Members of the Anacoco Elementary 4-H Club recently learned about wildlife conservation efforts taking place in Vernon Parish during a special presentation by a wildlife biologist working to protect endangered species on Fort Polk.

Amy Brennan, a wildlife biologist assigned to conservation work on the installation, spoke to students about the importance of protecting the region’s longleaf pine ecosystem and the animals that depend on it. She explained how biologists monitor and manage populations of the endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker, a species that relies on mature longleaf pine forests for survival.

According to Brennan, biologists at Fort Polk currently track about 800 of the birds. Their nesting trees are carefully marked and monitored, and wildlife specialists also install artificial nesting boxes in longleaf pine trees to provide additional safe places for the birds to nest and raise young.

Students also had the opportunity to meet a rare reptile during the presentation when Brennan introduced “Mario,” a Louisiana Pine Snake. The species is considered one of the rarest snakes in North America.

Mario came to Fort Polk from a breeding program at the Audubon Zoo when he was about six months old. Brennan told students that wildlife biologists documented only about 65 Louisiana Pine Snakes over a 36-year period, highlighting the importance of conservation efforts to protect the species.

4-H members had the chance to learn about wildlife conservation taking place in their own parish and see one of Louisiana’s rarest animals up close during the educational program.