20140444 Ver 1_Secondary Adaptive Management Plan SAW-2012-01393_20201005

Strickland, Bev
From:
Sent:
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Cc:
Subject:
Attachments:
Follow Up Flag:
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IRT Members,
Crocker, Lindsay
Monday, October 5, 2020 10:18 AM
Kim Browning; Tugwell, Todd J CIV USARMY CESAW (US); Davis, Erin B; Wilson, Travis
W.
Baumgartner, Tim; 'Ashby Brown'; Allen, Melonie; 'Scott McGill'; 'Marie Brady'
Secondary Adaptive Management Plan/ NCDMS Hofler Site AMP/ Gates Co./
SAW-2012-01393
Hofler AMP 092520.pdf
Follow up
Completed
Please see the attached revised proposed adaptive management plan developed in response to your disapproval letter
for the Hofler site.
The site is currently in MY6; the most recent monitoring report (MY5) is located on the Project Document page. It
includes the most recently signed debit ledger and is available here:
https://deg.nc.gov/about/divisions/mitigation-services/dms-projects
Hofler
DIMS Project # 95355
RFP: 16-004103 — Issued 6/15/2011
Institution Date: 6/15/2012 — Full Delivery
Chowan River Basin
Cataloging Unit 03010203
Gates County, North Carolina
USACE Action ID: SAW-2012-01393
DWR# 16-0044
Proposed Assets:
23.000 Non -Riparian WMUs
Thank you.
Lindsay Crocker
Eastern Supervisor
NC DEQ Division of Mitigation Services
217 West Jones St., Raleigh, NC 27603
919.594.3910
[e-mail]
Email correspondence to and from this address is subject to the North Carolina Public Records Law and may be disclosed to third
parties unless the content is exempt by statute or other regulation.
1

From: Browning, Kimberly D CIV USARMY CESAW (USA) <[e-mail]>
Sent: Tuesday, June 23, 2020 10:19 AM
To: Crocker, Lindsay <[e-mail]>
Cc: Wilson, Travis W. <[e-mail]>; Tugwell, Todd J CIV USARMY CESAW (US)
<[e-mail]>; Davis, Erin B <[e-mail]>; Haywood, Casey M CIV USARMY CESAW
(USA) <[e-mail]>; Bowers, Todd <[e-mail]>; Merritt, Katie
<[e-mail]>; Barnes, Kyle W CIV USARMY CESAW (US) <[e-mail]>; Lekson, David
M CIV USARMY CESAW (US) <[e-mail]>; Dunn, Maria T. <[e-mail]>;
Crumbley, Tyler A CIV USARMY CESAW (USA) <[e-mail]>; McLendon, C S CIV USARMY CESAW
(USA) <[e-mail]>; Baumgartner, Tim <[e-mail]>; Allen, Melonie
<[e-mail]>; Ed Temple <[e-mail]>
Subject: [External] Notice of Intent to Disapprove/ NCDMS Hofler Site AMP/ Gates Co./ SAW-2012-01393
External email. Do not click links or open attachments unless you verify. Send all suspicious email as an attachment to
[e-mail]
Good morning,
The 15-day comment review period for the NCDMS Hofler Mitigation Site Adaptive Management Plan (SAW-2012-
01393) closed on June 17, 2020. Per Section 332.8(o)(9) of the 2008 Mitigation Rule, this review followed the
streamlined review process. All comments received during the review process are attached for your records.
We have determined that the Adaptive Management Plan, as proposed, has limited potential to address IRT concerns
with meeting performance standards approved in the final mitigation plan. We are requesting a resubmittal of the AMP.
Please note that If modifications are not conducted that successfully address the problems on site, a reduction in credits
may result. Accordingly, it is our intent to disapprove the Hofler Adaptive Management Plan, as presented.
Respectfully,
Kim Browning
Mitigation Project Manager, Regulatory Division I U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
3331 Heritage Trade Dr, Ste. 105 1 Wake Forest, NC 27587 1 919.554.4884 x60
BUILDING STRONG

Hofler Property- Adaptive Management Plan, Revised 09/25/20
Albemarle Restorations, LLC, (AR) is proposing the following Adaptive Management Plan (AMP) for the
Hofler Property (DMS Contract #004628) for the North Carolina Division of Mitigation Services (DMS)
and Interagency Review Team (IRT) review and comment. This AMP has been revised based on the
comments received from the IRT team on June 23, 2020, in which the IRT requested that a revised AMP
be submitted that addressed the issue of excess hydrology that has stressed planted stock. As such AR
is submitting the following AMP to address both the hydrologic stressor and planted vegetation
performance:
Lowering the existing ditch plugs to an elevation of 33.7' or approximately 4" per plug. Per the
approved as -built, the restored wetlands range in elevations from 33.91' to 33.71', with the
average being 33.8' as designed. The ditch plugs were built to elevation 34.0' per design,
approximately two tenths above the finish grade of the wetlands. We selected elevation 33.7'
instead of 33.8' to try and reduce ponding in any isolated depressions. This remedial action
should promote better off site drainage, helping to reduce inundation and ponding into the
growing season, which will facilitate better tree survival and growth.
2. Conduct tree planting this winter (20/21) using bare root and/or containerized (based on
availability) Bald cypress at a rate of 200 trees/ac or more to bring the stocking up to required
levels in underperforming areas. These areas consist of the lower half of the project site,
represented by plots 1, 2 and 11-18, as identified in the MY5 Monitoring Report (pg. 11).
Additional tree planting across the entire site may occur based on seedling availability. Bald
cypress was chosen because of its ability to grow in wet conditions, tolerance to competition,
and past performance on site.
3. Conduct 10-15 additional vegetation plot (1/100t" ac) surveys across the site this year. These will
be randomly located outside of existing survey locations to better assess tree height, density,
and survivorship.
4. Continue Hydrologic and Vegetation monitoring for additional three (3) years (MY8, MY9 &
MY10) to ensure achievement of success criteria.