20181731 Ver 1_WRC comments_20190124

9 North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission 0
Gordon Myers, Executive Director
January 23, 2019
Mr. Bryan Roden -Reynolds
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch
151 Patton Avenue, Room 208
Asheville, North Carolina 28801-5006
SUBJECT: South Crooked Creek Stream Restoration
Crooked Creek and UT, Stokes County
Dear Mr. Roden -Reynolds:
Biologists with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) reviewed an
application to restore 3,442 ft of South Crooked Creek and an unnamed tributary (UT) in Stokes
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 wild trout and do not need to be avoided during the trout
moratorium.
The application proposes to stabilize eroding reaches of Crooked Creek the UT with instream
rock and log structures and various bank treatments. A riparian buffer that is at least 30 ft in
width in most locations will be planted in native vegetation throughout the project. The project
will be constructed in the dry. We support this project, as it should address bank erosion and
reduce instream sediment.
We offer the following recommendations to minimize impacts to the aquatic community:
1. 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.
2. Any erosion control matting used should be free of nylon or plastic mesh, as this type of
mesh netting frequently entangles wildlife and is slow to degrade, resulting in a hazard that
may last for years.
Mailing Address: Habitat Conservation • 1721 Mail Service Center • Raleigh, NC 27699-1721
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]

South Crooked Creek Stream Restoration Page 2 January 23, 2019
S Crooked Cr, Stokes County
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: Jake Byers, Michael Baker Engineering
Sue Homewood, NC Division of Water Resources