20200593 Ver 1_WRC Comments_20200520

ltl North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission 0
Gordon Myers, Executive Director
May 20, 2020
Ms. Amanda Fuemmeler
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch
151 Patton Avenue, Room 208
Asheville, North Carolina 28801-5006
SUBJECT: Jim Beery Project
South Fork New River, Ashe County
Dear Ms. Fuemmeler:
Biologists with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) reviewed an
application to stabilize 227 ft of the South Fork New River in Ashe County. 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 wild trout and do not need to be avoided during the trout
moratorium. However, the South Fork New River is part of the South Fork New River Aquatic
Habitat, rated Exceptional for the richness of rare species it contains. The following rare species
are found in the vicinity of the project: two mussels —Spike [Elliptio dilatata, US Federal
Species of Concern, NC Special Concern (SC)] and Seep Mudalia (Leptoxis dilatata, NC SC);
Eastern Hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis, US FSC, NC SC); and two fish —Kanawha
Darter [Etheostoma kanawhae, NC Significantly Rare (SR)] and Appalachia Darter (Percina
gymnocephala, NC SR).
The application proposes to stabilize an eroding reach of bank on the South Fork New River
through sloping the bank, planting native woody and herbaceous vegetation, and installing one
in -stream rock vane. Most work will be done from the bank, but some instream access may be
necessary for proper installation of the rock vane.
We offer the following recommendations to minimize impacts to the aquatic community:
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
Mailing Address: Habitat Conservation • 1721 Mail Service Center • Raleigh, NC 27699-1721
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]

Jim Beery Project Page 2 May 20, 2020
South Fork New River, Ashe County
areas should be seeded, mulched and/or matted as soon as possible, preferably at the end of
each workday.
2. Any erosion control matting used should be free of nylon or plastic mesh, as this type of
mesh netting frequently entangles wildlife and is slow to degrade, resulting in a hazard that
may last for years.
3. For the rock vane installation, we recommend diverting flows around the work area in order
to reduce the risk of fine sediment liberation and loss.
4. Shelter rocks potentially used by hellbenders should be left undisturbed during construction
activities. Shelter rocks are typically large flat rocks at least a foot in diameter. If animals
are disturbed during construction, they should be captured in a bucket and moved away from
the area of disturbance. Please notify Lori Williams(lori.williams(kncwildlife.org) if
hellbenders are found.
5. We recommend that a woody buffer as wide as possible (we recommend at least 30 feet) be
planted on the stream as infrastructure allows in order to ensure project success. A wide
forested buffer can ensure greater bank stability, filter overland pollutants, and provide
habitat for birds and other wildlife.
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,
'dA4-' '
Andrea Leslie
Mountain Region Coordinator, Habitat Conservation Program
ec: Glen Sullivan, Foggy Mountain Nursery
Sue Homewood, NC Division of Water Resources
Lori Williams, NCWRC
Byron Hamstead, USFWS