The endangered red-cockaded woodpecker lost a significant portion of its habitat at Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge in Brooksville, Miss., where many mature pine trees were down in the wake of the storm, said the release. The rare woodpecker nests and roosts in the cavities of these older pine trees, which they painstakingly excavate over the span of one to three years.

The rare Alabama beach mouse also lost a large portion of its habitat, said the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service release. The state's primary dunes were completely destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, as well as 90 percent of its secondary dunes — the preferred habitat of the beach mouse.

"It is likely that (the Alabama beach mouse's) population will be substantially reduced from the effects of both Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Ivan from last year," said the release. In order to supplement the species' diet, biologists are considering scattering oats and seeds where beach mouse tracks are found along the Alabama coast.

Endangered sea turtles were also affected by Hurricane Katrina, losing about 50 nests along Alabama's coasts — including all 10 in Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge — said the release.

With roughly 23 square miles of coastal wetlands being lost annually along the Gulf Coast, Hurricane Katrina dealt a markedly harsh blow to this fragile habitat, which is vital to so many wildlife species. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said they expected "significant coastal wetland impacts," with uprooted plants, defoliated trees and heavy damages to standing trees noted in Mississippi and Louisiana.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish and wildlife and their habitats in the United States.

Get More News: