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Home My WebLink About20070595 Ver 1_Monitoring Plans_20070411United States Department of the Interior FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE Raleigh Field Office Post Office Box 33726 Raleigh, North Carolina 27636-3726 March 29, 2007 Clay Willis North Carolina Department of Transportation 113 Airport Dr., Suite 100 Edenton, NC 27932 Dear Mr. Willis: ~~ F p~ t !! .. 51. ! ,> b 1' ~4rU7~ ~~r ~ 6, "~ ~ ~:~ 00> •/ ~p r, ~,~ ~ ~, ~~ ii'/., This letter is in response to your letter of March 22, 2007 which provided the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) with biological determinations for federally listed species for the replacement of the following seven bridges on Ocracoke Island in Hyde County, North Carolina: • Bridge No. 10 over Island Creek, MA 1011 B • Bridge No. 24 over Shad Hole Creek • Bridge No. 31 over Old Hammock Creek, B-5015 • Bridge No. 39 over Molasses Creek, B-5016 • Bridge No. 42 over Quorks Point Creek, B-5017 • Bridge No. 46 over Parkers Creek, MA 1009B • Bridge No. 49 over Try Yard Creek, SB 622 Each bridge will be replaced with a longer bridge in the same location except for Bridge No. 24, which will be replaced with two 48 inch culverts. In lieu of temporary detour bridges, off-road vehicles will be detoured to the Atlantic coast beach between the National Park Service campgrounds and the Pony Pens dune break. All work will be conducted from January 2, 2008 to March 15, 2008. These comments are provided in accordance with section 7 of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531-1543). The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has made the following biological determinations: Common Name Scientific Name Biolo ical Determination Pi in lover Charadrius melodus MA-NLAA Green sea turtle Chelonia mydas ~ MA-NLAA Hawksbill sea turtle Eretomochelys imbricate MA-NLAA Kem 's ridle sea turtle Le idochel s kem ii ~ MA-NLAA Leatherback sea turtle Dermochel s coriacea MA-NLAA Lo erhead sea turtle Caretta caretta MA-NLAA West Indian manatee Trichechus manatus MA-NLAA Seabeach amaranth Amaranthus umilus No effect Bald eagle Haliaeetus leucoce~ lt`alus No effect Red-cockaded wood ecker Picoides ,borealis No effect Red wolf Canis ru us No effect Sensitive joint-vetch Aeschynomene virginica No effect MA-NLAA =May affect, not likely to adversely affect Based on the information provided and other available information, the Service concurs with your determination that the seven projects may affect, but are not likely to adversely affect the piping plover, green sea turtle, hawksbill sea turtle, Kemp's ridley sea turtle, leatherback sea turtle and loggerhead sea turtle. The Service~previously concurred (in a March 4, 2005 letter) that the projects may affect, but are not likely to adversely affect the West Indian manatee. This concurrence was based on NCDOT's commitment to implement the Service's GUIDELINES FOR AVOIDING IMPACTS TO THE WE5T INDIAN MANATEE. That concurrence is still valid. Based on the lack of habitat, the Service concurs with your determination that the projects will have no effect on the bald eagle, red-cockaded woodpecker, red wolf and sensitive joint-vetch. Also, since the project will be conducted 'during a time period in which seabeach amaranth would not be present (winter), the Service concurs with your determination that the project will have no effect on seabeach amaranth. The Service requests that, upon project completion, any ruts left on the beach from off-road vehicle traffic be smoothed out so as to facilitate any .future sea turtle nesting and to avoid trapping the chicks of any shore nesting birds. We believe that the requirements of section 7(a)(2) of the ESA have been satisfied. We remind you that obligations under section 7 consultation must be reconsidered if: (1) new information reveals impacts of these identified actions that may affect listed species or critical habitat in a manner not previously considered in this review; (2) these actions are subsequently modified in a manner that was not considered in this review; or (3) anew species is listed or critical habitat determined that maybe affected by these identified actions. The Service appreciates the opportunity to review this project. If you have any questions regarding our response, please contact Mr. Gary,Jordan at (919) 856-4520 (Ext. 32). Sincerely, ,, - Pete Beni n Field Supervisor cc: Bill Biddlecome, USACE, Washington, NC David Wainwright, NCDWQ, Raleigh, NC Travis Wilson, NCWRC, Creedmoor, NC Chris Militscher, USEPA, Raleigh, NC n rn O CD ~ ~ rn ~ n n n0 ~ N Q'' ~ O ~ ~ ~ ~ ~. cra ~ O rn ~ t. • '~' ~ A~ O ~' ~ Q. O O N• ~ a n o ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~a-8 ~ ~ ~~.~ ~ `~ ~ ~. ~ o ~ O ~ R.. pJ ~~ ~ tz1 t7~ t7~ b~ b~ tz~ t!J ~ ~,. p... ~- 0.. p-. Q-. (1. p.. ~ • CJR C1R CJR CIR CIq CIR CIR bzzzzzzz~ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ~ •? ~ ~ W W N ~ O C Q~ C Q C C ~ ~~~~~~~ ~ hS ~•S F•4 rt ~•t r•~t rt ~ x x a ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ n R.. ~ ~, O ~ (1. s C~ ~ o • (~ ~ `~ o ~ ~ ~ rt ~ ~ ~ ~ x ~ n ~ n ,~ i ~ ~ \\ x ~ A \1 F'~, 3 ~ ~ ~. 0'R ~~\\ ~ \ ` \ \ \ /~ 4 \ I r~ O V Y ~. ~ ~ - V` ` a ~' ~ raj ) O \~ .~~u` ~ 0 ~ . \~ ~ . 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Class Basin Stream Index # Berrys Bay Entire Bay SA;HQW 06/06/62 Tar-Pamlico 29-71 Otter Creek From source to Pamlico SA;HQW 06/06/62 Tar-Pamlico 29-72 Sound Long Shoal River From U.S. Hwy. 264 to SA;HQW 06/06/62 Tar-Pamlico 29-73-(2) Pamlico Sound Cumberland Creek From source to Long C;Sw,HQW 08/01/90 Tar-Pamlico 29-73-3 Shoal River Broad Creek From source to Long SA;HQW 06/06/62 Tar-Pamlico 29-73-7 Shoal River Cockrel Creek From source to Pamlico SA;HQW 06/06/62 Tar-Pamlico 29-77 Sound Shingle Creek From source to Pamlico SA;HQW 06/06/62 Tar-Pamlico 29-78 Sound North Bitterwash From source to Pamlico SA;HQW 06/06/62 Tar-Pamlico 29-79 Creek Sound South Bitterwash From source to Pamlico SA;HQW 06/06/62 Tar-Pamlico 29-80 Creek Sound Knoll Creek From source to Pamlico SA;HQW 06/06/62 Tar-Pamlico 29-81 Sound Knoll House Creek From source to Pamlico SA;HQW 06/06/62 Tar-Pamlico 29-82 Sound Try Yard Creek From source to Pamlico SA;HQW 06/06/62 Tar-Pamlico 29-83 Sound Little Swash From source to Pamlico SA;HQW 06/06/62 Tar-Pamlico 29-84 Opening Sound Old Hammock Creek From source to Pamlico SA;HQW 06/06/62 Tar-Pamlico 29-85 Sound Island Creek From source to Pamlico SA;HQW 06/06/62 Tar-Pamlico 29-86 Sound Sand Hole Creek From source to Pamlico SA;HQW 06/06/62 Tar-Pamlico 29-87 Sound Northern Pond Entire Pond SA;HQW 06/06/62 Tar-Pamlico 29-88 Mary Anns Pond Entire Pond SA;HQW 06/06/62 Tar-Pamlico 29-89 Silver Lake at Entire Lake SC 06/06/62 Tar-Pamlico 29-90 Ocracoke Village Old Slough From source to Pamlico SA;HQW 06/06/62 Tar-Pamlico 29-91 Sound ~i , ~~ 6 /// 06/06/62 Tar-Pamlico 99-(6) ~~4`~' Atlantic Ocean The waters of Atlantic Ocean the ~~ j . ~~ ''"~+ ~ ~- ~ Vw~ contiguous to that ~ o , ~ J. ~i' ~ C U ~ `y ~,v ~ ~`' (~~~ ~ ~ °' portion of the Tar-Pamlico Ri ver Basin ~y /' ?1 #f U . 4 L/,3rr"~' ~ ~ ~ ~ (~ ~ ~ ~ E /L /' ~ ~^ ~ ~ ' ~ that extends f t ti h rom the f ~ / fr`'~' ~ C / ~P}, Q . ~ ~ eas p nort k I l O o d to the ~ n I' (~ p; C t1 ~ f , t V e s an craco southwest tip of ,{ Y~ ~/ (/` / ~, ~ t . 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