MtAiryGreenwayExtn_UTAraratR_Surry_NCWRCComments

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9 North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission 9
Cameron Ingram, Executive Director
May 13, 2022
Ms. Brandee Boggs
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch
151 Patton Avenue, Room 208
Asheville,North Carolina 28801-5006
SUBJECT: Mount Airy Greenway Extension
UT Ararat River and wetland, Surry County
Dear Ms. Boggs:
Biologists with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission(NCWRC)reviewed an
application to culvert 66 ft of an unnamed tributary(UT) to the Ararat River, temporarily impact
75 ft of the same UT, and fill 0.001 acre of wetland in Surry County for the construction of 1.3
mile of greenway. Our comments on this application are offered for your consideration under
provisions of the Clean Water Act of 1977 (33 U.S.C. 466 et. seq.) and Fish and Wildlife
Coordination Act (48 Stat. 401, as amended; 16 U.S.C. 661-667d).
Project activities should not impact trout reproduction and do not need to be avoided during the
trout moratorium.
We offer the following recommendations to minimize impacts to fish and wildlife:
1. In-channel work should be accomplished as quickly as possible and vigilance used in
sediment and erosion control during site preparation, construction, and clean up. Disturbed
areas should be seeded, mulched and/or matted as soon as possible, preferably at the end of
each work day.
2. Any erosion control matting used should be free of plastic or nylon mesh, as this type of
mesh frequently entangles wildlife and is slow to degrade, resulting in a hazard that may last
for years.
3. We recommend that disturbed areas along the trail be seeded with temporary seed such as
Clover and Oats, Rye Grain, or Wheat and a permanent seed mix featuring native grasses and
forbs. Tall Fescue-based mixes should be avoided.
Thank you for the opportunity to review and comment on this project. Please contact me at
[phone] if you have any questions about these comments.
Mailing Address: Habitat Conservation • 1721 Mail Service Center • Raleigh,NC 27699-1721
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]

Mt.Airy Greenway Extension Page 2 May 13,2022
UT Ararat R&wetland, Surry Co.
Sincerely,
Andrea Leslie
Mountain Region Coordinator, Habitat Conservation Program
cc: Sue Homewood,NC Division of Water Resources
Marl-,Davis, Vaughn & Melton