GRUNDY COUNTY, Tenn. (WVLT) - The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) partnered with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to reintroduce the Red-cockaded Woodpecker (RCW) into Tennessee.

RCWs were once native to Tennessee, but they were removed entirely in 1994 due to fire suppression, declining population size and habitat loss. As a result the Red-cockaded Woodpecker was listed as endangered in 1970 and received formal protection with the passing the Endangered Species Act in 1973.

However, in 2020, thanks to increased scientific understanding of habitat needs and reintroduction into areas in its range, the conservation status was changed from Endangered to Threatened.

“The goal of bringing back a

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