4.5 River Basins
Monitoring. Long-term monitoring is critical to assessing species and ecosystem health over time and gauging the resilience of organisms to continued impacts to state waters. Studies should include identifcation of population trends, as well as assessment of impacts from conservation or development activities. Tese eforts will inform species and habitat management decisions. Long-term monitoring sites need to be identifed and monitoring protocols developed for all priority species. Monitoring plans should be coordinated with other existing monitoring programs where feasible.
• Create additional ambient monitoring stations or sediment monitoring stations in the basin, especially on Tusquitee Creek (NCDWQ 2012b) .
• Conduct long-term monitoring to identify population trends for Sicklefn Redhorse, Blotched Chub, and Christy’s Elimia.
• Monitor Blueback Herring populations to assess impacts on priority species.
Research. Research topics that facilitate appropriate conservation actions include habitat use and preferences, reproductive behavior, fecundity, population dynamics and genetics, feeding, competition, and food web dynamics. Increased understanding of life histories and status helps determine the vulnerability of priority species to further imperilment, in addition to identifying possibilities for improved management and conservation. All stud- ies should provide recommendations for mitigation and restoration. Formal descriptions for known or putative undescribed species and investigations aimed at resolving taxo- nomic status are needed. • Resolve the taxonomy of mussels in the genera Villosa, Pleurobema, and Fusconaia , and create species descriptions for Smoky Dace and Sicklefn Redhorse. • Study early life history, propagation and culture, movement, and habitat use of Sicklefn Redhorse.
• Conduct research to improve habitat conditions in regulated reaches of the Hiwassee and Nottely rivers.
• Investigate aquatic community response to restoration projects in priority areas.
• Identify impacts of nonnative species on priority species and habitats (e.g., Blueback Herring).
In addition to the SGCN species found in the basin (see Table 4.60), a list of knowledge-gap priority species is provided in Table 4.61.
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2015 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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