20200452 Ver 1_WRC Comments_20200401

9 North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission 9
Gordon Myers, Executive Director
March 3, 2020
Holland Youngman
Michael Baker International
797 Haywood Road, Suite 201
Asheville, NC 28806
SUBJECT: Raby — Bates Branch Stream Restoration Project
Dear Ms. Youngman:
Biologists with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) received your
February 11, 2020 letter regarding plans for a stream restoration project on Bates Branch, an
unnamed tributary to Bates Branch, and Hoglot Branch in Macon County. You requested
comments on any possible issues that may arise with respect to endangered species, migratory
birds or other natural resources from the construction of the proposed project. Our comments on
this project 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).
Bates Branch is part of the Little Tennessee (Upper) Aquatic Habitat, a natural area rated Very
High by the NC Natural Heritage Program due to the richness of rare species it supports. In the
project vicinity, Eastern Hellbender [Cryptobranchus alleganiensis, US Federal Species of
Concern (FSC), NC Special Concern (SC)], Smoky Dace (Clinostomus sp., NC SC), and Little
Tennessee Crayfish (Cambarus georgiae, US FSC, NC SC) are found.
The project would restore 2,550 ft of stream and establish a riparian buffer, but design details are
not provided. Project activities do not need to be avoided during a trout moratorium. We
recommend that riparian buffers that are to be reestablished be as wide as possible, given site
constraints and landowner needs. NCWRC generally recommends a woody buffer of 100 feet on
perennial streams to maximize the benefits of buffers, including bank stability, stream shading,
treatment of overland runoff, and wildlife habitat.
Mailing Address: Habitat Conservation • 1721 Mail Service Center • Raleigh, NC 27699-1721
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]

Raby — Bates Br Restoration Page 2 March 3, 2020
Macon County
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.
Sincerely,
Andrea Leslie
Mountain Region Coordinator
Habitat Conservation Program