TULSA, Okla. — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has long been committed to environmental stewardship. Tulsa District USACE does this through habitat management and surveys of the American Burying Beetle.
Once critically endangered, this species has seen fluctuations in its population due to various factors. Still, the concerted efforts of multiple agencies, including USACE and DOD, in accordance with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, have been instrumental in its gradual recovery. Ft. Chaffee, Camp Gruber, and the McAlester Army Ammunition Plant all have some of the best habitats for the ABB in their Southern Plains population.
"We have been conducting surveys at the Fort Gibson waterfowl refuge since 2010," said Tulsa District Biologist Stacy Dunkin. "We chose this area because, at the time, we believed it harbored many beetles, similar to the numbers captured at Camp Gruber. Following two successful surveys for the beetle in 2010, we used this area to satisfy the Fish and Wildlife Service requirements."
"American burying beetles are part of a larger group of animals and insects that I call the "trashman of the forest," said Dunkin. "Like vultures, bacteria, and other animals that consume carrion, they play an important role in recycling nutrients and removing dead and decaying animals from the landscape, which could potentially spread disease to other animal populations and humans."
USFWS recently downgraded the ABB's conservation status from endangered to threatened through the combined efforts of increasing surveys and conserving large areas of suitable Southern habitat.
"The availability of a large amount of protected habitat across its southern range influenced the decision to change the status protected habitat across its Southern range," said USFWS Fish and Wildlife Biologist Kevin Stubbs. "The lands managed by Tulsa District and other agencies in Oklahoma and Arkansas, some even set aside specifically for the beetle, contribute to the species' recovery. Some areas are monitored regularly, providing essential data that helps track population trends and assess risks."
Stubbs says despite improved habitat availability, the ABB still faces a significant threat: climate change. The beetle population fluctuated, with lower numbers during hot, dry years. Temporary weather patterns may contribute to these short-term changes; however, a sustained decline over an extended period could indicate that climate change is beginning to impact the species more severely.
"By analyzing data over time," said Stubbs, "researchers aim to understand the broader impacts of climate change on the ABB and use that information to adjust conservation strategies. One of the long-term goals of these surveys is to facilitate the movement of the ABB from the southern part of its range to more northern areas, where the climate may be better suited to its survival. The areas managed by the Corps and other DoD entities foster good locations for supporting this transition. These areas could serve as sources for harvesting beetles to move to safer, more stable environments."
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