20180474 Ver 1_WRCComments_20180502

ltl North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission 0
Gordon Myers, Executive Director
May 2, 2018
Ms. Amanda Fuemmeler
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch
151 Patton Avenue, Room 208
Asheville, North Carolina 28801-5006
SUBJECT: Boone Greenway Extensin
UT Winkler Creek - Watauga County
Dear Ms. Fuemmeler:
Biologists with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) reviewed an
application to culvert 40 ft of an unnamed tributary (UT) to Winkler Creek in Watauga 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 Brown Trout in Winkler Creek, and project activities should be avoided during
the trout moratorium period of October 15 to April 15 to minimize impacts to trout spawning.
In addition, the site is upstream of the South Fork New River, which is part of the South Fork
New River Aquatic Habitat, a natural area rated Exceptional by the NC Natural Heritage
Program due to the extraordinary diversity of rare species it contains. Rare and listed species
within the vicinity of the project include the Eastern Hellbender [Cryptobranchus alleganiensis,
US Federal Species of Concern (FSC), NC Special Concern (SC)], Kanawha Minnow
(Phenacobius teretulus, US FSC, NC SC), Tonguetied Minnow [Exoglossum laurae, NC
Significantly Rare (SR)], and Kanawha Darter (Etheostoma kanawhae, NC SR). Wild trout and
these rare species are especially sensitive to sediment, and special care should be taken to
minimize sediment loss from the project.
The proposed length of the culvert (40 ft) appears to be excessive for a greenway. We
recommend minimizing the length of stream impact as much as possible.
Mailing Address: Habitat Conservation • 1721 Mail Service Center • Raleigh, NC 27699-1721
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]

Boone Greenway Extension Page 2 May 2, 2018
UT Winkler Cr, Watauga County
We offer the following recommendations to minimize impacts to the aquatic community:
1. In -channel work should be avoided between October 15 and April 15 to minimize impacts to
Brown Trout spawning.
2. 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
areas should be seeded, mulched and/or matted as soon as possible, preferably at the end of
each work day.
3. 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.
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: Adam Williams, Brushy Fork
Sue Homewood, NC Division of Water Resources