20221527 Ver 1_WRC Comments_20221129

® North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
Cameron Ingram, Executive Director
November 29, 2022
Ms. Jean Gibby
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch
3331 Heritage Trade Drive, Suite 105
Wake Forest, North Carolina 27587
SUBJECT: Little Snow Creek Restoration
Little Snow Creek, Stokes County
Dear Ms. Gibby:
Biologists with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) reviewed an
application to restore 300 ft of Little Snow Creek in Stokes 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).
Wild trout reproduction should not be impacted by the project, and a trout moratorium is not
needed. However, Bigeye Jumprock (Moxostoma ariommom, NC Threatened) and Carolina
Ladle Crayfish (Cambarus davidi, NC Significantly Rare) are found in the project vicinity, and
effective erosion and sediment control on this project are especially important to minimize its
impacts to these rare species.
The impacts involve repairing a previous stream restoration project on the site, addressing two
areas of instability. The reaches will be stabilized with bank sloping, constructed riffles,
floodplain benches, and planting. Work will be done in the dry. It appears that a riparian buffer
of 20-ft will be established. It appears that a very narrow buffer was established on this stream;
we recommend establishing a much wider buffer (at least 30 ft) to ensure long-term stability. In
addition, we recommend deleting Eastern Cottonwood from the planting list, as this species is
generally quite rare in North Carolina.
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
Mailing Address: Habitat Conservation • 1721 Mail Service Center • Raleigh, NC 27699-1721
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]

L Snow Creek Restoration Page 2 November 29, 2022
L Snow Cr, Stokes Co.
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 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 a woody buffer of at least 30 feet be planted across the site on both sides
of 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.
4. Unless it is found nearby, Eastern Cottonwood should be deleted from the planting list; this
species is generally quite rare in North Carolina, found only in a few regions.
Thank you for the opportunity to review and comment on this project. Please contact meat
[phone] if you have any questions about these comments.
Sincerely,
Andrea Leslie
Mountain Region Coordinator, Habitat Conservation Program
ec: Kyle Greene, Chris Bass Engineering
Sue Homewood, NC Division of Water Resources