ivory-billed woodpecker IS confirmed

Before retiring tonight, I checked my local birding listserv one last time.  Just beginning to burn up cyberspace is a report that the Ivory-billed Woodpecker had been rediscovered in Arkansas in 2003, and been kept a secret until today, with a major press announcement being scheduled for tomorrow.  Someone came up with the pre-press release on U.S. Newswire.

Looking at the list of people that are going to be at the press conference, scheduled for 11:30 AM EST tomorrow, April 28, I noticed two representatives from the Nature Conservancy.  Thus, I figured it most likely that this reported sighting was from a TNC property.  Sure enough, I checked their web site, and there are not-yet-live links, dated April 28, confirming that Ivory-billed Woodpeckers have been found in their Big Woods preserves.

Non-functional links describe the search team, etc. and, I am depressed to note, one that says "Get driving directions to the Arkansas preserves where the ivory-billed woodpecker has been found!"

I have a lot of faith in TNC for doing right by this bird, but I don't have as much faith in human nature, and I find it hard to imagine that there will be a way to adequately control the influx of people wanting to see this species. 

I know this bird has been a major touchstone for people, and thousands will feel hope and joy at its rediscovery.  I feel an overwhelming sense of trepidation. 

I like to think I have more than a passing knowledge in this species, as my husband was part of a team that searched the Pearl River Wildlife Management Area in Louisiana with one of the Zeiss team members and his brother the year prior to the big Zeiss-sponsored search in 2002.  I am also friends with one of the other Zeiss team members, who was a participant in of one of my Cuba trips.  Cuba, of course, is where there is the best chance of finding a viable population of Ivory-billed Woodpeckers.  I have spent time discussing Cuban expeditions with several Cuban and one American researcher who have been involved in searches in Cuba.  So I have many thoughts on this, but it's both a little late at night and perhaps a little premature for me to comment further.  For birders, this will be THE topic of conversation for days to come; I don't even know if I really want to be a part of it.  I suppose...stay tuned.

UPDATE APR 28:  This has been confirmed by a number of news outlets, including NPR, but interestingly the links above to the TNC site and the Zeiss summary have all been removed.