20141169 All Versions_Wildlife Underpass_20090313

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STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
1
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
BEVERLY EAVES PERDUE
GOVERNOR
March 4, 2009
Ms. Katherine Skinner Mr. Pete Benjamin
Vice President Field Supervisor
The Nature Conservancy U. S. Department
North Carolina Chapter of the Interior
4705 University Drive, Suite 290 Fish and Wildlife Service
Durham, NC 27707 P. O. Box 33726
Raleigh, NC 27636-3726
Mr. Dee Freeman Mr. Gordon Myers
Secretary Executive Director
N. C. Department of North Carolina Wildlife
Environment and Resources Commission
Natural Resources 1721 Mail Service Center
1601 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699-1721
Raleigh. NC 27699-1601
CONTI, ,I R.
Mr. Lee Thornhill
District Ranger
Croatan Ranger District
U. S. Department of Agriculture
Forest Service
141 East Fisher Avenue
New Bern, NC 28560-8468
Dear Ms. Skinner, Mr. Benjamin, Mr. Thornhill, Secretary Freeman, and Mr. Myers:
RE: Wildlife Underpass, Project R-2514
US 17 from Belgrade to New Bern in Onslow & Jones Counties
I am writing to follow up on my February 15, 2008 letter to Ms. Skinner, Mr. Benjamin, Ms. Lauren Hillman,
then Croatan District Ranger, Mr. William Ross, then Secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural
Resources, and Mr. Fred Harris, then Interim Director of the Wildlife Resources Commission, responding to their
requests for a wildlife underpass between Maysville and the community of Chadwick on US 17 in Jones County.
NCDOT agreed to fund and construct a wildlife underpass as part of our US 17 highway improvements project
subject to design criteria and provisions presented in my February 15, 2008 letter. As a primary provision,
NCDOT requested documentation of an agreement between "I'he Nature Conservancy and Weyerhaeuser
demonstrating that The Nature Conservancy has control (development and mineral rights, etc.) via an easement on
the Weyerhaeuser Tract for protection in perpetuity for wildlife passage. It is our understanding that
Weyerhaeuser is unwilling to sell the property or limit their development rights..NCDOT requires protection of
the wildlife corridor to ensure that the corridor will not be developed, thereby maintaining animal migration
patterns, and that the bridges will be utilized for their intended purpose.
MAILING ADDRESS: TELEPHONE: [phone] LOCATION:
NC DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION FAX: [phone] TRANSPORTATION BUILDING
PROJECT DEVELOPMENT & 1 SOUTH WILMINGTON STREET
EITVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS BRANCH tNE851TEf RALEIGH NC 27601
1548 MAIL SERVICE CENTER
RA!.EIGH NC 27599-1548 w Ancdotorg/doh/preconstruct/pe
S ECREI ANY
A1r..Skinner. A4-. Benjamin, Mr. Thornhill, Secreagp Freeman, and Mr. Avers
R-2514: Wildlife Underpass
Alarch J. 2009
Page 2
If you are aware of any developments regarding protection of the wildlife corridor between Hofmann Forest and
the Croatan National Forest, please contact me at [phone] or the Project Planning Engineer, Mark Pierce,
at [phone] x214 or at mspicrceCQncdol.?-,ov. Thank you for your assistance with this issue.
Si
D.
Project Oevelopment & Environmental Analysis Branch
cc: Eugene Conti, Secretary of Transportation
Marvin Blount, Member, Board oftransportation
Cameron McRae, Member, Board of "transportation
L: Ils. Skinner. Mr. Benjamin. Mr
R-2514: Wildlife Underpass
d4arch d. Za09
Page 3
Thornhill, Secretary Freeman, and Mr. Myers
bee. Ms. Deborah Barbour, P.E. (NCDOT - Director of Preconstruction)
Ms. Karen Compton (USDA - Forest Service)
Mr. Tent' Gibson, P.E. (NCDOT - State Highway Administrator)
Ms. Renee Gledhill-Earley (NCDCR - Historic Preservation Office)
Mr. Robert Hanson, P.E. (NCDOT - Project Development)
Mr. Phil Harris (NCDOT-Natural Environment)
Mr. Mark Jones (NCDENR - Wildlife Resources Commission)
Mr. Gary Jordan (USDOI - Fish and Wildlife Service)
Mr. Neil Lassiter, P.E. (Division Engineer, Division 2)
Mr. Hervey McIver (The Nature Conservancy)
Mr. Chris Militscher (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)
Ms. Trish Murphey (NCDENR - Division of Marine Fisheries)
Ms. Mary Noel (USDA - Forest Service)
Mr. Mark Pierce, P.E. (NCDOT - Project Development)
Mr. Scott Pohlman (NCDENR - Natural Heritage Program)
Mr. Ron Sechler (NOAA - Marine Fisheries Service)
Mr. Steve Sollod (NCDENR - Division of Coastal Management)
Mr. Jim Speer, P.E. (NCDOT - Roadway Design)
Mr. Wes Stafford, P.E., AICP (Wilbur Smith Associates)
Mr. Jim Trogdon, P.E. (NCDOT- Chief Operating Officer)
Mr. Daniel Van Liere (Down East Rural Planning Organization)
Mr. David Wainwright (NCDENR - Division of Water Quality)
Mr. William Wescott, P.W.S. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)
Mr. Travis Wilson (NCDENR- Wildlife Resources Commission)
Mr. Brian Yamamoto, P.E. (NCDOT- Project Development)