MARANTZ PROFESSIONAL PRODUCTS ASSIST UNIVERSITY OF WINDSOR AND AUBURN UNIVERSITY IN THEIR SEARCH FOR RARE BIRD SPECIES -- Marantz Professional Canada provides PMD models as field recorders in "The Search for the Ivory-billed Woodpecker" along Florida's Choctawhatchee River -- ITASCA, IL, March 21, 2008 -- Marantz Professional Canada, a division of D&M Professional and Canadian distributor of the renowned Marantz line of recording products, has partnered with the University of Windsor and Auburn University in an ongoing groundbreaking environmental research project, "The Search for the Ivory-billed Woodpecker" in the Florida wilderness near the Choctawhatchee River. Dedicated Listening Stations record all manner of noises in this habitat, which are then analyzed by professionals at Mennill Sound Analysis Laboratories at the University of Windsor for the telltale knocks and calls of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker. Marantz Professional is an integral part of this project by providing PMD670/PMD660 field recorders for the listening stations. The Ivory-billed Woodpecker once lived throughout the bottomland forests of southeastern North America. Habitat destruction and hunting greatly reduced their numbers, and many people believed this magnificent species was extinct by the middle of the 20th century. In May 2005, three researchers from Auburn University encountered an Ivory-billed Woodpecker in the bottomland forests of the Florida panhandle. An international team of researchers from the University of Windsor and Auburn University began a detailed search for Ivory-bills along the Choctawhatchee River in December 2005. Dr. Dan Mennill, a professor at the University of Windsor, coordinated an acoustic survey of the site. He constructed seven remote Listening Stations capable of recording the sounds of the bottomland forests 24 hours per day, using Marantz PMD670 and PMD660 units. Recently the team increased its recording effort to 16 automated recorders, and they have amassed over 40 TB (40,000GB) of recordings, which has included myriad recordings of sounds consistent with Ivory-billed Woodpeckers. Gerry Zegarra, National Director of Sales for Marantz Professional Canada, stated, "Projects such as the 'Search for the Ivory-billed Woodpecker' are vital for environmental science, biological science and higher education as a whole. As such, clarity of sound and dependability of product are crucial, and we are pleased that these experts have chosen Marantz to partner in this rigorous, precise research. We wish them the best of luck in their pursuits, and we look forward to continued partnerships in similar studies."

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