20091183 Ver 2_Pilot Mountain State Park WRC Comments_20160208

9 North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission 9
Gordon Myers, Executive Director
February 8, 2016
Mr. Andrew Williams
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch
3331 Heritage Trade Drive, Suite 105
Wake Forest, NC 27587
SUBJECT: Comments on Horne Creek Stream Crossings
Horne Creek, Surry County
Dear Mr. Williams:
Biologists with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) reviewed an
application to repair three fords on Horne Creek in Pilot Mountain State Park in Surry 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 trout, and observation of a trout moratorium is not needed.
However, there are two listed mussels in the Yadkin River in the vicinity of the project --Brook
Floater (Alasmidonta varicosa, US Federal Species of Concern, NC Endangered) and Creeper
(Strophitus undulatus, NC Threatened).
The ford repair will involve the application of paver stones to the approach and exit to each 15 ft
wide ford and the placement of paver stones within the ford where needed. In addition,
according to Matt Windsor, the park superintendent, a recent storm event deposited fine
sediment on the ford, and park staff would like to remove deposited sediment from the ford areas
with a track hoe.
The rare species listed above are extremely sensitive to excess sediment, and effective sediment
and erosion control measures are essential to protect these species.
Mailing Address: Habitat Conservation • 1721 Mail Service Center • Raleigh, NC 27699-1721
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]

Horne Creek Stream Crossings Page 2 February 8, 2016
Surry County
We offer the following recommendations to minimize impacts to fish and wildlife:
1. Effective sediment and erosion control measures must be maintained during and after the
project in order to stabilize any disturbed areas. On disturbed stream banks, we recommend
using straw and coir matting over a quick growing temporary seed mix.
2. Any matting used on site should be free of nylon mesh; nylon mesh netting frequently
entangles wildlife and is slow to degrade, resulting in a hazard that may last for years.
3. Any in -channel work should be accomplished as quickly as possible.
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: Justin Williamson and Matt Windsor, NC Division of Parks and Recreation
Sue Homewood, NC Division of Water Resources