest yesterday and the impact to the Kirtland warbler:

A 6,000-acre wildfire in the Huron-Manistee National Forests may have harmed critical habitat for the Kirtland's warbler, an endangered songbird that raises its young in the jack pines of Northern Michigan.

A damage-assessment team ventured into charred areas Tuesday as crews moved closer to bringing the massive fire under control. It was 95 percent contained by midafternoon, said Huron-Manistee spokesman Ken Arbogast.

No injuries were reported. The cause remained unknown. This fire broke out Sunday on private property near Hughes Lake in Oscoda County, he said.

Oscoda County is the focal point of the federal government's effort to save the Kirtland's warbler. Jack pines have been planted on thousands of acres as a home for the warbler, which divides its time between Michigan and the Bahamas.

"We're the epicenter for their population," Arbogast said. "Fortunately, they haven't returned yet this year. We haven't lost any of the species, but we've lost some of the habitat."

Only about 300 of the yellow-breasted birds existed when placed on the endangered species list in 1973. A census last year turned up 1,397 pairs in the Lower Peninsula and 18 in the Upper Peninsula.

The warblers should return late this month. The annual count is scheduled for early June.