State Ornithologist Departs Arkansas

The State of Arkansas—which can claim title (presumably) to the only fully documented U.S. sightings of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker in the last 50 years (also see here)—has decided not to fill a vacancy created by the departure of Catherine Rideout, one of two full-time ornithologists on the nongame staff of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.

This has led some individuals to question the State’s commitment to the conservation of nongame birds. Among her many responsibilities, Rideout had been heavily involved in the search for the Ivory-billed Woodpecker in Arkansas.