JacksonPiecePropertyPeckerwoodBr_Clay_NCWRCComments

North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
Cameron Ingram, Executive Director

Mailing Address: Habitat Conservation • 1721 Mail Service Center • Raleigh, NC 27699-1721
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]
February 1, 2024

Ms. Shannon Healy
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch
151 Patton Avenue, Room 208
Asheville, North Carolina 28801-5006

SUBJECT: Jackson-Pierce Project Peckerwood Branch
Peckerwood Branch, Clay County

Dear Ms. Healy:

Biologists with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) reviewed an
application to restore 600 ft of Peckerwood Branch in Clay 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).

There are wild Rainbow Trout in the vicinity of the project, and in-stream work should be
avoided between January 1 and April 15 to minimize impacts to trout reproduction. In addition,
the stream site is part of the Upper Hiwassee Aquatic Habitat, a natural area rated Exceptional by
the NC Natural Heritage Program due to the ecological importance of the system. Hiwassee
Headwaters Crayfish [Cambarus parrishi, US Federal Species of Concern (FSC), NC Special
Concern (SC)], Eastern Hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis, US FSC, NC SC), and
Valley River Crayfish (Cambarus brimyelorum, NC Significantly Rare) are found in the vicinity
of the project.

The work would involve re-establishing a stable dimension, profile, and pattern on an eroding
stretch of stream, using constructed riffles, toewood with soil lifts, and log vanes. A 20-ft native
riparian buffer would be planted. Work would be done in the dry.

We offer the following additional recommendations to minimize impacts to fish and wildlife
resources:
1. Work should be accomplished as quickly as possible and vigilance used in sediment and
erosion control during site preparation, construction, and clean up. Disturbed areas should be
seeded, mulched and/or matted as soon as possible.
Jackson-Pierce Property Page 2 February 1, 2024
Peckerwood Br, Clay County
2. Any erosion control matting used should be free of plastic or nylon 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. Unless Sycamore and River Birch are found on the site or just upstream or downstream, they
should be removed from the planting plan, as they are typically associated with lower
elevation streams and larger floodplains. We suggest substituting these with Yellow Birch or
Sweet Birch.

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

ec: David Brown, Jennings Environmental
Joey Winston, NC Division of Water Resources