20140375 Ver 1_WRC Comments_20140509

IQ North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
Gordon Myers, Executive Director
May 9h, 2014
Ms. Tasha Alexander
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch
151 Patton Avenue, Room 208
Asheville, North Carolina 28801 -5006
SUBJECT: WRC Comments on Shepherds Way — Piney Branch Stream Restoration 404 Application,
Piney Branch, Ashe County
Dear Ms. Alexander:
Representatives of Shepherds Way Farm, LLC requested a permit to restore stream function and prevent
erosion on Piney Branch in Ashe County, NC. Comments from the NCWRC 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).
We do not object to this permit application as this project fundamentally seeks to reduce sediment input
into Piney Branch. We have recent records of wild brown trout, rainbow trout, and book trout
populations in the vicinity of the project location. As a result, we would request that the full trout
spawning moratorium be required as a condition of this permit.
Thank you for the opportunity to review and comment on this regulatory action. Please contact me at
(828) 659 -8684 ext. 221 if you have any questions about these comments or need further assistance.
Sincerely,
/4d -4
Doug Besler, Mountain Region Fishery Supervisor
ec: Mr. Derek Goddard, Blue Ridge Environmental Consultants, P.A.
Mr. Kevin Hining, NCWRC
Mailing Address: Division of Inland Fisheries • 1721 Mail Service Center • Raleigh, NC 27699 -1721
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]