Acknowledgments

Special thanks to John Greis and David Wear for their encouragement and support during the assessment process. John Pye graciously handled the Internet conversion of the document.

Appreciation is extended to Tom Darden and his staff in the Southern Regional Office for their ongoing support and assistance. An earlier draft benefited from insightful comments by Dennis Krusac and George Bukenhofer, USDA Forest Service; and four anonymous scientific reviewers. Their comments strengthened and improved the final manuscript.

My appreciation also is extended to the regional coordinators of Partners in Flight for supplying conservation plans and other bird information: Robert Ford, Dean Demarest, Jane Fitzgerald, and Ken Rosenburg. Recognition also is offered to Chuck Hunter, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, for supplying the bird physiographic region map and drafts of his upcoming publications.

Kenneth Graham and Joe Johnston, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, supplied recovery plans and other information on listed species. Craig Rudolph, USDA Forest Service, provided the Louisiana pine snake account. John Jensen, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, supplied publications on herpetofauna. Robert Curry, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, provided information on bats. Special thanks to James Dickson, Louisiana State University, for supplying chapters of his upcoming textbook on southern wildlife prior to publication.

Paris Griep, USDA Forest Service, surveyed State agency biologists for information on the current status and habitat concerns for black bear. These biologists included Joe Hemphill (Oklahoma), Jason Plaxico (Kentucky), Denny Martin (Virginia), Gordon Warburton (North Carolina), Tom Eason (Texas), Keith Guyse (Alabama), Rick Eastridge (Arkansas), Cathy Shropshire (Mississippi), and Nathan Garner (Texas).

I also thank the other question managers and participants (general public, industry, agencies, and organizations) for sharing their ideas and concerns during Assessment meetings.

Finally, my appreciation is offered to several USDA Forest Service individuals who assisted with the Internet searches and the production of tables and figures. The manuscript would not have been possible without their help. These individuals include Pal Mattox, Mike Donahue, Christine Gabbard, Brenda Ayers, Sara Patterson, Kay Spangler, and Ron Underwood.