SCDNR Receives National Agency Partner Award for Black Rail Conservation Efforts

February 27, 2026

SCDNR Receives National Agency Partner Award for Black Rail Conservation Efforts

The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) was honored with the Agency Partner Award on February 25, 2026, during the North American Migratory Bird Joint Venture gathering held in the U.S. House of Representatives Rayburn Office Building

The award recognizes SCDNR’s leadership in advancing cutting-edge research and on-the-ground management to conserve the federally threatened Eastern Black Rail in South Carolina. The event was attended with support from members of South Carolina’s congressional delegation staff.

Once little known due to its secretive nature, the Eastern Black Rail has experienced significant population declines across its range.

The Eastern Black Rail, one of the smallest marsh birds in North America, depends on South Carolina’s coastal marshes for survival. Because the species requires precise water levels and dense marsh vegetation, it is especially vulnerable to habitat loss, sea-level rise, and changes in coastal hydrology. Protecting and actively managing coastal marsh habitat is essential to the species’ persistence.

Over the past decade, SCDNR has spearheaded coordinated conservation efforts that have greatly expanded scientific understanding of the species’ distribution, breeding ecology, and habitat needs in South Carolina.

"SCDNR has led the way in developing and implementing innovative research and management techniques to conserve this rapidly declining species," said Dr. Tom Mullikin, SCDNR Director. "This recognition reflects not only our agency’s commitment, but the tremendous collaboration among public and private partners across the state."

SCDNR researchers and land managers have addressed critical data gaps by documenting Black Rail distribution and breeding phenology, conducting field observations of chicks, and testing impoundment management strategies to improve breeding habitat. SCDNR staff participate in multi-state efforts to standardize monitoring protocols and share best practices across the species’ range. The agency’s findings have been critical in shaping conservation recommendations and guiding management efforts throughout South Carolina.

A cornerstone of this success has been the formation of the South Carolina Black Rail Working Group, developed to align conservation efforts across agencies and organizations. The working group includes Nemours Wildlife Foundation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, Atlantic Coast Joint Venture, Ducks Unlimited, American Bird Conservancy, Audubon South Carolina, Folk Land Management and private landowners and managers.

These partners have contributed to on-the-ground conservation actions that have been instrumental in stabilizing and expanding habitat for the species. A few examples include the Yawkey Foundation which enabled SCDNR staff to test irrigation techniques that may create new Black Rail habitat, in addition to managing and surveying their population. Nemours Wildlife Foundation and ACE Basin National Wildlife Refuge have initiated dedicated impoundment management specifically for Black Rail habitat - an encouraging step as birds have already shown interest in the Nemours site. The effort also includes SCDNR staff and private landowners as they maintain habitat that currently supports active Black Rail populations.

Nearly all funding supporting this work has come through federal sources, underscoring the importance of continued federal investment in science-based wildlife conservation.

This national recognition highlights South Carolina’s leadership in collaborative, science-driven conservation and reinforces SCDNR’s commitment to ensuring the persistence of the Eastern Black Rail for future generations.