The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has awarded Georgia more than $1.3 million for land acquisition efforts aimed at protecting several imperiled species.

The Georgia funds are part of $40.6 million in grants to 10 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands to support acquiring and conserving more than 7,200 acres of habitat for 65 species listed as endangered or at risk.

In Georgia, the money will be used to protect red-cockaded woodpeckers, gopher tortoises, and wood storks.

Monday’s announcement came as the U.S. Department of the Interior honors the 50th anniversary of the federal Endangered Species Act. Throughout the year, the agency is celebrating the importance of prevented imperiled species from becoming extinct, promoting the recovery of wildlife, and conserving the habitats upon which they depend.

Red-cockaded woodpeckers prefer living in stands of longleaf pines and have become endangered as old-growth longleaf forests continue to dwindle.

The gopher tortoise is Georgia’s official state reptile and lives throughout South Georgia. It is considered a threatened species.

Wood storks are long-legged wading birds that live mostly along the Georgia coast but can be seen in the state’s Piedmont region as well.

No decisions on where the Georgia grant money will be used for land acquisition have been announced.