20011102 Ver 1_USFS PETS Species Evaluation_20080501

USFS PETS SPECIES EVALUATION
FOR THE
US 70 HAVELOCK BYPASS ON THE
CROATAN NATIONAL FOREST (CNF)
AT /?? 5Jn mu .5-74149
A-101.6
CRAVEN AND CARTERET COUNTIES, NORTH CAROLINA
State Project No. 83170701
T.I.P. No. R-1015
Federal Aid Project No. R-56-4(34)
Consulting Project No. 06-ES-03
Prepared for:
The North Carolina Department of Transportation
Division of Highways Planning and Environment
Project Development and Environmental Analysis Branch
Office of Natural Environment
Raleigh, North Carolina
NORTH Cq?
O?
OF TR
10J2
May 2008
USFS PETS Species Evaluation for the
US 70 Havelock Bypass (R-1015) on the
Croatan National Forest (CNF)
The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) proposes to construct a new US 70 Bypass
of the town of Havelock. The proposed bypass will be a multi-lane limited access highway located to the
west of existing US 70. The southern terminus is located at existing US 70 south of the Craven/Carteret
County line and the northern terminus is located at existing US 70, south of its intersection with SR 1105,
approximately 4.5 miles northwest of the Town of Havelock. Three alternatives are being investigated.
For each alternative, potential impacts are presented for both a 1000 foot study corridor and the
preliminary design alignment (including 25-foot buffer) within that study corridor. Each .alternative
shares common termini and sections. Indirect impacts presented are based on the preliminary design
alignment.
Since the proposed project crosses U.S. Forest Service (USFS) property, a special use permit from the
USFS will be required. Prior to approving a special use permit for the project, the USFS requires that the
project study area be evaluated for Proposed, Endangered, Threatened, or Sensitive (PETS) species.
The USFS has developed guidelines for determining potential impacts and determining the need for
mitigative measures for PETS species on the Croatan National Forest (CNF). PETS species included in
this analysis are those presented in the PETS species list provided by the USFS in January 2005, as
amended in September 2007. The guidelines for PETS species outcomes included in the CNF Land
Resource Management Plan (LRMP) use a key (Attachment H-7 of the LRMP) that incorporates the
number of documented occurrences and acreage of potential habitat on the CNF and within the
surrounding four counties. The LRMP includes five potential outcomes:
• Outcome A: Habitat (including known sites) is of sufficient quality, abundance, and distribution
to allow species to stabilize in a pattern similar to reference distribution. Reference distribution is
based on the available information about habitat associations, occupancy of suitable habitats, the
extent of potentially suitable habitats, and the inferred historic habitat distribution within the CNF
proclamation boundary (Attachment H-5 of the LRMP).
• Outcome B: Habitat (including known sites) is of sufficient quality, abundance, and distribution to
allow species to stabilize in a pattern altered from reference distribution with some limitations on
biological functions and species interactions.
• Outcome C: Habitat (including known sites) is of sufficient quality, abundance, or distribution to
allow species to stabilize but in a pattern highly altered from reference distribution with major
limitations on biological functions and species interactions. Loss of any sites that provide linkage
could result in habitat insufficient to support stable populations of the species.
• Outcome D: Habitat (including known sites) is insufficient to support stable populations of the
species.
• Outcome E: Information is insufficient to determine an outcome.
1
For the US 70 Havelock Bypass project (R-1015) an alternative that results in either direct or indirect
impacts to a PETS species will require further evaluation and consultation with the USFS to determine
what mitigative measures will need to be implemented to offset anticipated project effects and obtain an
Outcome of "C" or better. Mitigative measures can include, but are not limited to, additional impact
avoidance, increasing the knowledge base of the species by identifying additional occurrences on the
CNF, placing unprotected occurrences into protection, and/or habitat improvement measures.
Direct and indirect impacts to USFS PETS species have been quantified using NCNHP Element
Occurrence (EO) data (March 2008) and NCNHP EO designations. For PETS species not tracked by
NCNHP, ESI used best available information, including results of species specific surveys undertaken by
NCDOT and ESI biologists in 2005, habitat evaluations in 2007, and data from the USFS.
Additional species were added to the official PETS list used for this project in September of 2007. The
analysis for these additional species is limited to the habitat evaluations, NCNHP EO data (March 2008),
incidental observations during the habitat evaluations, and records provided by the USFS.
Three groups of species had outcomes that warranted specific presentation. Those groups are presented in
the following tables (1-3) with explanation; the remaining species are included in Table 4. Tables la and
1 b includes PETS species with documented occurrences within one or more preliminary design alignment
or with potential indirect impacts for which further consultation with the USFS is required to determine
what mitigative measures will be required. Table 2 includes PETS species for which no direct or indirect
impacts will occur, but are included due to the limited number of known occurrences forest-wide and the
presence of potential habitat within one or more preliminary design alignment; no further consultation
with the USFS is required for these species. Table 3 includes PETS species for which no habitat is
present in the preliminary design alignments; no further action is warranted. Table 4 includes PETS
species for which habitat is present in one or more preliminary design alignment, but for which habitat is
at least at a minimum of sufficient quality, abundance, and distribution to allow the species to stabilize
with some limitations; no further action is warranted.
Table la includes those species that have documented occurrences in at least one of the preliminary
design alignments or within the USFS lands that will be isolated from contiguous CNF lands by a
preliminary design alignment; this isolation will be considered an indirect impact by USFS due to
management considerations. Table lb provides the preliminary species outcomes with and without
project impacts without considering any mitigative measures. In general these species in Table lb have
limited documented occurrences on the CNF and/or limited habitat in the CNF. Further discussion with
the USFS will be needed to determine what mitigative measures will be required to offset anticipated
project related impacts.
Table 2 includes those species on the PETS species list that are either known to occur on the CNF and/or
for which potentially suitable habitat is present on the CNF in the study corridors; no documented
occurrences of these species are present within the US 70 Havelock Bypass study corridors or within
2
portions of the CNF potentially indirectly impacted by a preliminary design alignment. For many of these
species, no occurrences have yet been documented on the CNF; the others with limited number of known
occurrences are vulnerable to local extirpation. Potentially suitable habitat for each of these species is
present within each of the study corridors; however the potentially suitable habitat impacted by the study
corridors represents a small percentage of the potentially available suitable habitat within the CNF. It is
ESI's opinion that the proposed project will have minimal to no effect on these species and that mitigative
measures are not warranted for these species since the amount of suitable habitat affected by the project is
minimal in comparison to the amount of habitat available on the CNF and no direct or indirect impacts to
these species will occur.
Table 3 includes those species on the PETS species list for which habitat is not present within any of the
US 70 Havelock Bypass study corridors. Field surveys did not identify any anomalous occurrences of
these species within the study corridors. It is ESL's opinion that the proposed project will not directly or
indirectly affect these species and that mitigative measures are not warranted for these species.
Table 4 includes those species on the PETS species list that received an Outcome of A, B, or C but are not
expected to be directly or indirectly impacted by any of the preliminary design s. An additional species
with an Outcome of E that is thought to more common on the CNF than evidence suggests is also
included in this table. None of these species in Table 4 were documented within the US 70 Bypass study
corridors. It is ESI's opinion that the proposed project will have minimal to no effect on these species and
that mitigative measures are not warranted for these species since the amount of suitable habitat affected
by the project is minimal and sufficient occurrences and/or habitat within the CNF exist to protect the
species long term survival on the CNF.
Vegetative communities used in identifying suitable habitat for PETS species were evaluated and mapped
in 2003 and 2004. Nine major plant community types were identified within the study corridors
occurring on USFS property. Five plant community types are further divided by characteristics of
hydrology or vegetation. One plant community type, rural/urban modifications, is used to include all
obvious human-maintained landscape modifications including roads, residential areas, businesses, etc.
Community types identified within the study corridors include: Pine Flatwoods (hydric), Pine Flatwoods
(mesic), Pine/Hardwood Forest, Streamhead Pocosin (tree dominated), Streamhead Pocosin (shrub
dominated), Swamp Forest (along large streams), Swamp Forest (along small streams), Swamp Forest (in
ponds), Small Pond, Powerline Corridor (hydric), Powerline Corridor (mesic), Pine Plantation (hydric),
Pine Plantation (mesic), Successional/Ruderal Habitat, and Rural/Urban Modifications. Detailed plant
community descriptions are found in the Natural Resource Technical Report prepared by ESI for this
project.
3

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Tnhle 1 6 PFTq gneriec 0iitrnmec fnr Sneciec Fither i)irerflv nr indirectly imnacted by a Preliminary desian aliQrlment.
Scientific Name Common Name Outcome
without Outcome with project impacts
(Preliminar Design Alignment) Comments
impacts Alt.I Alt.2 Alt.3
A alinis a h lla scale-leaf erardii C C C C
Aimo hila aestivalis Bachman's sparrow C C C C
Ammodramus henslowii Henslow's sparrow C C C C
A o num s. do bane E E E E
Bartonia paniculata
spp. niculata twining screwstem E E E E
Cale hells vir iniensis little metalmark C C C C
Cirsium lecontei Leconte's thistle C D D D
Cleistes bi aria small spreading onia C D D D
Corynorhinus
rafinesquii Rafinesque's big-eared bat E E E E Species likely
more common
than records
indicate
Dendroica virens
wa nei black-throated green
warbler C C C C
Le'eunea bermudiana a liverwort D D D D
Lithacodia s. 2 a bird-dropping moth D D D D
Lysimachia loomisii Loomis's loosestrife E E E E Species likely
more common
than records
indicate
M otis austrori rius southeastern m otis E D D D
Ozypolis denticulata piedmont cowbane E E E E Species likely
more common
than records
indicate
Pas lum dissectum mudbank crown ass D D D
_ D
Picoides borealis red-cockaded woodpecker B Tbd T
d Tbd
Plagiochila
ludoviaciana a liverwort E D E E
Platanthera inte a yellow fringeless orchid C C C C
Platanthera nivea snowy orchid D D D D
Pol ala hookeri Hooker's milkwort C C C C
Ponthieva racemosa shadow-witch B B B B
Procambarus
plumimanus Croatan crayfish B C C C Species likely
more common
than records
indicate
Rh nchos ra breviseta short-bristled beaksed e D D D D
Rhynchospora
oli antha feather-bristle beaksedge B C C C
Rhynchospora
stir oides long-beak baldsedge C C C C
Scleria eor Lana Georgia nutrush C D C C
Solids o ulchra Carolina goldenrod B B B B
Solidago verna spring-flowering
goldenrod C C C C Species likely
more common
than records
indicate
Sphagnum cribrosum Florida eatmoss D D D D
S ha num rtz eraldii Fitz erald's atmoss C C C C
'Preliminary outcome based on anticipated direct/indirect impacts; no mitigative measures considered.
b A detailed evaluation of the potential effects on this species by the proposed project is being prepared by Dr. J.H. Carter and
Associates, Inc. under separate cover.
Table 2. No Direct/Indirect PETS Species Imoacts. Habitat Present, Limited Occurrences on CNF.
Scientific Name Common Name USFS
Status a Outcome No. of Element
Occurrences on the
CNF` Comments
A ostis altissima tall bent ass LR C 1
Anhinga anhinga anhinga LR C 0 Unconfirmed nest
observation at SW
Prong Slocum
Creek west of
Corr. 3 `
Aristida sim lici ora Cha man's three-awn LR E 0
Canis ru us red wolf E-XN E 0
Crocanthemum
carolinianum b Carolina sunrose LR D 1
Dichanthelium sF. 9
(=c tanthum) a witch grass LR D 1
Helenium innati idum dissected sneezeweed LR D 0
Hesperia attalus slossonae dotted skipper S D 0
Hibiscus aculeatus comfortroot LR C I
Kalmia cuneata white wic S D 0
Lanius ludovicia loggerhead shrike S E 0
Macbridea caroliniana birds-in-a-nest
Carolina bo int S D 0
Melanoplus attenuatus slender-bodied
melano lus S D 0
Melanoplus nubilus a short-winged
melano lus S D 0
Panicum tenerum southeastern panic ass LR D 6
Pre erra ceromatica annointed sallow moth LR D 0
Puma concolor cou ar eastern cougar E E 0
Rhynchospora macra southern white
beaksed e S D 1
Scleria baldwinii Baldwin's nutrush LR D 1
Solidago leavenworthii Leavenworth's
goldenrod LR D 1
Sphagnum torre anum giant eatmoss LR E 2
S iranthes lon ilabris ian t spiral orchid S D I
Thalictrum macros lum Piedmont meadowrue S D 1
Xyris floridana Florida yellow-eyed
ass LR E 0
XyrisJlabelliformis savanna yellow-eyed
ass LR D 4
X ris stricta a yellow-eyed grass LR D 1
° LR- Locally Rare; S - Sensitive; E-XN - Endangered, extirpated; E - Endangered.
b Species added to USFS PETS list in September of 2007.
` Observed in July 2007 (J. Fussell) and included two adults in an unrecorded great blue heron nesting colony.
d Species not tracked by NCNHP in GIS, occurrences based on best available information.
`Occurrences based on the number of individual Element Occurrences tracked by NCNHP (March 2008 data)supplemented with
additional information provided by NCDOT and the USFS.
Table 3. No Direct/Indirect PETS Species Impacts. No Habitat Present.
Scientific Name Common Name USFS
Status a Outcome No. of Element
Occurrences on
the CNF d Comments
Acipenser
ox rh nchus ` Atlantic sturgeon S D 0
Aeschynomene
vir inica b sensitive jointvetch T D 0
Alasmidonta
undulata triangle floater E D 0
Arnoglossum ovatum
var. lanceolatum b savanna milkweed LR D 0
Arenaria lanuginosa
var. lanu inosa b spreading sandwort LR D I
Asplenium
heteroresiliens Carolina spleenwort S D I
Baetisca laurentina a mayfly LR D 0
Botaurus lenti inosus American bittern LR D 0
Cardamine lop ii lop 's bittercress S D 0
Carex basiantha widow sedge LR D 1
Circus c anus northern harrier LR D 0
Cladium mariscoides twig-rush LR C 0
Coturnicops
noveboracensis yellow rail LR D 0
Cylindrocolea
rhizantha a liverwort S E 0
Cystopteris
tennesseensis Tennessee bladder-fern LR D 0
Dichanthelium hirsth Hirst's panic grass S D 0
Eleotris isonis ` sin cheek sleeper LR D 0
Eu h es bimacula two-dotted skipper LR E 2
Euphyes dukesi
dukesi Duke's skipper S D 0
Evorthodus 1 ricus ` lyre ob LR D 0
Ferrissia hendersoni` blackwater anc lid LR D 0
Franclemontia
interro ans an owlet moth LR D 0
Frullania donnellii a liverwort S D I
Fusconaia masoni Atlantic i oe S D 0
Hypsoblennius
ionthas freckled blenny LR D 0
lctinia
mississippiensis ` Mississippi kite LR D 0 Multiple
observations, no
nesting
observations
Isoetes microvela uillwort S D 0
Lachnocaulon
be richianum southern bogbutton S D 3
Lam etra ae tera least brook lamprey S D 0
Lam sills radiata eastern lam mussel LR D 0
Lam silis s p. 2 chameleon lam mussel LR D 0
Cable 3 continues.
Table 3 continued.
Scientific Name Common Name USFS
Status a Outcome No. of Element
Occurrences on the
CNFd Comments
Lasmigona
subviridus green floater S D 0
Lejeunea
dimor ho h !la a liverwort S D 0
Litho have lemmeri Lemmer's pinion LR D 0
Ludwi is lini olia flaxleaf seedbox LR C 1
L thrurus matutinus ` pinewoods shiner LR D 0
Meropleon
diversicolor sullivani an owlet moth LR D 0
Metz eria unici era ` a liverwort S E 0
Minuartia od e i Godfre 's sandwort S D 0
M rio h llum laxum loose watermilfoil S D 1
Necturus lewisi Neuse River waterdo LR C 0
Nerodia sipedon
williamen elsi Carolina salt marsh
snake S C 0
Notro is bi enatus bridle shiner LR D 0
Notunis riosus Carolina madtom S D 0
Nu har sa itti olia ` narrowleaf cowlill S D 0
Pano ea bitruncata ` Atlantic eoduck LR D 0
Parietaria
raetermissa large-seed pellitory S C 0
Passerina ciris ciris painted bunting LR C 2
Peltandra sa itti olia s oonflower LR C 3
Persicaria hirsuta hairy smartweed LR D 1
Phalacrocorax auritus double-crested cormorant LR C 0
Pla iochila miradoren a liverwort LR D 0
Procambanrs
medialis ` Tar River crayfish S D 0
Ptichodis bistri ata southern tichodis S D 0
Rhexia cubensis West Indies meadow-
beau LR C 3
Rhynchospora
leiantha coastal beaksedge S C 1
Sa ittaria cha manii Cha man's arrowhead S D 1
Sagittaria
weatherbiana grassleaf arrowhead S D 0
Scir us lineatus drooping bulrush LR C 3
Semotilus lumbee sandhills chub S D 0
Solids o acillima graceful goldenrod LR D 2
Solids o villosicar a coastal goldenrod S C 0
Stro hitus undulatus creeper LR D 0
Synaptomys cooperi
helaletes Dismal Swamp
southeastern bog
lemming LR D 2
Toxolasma ullus Savannah lilli ut S D 0
E - Endangered; LR- Locally Rare; S - Sensitive; T - Threatened.
b Species added to USFS PETS list in September of 2007.
`Species not tracked by NCNHP in GIS, occurrences based on best available information.
d Occurrences based on the number of individual Element Occurrences tracked by NCNHP (March 2008 data)supplemented with
additional information provided by NCDOT and the USFS.

T?klo d M. Il -t/T.Ai-t PFTS Sn ;- Tmnartc Nahitat Present. Sufficient Habitat and/or Occurrences on the CNF.
Scientific Name Common Name USFS
Status a Outcome No. of Element
Occurrences on the
CNF' Comments
A alinis vir ata branched erardia LR B 13
A otis carolina a dart moth LR C 2
Alligator
misstssi iensis American alligator TS/A B 5
Andro on mohrii bog bluestem LR C 1
Asclepias pedicellata stalked milkweed (savanna
milkweed LR B 9
At tone aro os aro os Aro os skipper S C 1
Calo 0 on multi orus man-flowered ass ink S C 0
Cam to us carolinae savanna cam to us S C 0
Crotalus adamanteus eastern diamondback
rattlesnake LR C 2
Dionaea musci ula Venus flytrap S B 19
Eleocharis robbinsii Robbin's s ikerush LR C 1
Eu h es ber i Berry's skipper LR E 2
Fissidens hallii Hall's pocket moss S C 0
Haliaeetus
leucocephalus bald eagle T C 2 Multiple
observations, no
nesting
observations
Hemipachnobia
sub r h rea Venus flytrap cutworm
moth S B 3
Heterodon simus southern ho ose snake LR B 0
Himanto s mexicanus black-necked stilt LR C 0
Litsea aestivalis onds ice S C 4
Lobelia bo kinii Bo kin's lobelia S C 0
Ludwi is ravenii Raven's seedbox LR C 2
L nceus acilicornis aceful clam shrimp LR C 0
Lysimachia
as erulae olia rough-leaved loosestrife E B 47
Malaxis spicata Florida adder's mouth LR C 1 Additional
occurrence east of
corridor 2 on private
property
floridana
oridana eastern woodrat - coastal
POP. LR C 0
O hisaurus mimicus mimic lass lizard S B 8
Orconectes carolinensis North Carolina spiny
crayfish LR C 0
Parnassia caroliniana Carolina ass-of- arnassus S C 0
Pin icula umila small butterwort LR C 10
Planta o s arsi ora inland plantain S C 0
Rana ca ito ca ito Carolina gopher fro S B 5
Rhexia aristosa awned meadow-beauty S C 0
Rh nchos ra har eri H er's beaksed a LR C 1
Rh nchos ra thornei Thorne's beaksed e S C 0
Seminatrix pygaea black swam snake LR A 2
S artini ha a carterae Carter's s artini ha a S C 0
Teloschistes avicans sunrise lichen S A 0
To Teldia labra ` Carolina asphodel S B 29
Utricularia olivacea dwarf bladderwort LR C 2
a E - Endangered; LR- Locally Rare; S - Sensitive; T - Threatened; TS/A - Threatened due to similarity of appearance.
b Species added to USFS PETS list in September of 2007.
`Species not tracked by NCNHP in GIS, occurrences based on best available information.
d Occurrences based on the number of individual Element Occurrences tracked by NCNHP (March 2008 data)supplemented with
additional information provided by NCDOT and the USFS.