6.3 Conservation Opportunities and Incentives
• Grandfather Mountain State Park in the Mountain ecoregion is home to 70 known rare and endangered species and 16 distinct natural communities. • Eno River State Park in the Piedmont ecoregion is home to several state and federally protected species. Te park is a scenic wilderness corridor encompassing 14 miles of river, and featuring multiple cultural history sites. • Te Longleaf Pine forests of Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve in the Sandhills ecoregion are home to rare and endangered species including the Red-cockaded Woodpecker and Pine Barrens Tree Frog. • Lake Waccamaw State Park in the Coastal Plain ecoregion features one of the largest natural Carolina bays in the state, which is home to several unique plants and ani- mals—some of which exist only at this location. 6.3.2.2 Federally Owned Public Lands USFWS manages the National Wildlife Refuge System, a national network of lands and waters for the conservation, management, and where appropriate, restoration of fsh, wildlife, and plant resources and their habitats. Managing these habitats is a complex process of controlling or eradicating invasive species, using fre in a prescribed manner, assuring adequate water resources, and assessing external threats such as development or contamination. National wildlife refuges are home to more than 380 of the nation’s 1,311 endangered or threatened species. So far, 11 of those species have been removed from the list due to their recovery, and conservation eforts have resulted in 17 others being downlisted from endangered to threatened status. More than 500 listed species are now stable or improv- ing. Fifty-nine national wildlife refuges have been created specifcally to help imperiled species. North Carolina has 11 national wildlife refuges, including one of the newest, Mountain Bogs National Wildlife Refuge. USFS manages public lands in national forests and grasslands. North Carolina falls within the Southern Region of the Forest Service (Region 8). Tere are four National Forests in North Carolina: Croatan, Uwharrie, Nantahala, and Pisgah. Each has its own Land and Resource Management Plan (LRMP), a document that provides direction for the future management of the forest and its resources. Te National Park Service (NPS) manages several public lands scattered across the state. Cape Hatteras and Cape Lookout national seashores protect more coastal acreage, includ- ing beaches, maritime grasslands, and maritime forests, than do any other managed areas in the state. Te Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway protect
772
2015 NC Wildlife Action Plan
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online