NORTH CAROLINA WILDLIFE RESOURCES COMMISSION
WILDLIFE DIVERSITY PROGRAM QUARTERLY REPORT July–September 2025
Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Report for July–September 2025
STAY CONNECTED WITH THE N.C. WILDLIFE RESOURCES COMMISSION ncwildlife.gov
On the cover, clockwise from top left: Cope’s gray treefrog from North Carolina, photo by Aubrey Heupel Greene, FAWD coordinator Michael Per- kins holding a Brook Floater on the Catawba River, Sept 2025, photo by Chris Carlson, American Oystercatcher, photo by Carmen Johnson, and Amber Olsen holding a Bowfin collected in the Tar River during a fish survey, photo by Michael Fisk.
Contents photos from left: Kacy Cook and Wood Stork captured for radio-tagging and banding, photo by Kelly Douglass and Upper Cane River showing signs of improvement in August 2025, photo by Dylan Owensby.
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Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Report for July–September 2025
Table of Contents Wildlife Diversity Program Staff ..........................................................................................................4 Earlier Nesting Peak Observed in 2025 Sea Turtle Nesting Season .......................................................6 Surveys for the Eastern Hellbender in the Nolichucky Sub-basin During the First Breeding Season Post-Hurricane Helene ....................................................................................................... 7 Counts of Gray Bats Down Following Hurricane Helene ........................................................................8 Wood Stork Trapping and Tagging to Study Their Movement Ecology ......................................................... 9 Autonomous Recording Units … Working All Night Long … ................................................................ 10 Working to Restore Bogs in Western North Carolina ...........................................................................11 Motus Installations and Maintenance with the American Bird Conservancy ........................................... 12 American Oystercatcher Banding ...................................................................................................... 13 Surveys for Gray Treefrogs and Wetland Habitat Enhancement Through Prescribed Fire ......................... 14 NC Wildlife Action Plan ....................................................................................................................15 Wildlife Passage ..............................................................................................................................16 Green Growth Toolbox ......................................................................................................................16 Partners for Green Growth ................................................................................................................16 Cooperative Land Conservation ........................................................................................................17 Conservation Partnerships ...............................................................................................................18 Barrier Removal and Assessment ....................................................................................................... 19 Fish Populations in the Nolichucky River Basin Showing Signs of Resilience in First Year Since Hurricane Helene ................................................................................................................ 20 Updating the Distribution of Brook Floater Following Hurricane Helene ..............................................21 Aquatic Species Surveys to Inform Habitat Suitability For Rare Aquatic Species ..................................... 22 Lake Waccamaw Fish and Mussel Monitoring Surveys ......................................................................... 23 Rare Coastal Fishes Surveys .............................................................................................................. 24 North Carolina Bird Atlas Completes Final Breeding Season ................................................................. 25
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Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Report for July–September 2025
The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission’s (NCWRC) Wildlife Diversity (WD) Program is housed within the agency’s Inland Fisheries (Aquatic Wildlife Diversity) and Wildlife Management divisions. Program responsi- bilities principally include surveys, research and other projects for nongame and endangered wildlife species. Nongame species are animals without an open hunting, fishing or trapping season.
Wildlife Diversity Program Staff
Dr. Sara Schweitzer, Assistant Chief, Wildlife Management Division, Wildlife Diversity Program sara.schweitzer@ncwildlife.gov; Wake County Rachael Hoch, Assistant Chief of Fisheries, Inland Fisheries Division, Aquatic Wildlife Diversity
rachael.hoch@ncwildlife.gov; Wake County Scott Anderson, Science Support Coordinator scott.anderson@ncwildlife.gov; Wake County Brooke Calisto, Waterbird Technician brooke.calisto@ncwildlife.gov; Carteret County John Carpenter, Eastern Landbird Biologist john.carpenter@ncwildlife.gov; New Hanover County
Karen Clark, Science Support Specialist karen.clark@ncwildlife.gov; Coastal Region Kacy Cook, Waterbird Biologist kacy.cook@ncwildlife.gov; Onslow County Katherine Etchison, Mammalogist katherine.etchison@ncwildlife.gov; Buncombe County Dr. Luke Etchison, Western Region Aquatic Wildlife Diversity Coordinator luke.etchison@ncwildlife.gov; Haywood County Michael Fisk, Eastern Region Aquatic Wildlife Diversity Coordinator michael.fisk@ncwildlife.gov; Lee County
Sarah Finn, Coastal Wildlife Diversity Biologist sarah.finn@ncwildlife.gov; New Hanover County
Gabrielle Graeter, Conservation Biologist/Herpetologist gabrielle.graeter@ncwildlife.gov; Buncombe County Aubrey Greene, Wildlife Diversity Biologist/Herpetologist aubrey.greene@ncwildlife.gov; Moore County Dr. Matthew Godfrey, Sea Turtle Biologist matt.godfrey@ncwildlife.gov; Carteret County Jeff Hall, Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Biologist jeff.hall@ncwildlife.gov; Pitt County Silas Hernandez, Landbird Technician silas.hernandez@ncwildlife.gov; Pender County Carmen Johnson, Waterbird Biologist carmen.johnson@ncwildlife.gov; Craven County
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Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Report for July–September 2025
Brena Jones, Central Region Aquatic Wildlife Diversity Coordinator brena.jones@ncwildlife.gov; Granville County Chris Kelly, Western Bird and Carolina Northern Flying Squirrel Biologist christine.kelly@ncwildlife.gov; Buncombe County
CC King, Science Support Specialist cc.king@ncwildlife.gov; Piedmont Region Jacob Krueger. Waterbird Technician
jacob.krueger@ncwildlife.gov; Craven County Amber Olson, Eastern Listed Species Biologist amber.olson@ncwildlife.gov; Alamance County Dylan Owensby, Western Region Aquatic Wildlife Diversity Biologist dylan.owensby@ncwildlife.gov; Haywood County Michael Perkins, Foothills Region Aquatic Wildlife Diversity Biologist michael.perkins@ncwildlife.gov; McDowell County Claire Reilly, Waterbird Technician claire.reilly@ncwildlife.gov; Craven County Langston Rimmer, Central Region Aquatic Wildlife Diversity Biologist langston.rimmer@ncwildlife.gov; Alamance County Rosie Ronca, Herpetologist Technician rosie.ronca@ncwildlife.gov; Buncombe County Chantelle Rondel, Western Aquatic Listed Species Biologist chantelle.rondel@ncwildlife.gov; Macon County TR Russ, Aquatic Wildlife Diversity Survey and Monitoring Supervisor thomas.russ@ncwildlife.gov; McDowell County Lee Sherrill, Science Support Specialist lee.sherrill@ncwildlife.gov; Mountain Region Andrea Shipley, Mammalogist (shared staff with Surveys & Research) andrea.shipley@ncwildlife.gov; Nash County Hope Sutton, Eastern Wildlife Diversity Supervisor hope.sutton@ncwildlife.gov; New Hanover County Mike Walter, Eastern Region Aquatic Wildlife Diversity Biologist michael.walter@ncwildlife.gov; Alamance County
Alicia Davis Wassmer, Alligator Biologist alicia.wassmer@ncwildlife.gov; Wake County Joey Weber, Bat Technician joey.weber@ncwildlife.gov; Haywood County
Kendrick Weeks, Western Wildlife Diversity Supervisor kendrick.weeks@ncwildlife.gov; Henderson County Lori Williams, Western Amphibian Biologist lori.williams@ncwildlife.gov; Henderson County
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Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Report for July–September 2025
Earlier Nesting Peak Observed in 2025 Sea Turtle Nesting Season by Matthew Godfrey and Sarah Finn
S ea turtle biology and behavior are influenced by tempera- ture. For example, sea turtles exhibit temperature-depen- dent sex determination and changes in sand temperature influence when hatchlings emerge from their nest cavity to the surface of the sand. In the past several years, researchers have documented temporal changes to the onset of nesting in different populations globally, with earlier nesting being asso- ciated with warmer coastal water temperatures. In North Carolina, nearly all sea turtle nests are laid between 01 May and 30 August, and this pattern has remained rela- tively constant since standardized monitoring of sea turtle nesting was initiated across all of North Carolina in the 1990s. However, in the 2025 nesting season, there was a shift in the peak of the nesting season, relative to the average seasonal pat- tern based on the previous 15 years, resulting in a seasonal peak occurring seven days earlier. That is, in 2025 the peak number of nests were laid during the last week of June, whereas normally the seasonal peak occurs during the first week of July. While the absolute shift in the peak of the nesting season is only a few days, it may have larger impacts on the overall success of sea turtle nests laid in North Carolina. This is because more nests laid earlier in the summer will likely result in a greater percentage of eggs finishing incubation before tropical storms and hurricanes arrive in late summer, which often reduce hatching success.
Seasonal pattern of sea turtle nests laid in 2025 vs. previous 15 seasons.
Loggerhead sea turtle nesting crawls seen on Wrightsville Beach in the first week of July 2021.
ROBERT KAESS
Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Report for July–September 2025
Surveys for the Eastern Hellbender in the Nolichucky Sub-basin During the First Breeding Season Post-Hurricane Helene
by Lori Williams, Western Region, Amphibians
I n the third quarter of 2025, staff, collaborators, and volun- teers continued fieldwork to assess Eastern Hellbender (Cryptobranchus a. alleganiensis) populations post-Hurricane Helene. We conducted snorkel surveys with dive lights during the hellbender breeding season from late August through mid-September. Much of the effort focused on the hardest-hit drainages from Helene, such as the Nolichucky River sub-ba- sin in Yancey, Mitchell, and Avery counties, where teams con- ducted 17 surveys at 15 sites. As predicted, throughout the drainage, crews witnessed an unprecedented level of habitat loss and degradation from flooding, as well as evidence of additional damage to rock shelters, streambeds, and riparian zones from heavy machinery in debris removal activities. However, in some positive news, our teams successfully documented hellbenders in 13 of the 17 surveys and counted 79 animals total across four Nolichucky drainages. Hellbender eggs and evidence of breeding activity were seen in several surveys. In the three surveys that had zero hellbenders, severe habitat destruction was very prevalent at those sites. Numbers of hellbenders were low compared to years of previous surveys at some of the same sites, but we now know that at least some portion of the hellbender population in the upper Nolichucky drainage survived the flood and devasta- tion. These surviving animals will be critical for natural recolonization of other damaged stream reaches if suitable habitat remains or if stream restoration occurs in the future. We are now collecting water samples for eDNA analysis to assess hellbender presence in parts of the Nolichucky sub-ba- sin that were not surveyed by snorkeling, so we can get a more comprehensive understanding of hellbender popula- tions post-Helene.
An adult Eastern Hellbender on the river bottom during breeding season; scarring on the head suggests this individual has engaged in breeding activities (e.g., fights with other hellbenders) in the past.
CLIFTON AVERY/NCWRC
BEN DALTON/NCWRC
Above: A male Eastern Hellbender in breeding season (a.k.a., a “den master”) on guard at the edge of his nest rock. Below: An Eastern Hellbender “den master” male lower left; head protruding guarding his nest rock with a partial string of eggs dislodged.
CLIFTON AVERY/NCWRC
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Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Report for July–September 2025
Counts of Gray Bats Down Following Hurricane Helene by Katherine Etchison, Bat Biologist S urveys to detect gray bats at roost 1200
1000
sites began in March 2025, and continued through summer but are winding down, with a few remaining surveys to be con- ducted in October. Counts of gray bats at
800
600
400
200
0
March April
May
June
July
August September
roost sites are lower than those completed before Hurri- cane Helene significantly impacted western NC, causing over half of known gray bat roosts in NC to be sub- merged in floodwaters. Gray bats use rock outcrops to roost during the active spring and summer seasons, and given their affinity for wetlands, streams, and rivers, they often use crevices in bridges. In fact, almost all known gray bat roosts in North Carolina are bridges. September’s counts at the three most significant roosts were down 60% from the pre-Helene average. During this month, we also observed about 800 fewer gray bats compared to the pre-Helene average in one of the most important roosts. The counts at this bridge typ- ically increase in July through August and peak in Sep- tember. This year, the count stayed roughly the same from July through September. We were encouraged to see a banded gray bat in a Buncombe County culvert that had been originally banded in 2018, indicating this bat survived the storm. We have maintained post-Helene acoustic stations throughout the bat active season and will analyze those data in the coming months. Using multiple sampling methods helps us identify biases of each sampling method to better understand Hurricane Helene’s impact on gray bats.
2025
Avg Pre-Helene
The number of gray bats in 2025 and average pre-Hurricane Helene num- bers of roosting gray bats in a significant roost site in Madison County.
KATHERINE ETCHISON/NCWRC
Above: Wildlife Diversity Technician, Joey Weber, surveys a bridge for gray bats in Buncombe County. Below left: Wildlife Diversity technician, Joey Weber, maintains a bat acoustic detector along the French Broad River in Madison County. Below right: A gray bat roosts with a group of Mexican free-tailed bats in a Henderson County bridge.
KATHERINE ETCHISON/NCWRC
KATHERINE ETCHISON/NCWRC
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Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Report for July–September 2025
Wood Stork Trapping and Tagging to Study Their Movement Ecology
Kacy Cook, Coastal Waterbird Biologist; and Brooke Calisto, Waterbird Technician
T hree Wood Storks (Mycteria americana) were captured at Oyster Harbor in Supply, North Carolina using a net blaster and decoys at the end of September. Each stork was fitted with an e-obs Bird Solar GPS transmitter weighing 27g and banded for identification. In addi- tion, blood and feather samples were collected along with oral and cloacal swabs to test for various diseases and PFAS (per- and polyfluo- roalkyl substances). GPS tag 8981 was deployed on September 22nd. Since then, it has remained along the Shallotte River. The farthest it ventured from the river was on October 14th when it stopped briefly at Ocean Isle Beach. GPS tag 8980 was deployed on September 23rd. The Wood Stork stayed in Brunswick County where it has moved between the Lock- wood Folly and Shallotte Rivers. GPS tag 8979 was deployed at the same time as 8980 on September 23rd. The stork stayed near Shallotte before it traveled down to Peters- field, South Carolina near the Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge on September 30th. It remained in that area for approximately eight days before it started to travel north on October 8th. Its most recent location on October 16th was just south of Longs, South Carolina near the bor- der with North Carolina. Continued monitoring of these individuals will provide valuable information on habitat use and migration stop-over sites for future management and conservation of Wood Storks. We would like to thank the Oyster Harbor Homeowners Association and residents who allowed access to a pond where trapping was conducted. We would also like to thank the US Department of Agriculture for assistance of their staff and the loan of their net blaster.
KELLY DOUGLASS
Clockwise from above: Brooke Calisto carefully holds a Wood Stork while Larry Bryan attaches the GPS transmit- ter. Below: Larry Bryan (retired, Savannah River Ecology Lab, UGA), Kelly Douglass (USDA, WS), Miranda Turner (NCWRC), Kacy Cook (NCWRC), and Brooke Calisto (NCWRC). Bottom: Larry Bryan, Kacy Cook, and Brooke Calisto retrieve Wood Stork captured by net-blaster.
HOPE SUTTON
KELLY DOUGLASS
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Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Report for July–September 2025
MICHAEL FOGLEMAN
Chuck-will’s-widow with nestling, Harris Game Land, Upper Boat Ramp.
Autonomous Recording Units … Working All Night Long … by John Carpenter, Coastal Region Landbird Biologist; and Silas Hernandez, Assistant Coastal Region Landbird Biologist
A utonomous recording units (ARUs) are small, portable devices designed to passively record surrounding environ- mental soundscapes, including bird, frog, and even high-fre- quency bat calls. They are gaining immense popularity due to their increasing ability to accurately document species occur- rences via machine learning of their vocalizations. In addition, they can be conveniently programmed to record at only certain times of the day and for weeks or months at a time, thus work- ing tirelessly in hard-to-reach places and at difficult times, for example at night, when conditions may be more hazardous to field staff. In early 2025, the WRC Coastal Landbird Team initiated a pilot project to determine if ARUs could help assist with the NC Bird Atlas, and more specifically, to document three primarily nocturnal species: the Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor) , Chuck-will’s-widow (Antrostomus carolinensis) , and Eastern Whip-poor-will (Antrostomus vociferus) . These eccentric species, often referred to collectively as “nightjars”, return to NC from their Neotropical wintering grounds at the end of March. All three can be heard from dusk to dawn in open forests, forest edges, and fields. Despite their obvious vocal behavior, they are difficult to spot and observe during the day, which is when most Atlasers are out looking for birds. Not surprisingly, nightjars currently lack accurate population data, which is necessary to
help guide conservation initiatives and prevent future popula- tion decreases. From April to July 2025, we systematically deployed an aver- age of 25 ARUS at a time, typically 5 units per Atlas survey block (3x3 square mile), and programmed each to record intermittently from dusk until dawn. In total, we collected data in 15 Atlas sur- vey blocks, most of which had little to no nocturnal survey effort,
on public and private lands throughout the Coastal Plain. To date we have verified recordings of 260 singing nightjars (one example available here), as well as non-fo- cal species such as Barred Owl and Eastern Screech Owl. These recordings helped demonstrate the persistence of singing males at each site, thus
allowing us to elevate all three nightjars to “Probable” breeders in nearly 70% of sampled Atlas blocks! These results, while still very preliminary, have shown that ARUs can help support the objectives of bird atlases.
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Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Report for July–September 2025
Working to Restore Bogs in Western North Carolina by Gabrielle Graeter, Reptile Biologist, Western Region; and Rosie Ronca, Wildlife Diversity Technician
T he bog turtle (Glyptemys muhlenbergii) is both a feder- ally (T-S/A) and state Threatened species in North Car- olina. One of the major threats to this species is historical habitat loss and degradation of their habitat—mountain bogs—from incompatible farming and land development. To counteract this habitat loss, our team plans both small and large restoration projects each year to improve wetland hydrology, maintain open-canopy habitats, and remove non-native invasive plant species. This September, we assisted with a long-term stream and wetland restoration project being led by a private landowner in western NC. The goal of this restoration project is to improve and increase the amount of bog habitat for the resident bog turtle popula- tion. We will accomplish this by restoring the heavily incised stream and headcut channels in the bog, thereby improving the hydrology of the exisiting bog and increasing the amount of wetland habitat. From September 15-19, 2025, our NCWRC western rep- tile team, 10 additional NCWRC staff members, and volun- teers from the Amphibian Reptile Conservancy (ARC), joined the landowner at his property to work on this project. Major tasks included brush-cutting along the stream bank, setting up small dams upstream of the bog, and running pipe to temporarily route water around the stream restoration area, and gathering brush and rocks to use in the new stream bed. We also searched the stream for bog turtles and any other living wildlife before starting work with heavy machin- ery. We relocated hundreds of reptiles, amphibians, fish, and crayfish from the stream to unaffected habitat. In total, the group worked more than 300 hours in five days on this project. We installed three log sills, raised the streambed elevation in the main stream, and assembled materials for the remaining work to be completed by the landowner this fall. This stream restoration work will safe- guard the integrity of this wetland and benefit the bog turtle population, as well as the greater wetland community.
GABRIELLE GRAETER/NCWRC
Above: Examples of animals captured and relocated nearby from the stream before restoration work included an Eastern box turtle, common snapping turtle, Northern water snake, multiple salamander species, crayfish, fish, and invertebrates. Below: Landowner operating a tractor to move soil, rocks, and woody brush into an incised stream to stabilize and raise the stream bed elevation. The water pooling in the right fore- ground of this image shows the new height of the stream bed leading up to the recently installed log sill (near front wheel of tractor). All work was completed according to required state and federal permits.
GABRIELLE GRAETER/NCWRC
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Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Report for July–September 2025
Motus Installations and Maintenance with the American Bird Conservancy
by Chris Kelly, Western Region Avian and Carolina Northern Flying Squirrel Biologist
I n September, just as fall migration was heating up, NCWRC made big strides in expanding the Motus Wildlife Tracking network in western NC. “Motus” is Latin for movement or motion, and this track- ing system is designed to follow the movement of birds, bats, and even large insects. These receiver stations are tuned to two radio frequen- cies programmed into tiny radio tags designed for small-bodied ani- mals. With help from Garrett Rhyne, the Southeastern Motus Coordi- nator (American Bird Conservancy), NC Wildlife and its partners installed 3 new Motus receiver stations and performed maintenance on three existing stations across western NC. Within days of installation, the UNC-Asheville Motus station, sit- uated on the campus’s Observatory Hill, detected a silver-haired bat that was tagged in southern Ontario. The Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation is hosting a station installed on the Wilson Center. The Cane Creek Preserve Motus station, hosted by a private land- owner through the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy detected a sharp-shinned hawk tagged in New York. Garrett helped NCWRC staff diagnose issues with existing Motus stations and one was quickly relocated to NCWRC’s Kings Bridge property along the French Broad River. More information can be found at https://motus. org/. Stay tuned as we highlight tag detections at these stations.
CHRIS KELLY/NCWRC
Garrett Rhyne (American Bird Conservancy) attaches antennas to the mast.
CHRIS KELLY/NCWRC
CHRIS KELLY/NCWRC
KENDRICK WEEKS/NCWRC
Left to Right: Dr. Andrew Laughlin of the UNCA Biology Department assembles antennas. Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation installed a Motus station on the Wilson Center. NCWRC’s Motus station on William H. Silver Game Land.
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Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Report for July–September 2025
American Oystercatcher Banding by Carmen Johnson, Waterbird Biologist; Claire Reilly and Jacob Krueger, Waterbird Technicians
I n July, the Waterbird Team was joined in the field by Brian Van Druten, a biologist at Pea Island National Wildlife Ref- uge, to band American Oystercatcher chicks that had hatched in the spring on islands managed by NCWRC. Banding these birds allows researchers and site managers to monitor their dis- persal, nest site selection, survival, and more; these data can then be used to inform conservation decisions and increase the accuracy of population models. American Oystercatcher banding in North Carolina is part of a larger scale banding and resighting effort across their range, with each participating state using a different band color — birds banded in North Carolina receive dark green bands. A 26-year-old female, known by the code 06, has been resighted by biologists and the public nearly 130 times over her lifetime. She returned to Dare County again this year to nest on one of the waterbird islands that NCWRC manages to help American Oystercatchers and other waterbirds. This year she and her unbanded mate successfully fledged a full clutch of three chicks. Brian and the Waterbird Team were able to band two of her chicks and we hope that they will return to nest on their own in the coming years.
CARMEN JOHNSON
Claire Reilly holds an American Oystercatcher chick while Brian Van Druten carefully closes the bands.
JACOB KRUEGER
CLAIRE REILLY
Left: Morphometric data, including bill length, are recorded for each chick that is banded. Right: Brian Van Druten (Pea Island NWR) bands a young American Oystercatcher.
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Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Report for July–September 2025
Surveys for Gray Treefrogs and Wetland Habitat Enhancement Through Prescribed Fire
by Aubrey Heupel Greene, Central Region Herpetologist
O n a hot summer night, staff surveyed the northern Piedmont, listening for the song of one frog in particular – the Northern gray treefrog (NGT; Hyla versicolor) . In North Carolina, this spe- cies is easily (and often) confused with the more common and widespread Cope’s gray treefrog (CGT; Hyla chrysoscelis) because the two species are physically identical and can only be distin- guished in the field by their breeding calls. The CGT, found throughout the state, has a rapid, buzzing trill, whereas the NGT call is a much slower, melodic trill. The NGT is a Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) in North Carolina due to its very limited range within the state – only a few counties in the northern Piedmont. Reliable records are sporadic and relatively few because NGT must be heard and recorded (not just photographed) to confirm identification. This July, we conducted pilot surveys at historic sites and other suitable habitats in Rockingham and Caswell counties. We detected NGT calling at seven sites, often co-occurring with CGT. Given our findings, we will conduct additional surveys next sum- mer to cover more sites and habitats to help determine range extent in North Carolina and what habitats the species is using. In July we helped Land and Water Access staff with a pre- scribed fire on Sandhills Game Land that included an important breeding wetland for several SGCN amphibians. Most years, ephemeral (temporary) wetlands in the Sandhills are dry or nearly dry by the end of July, so a mid-summer fire would run through the wetland basin and remove dead vegetation and keep woody vegetation in check. Removal of dead and woody vegetation is necessary to maintain wetland function and suitability for amphib- ians. However, heavy rain in early July this year kept wetlands full longer so the prescribed fire couldn’t fully burn the basin. Fortu- nately, we still got good coverage outside of the wettest areas and we hopefully knocked back the ring of sweetgum that surrounds much of the wetland. We want to say thank you to those who have submitted softshell turtle sightings so far this year! We have received nearly 90 reports since April and continue to receive sightings almost weekly. We greatly appreciate your willingness to take the time to submit reports when you see these animals. Please keep them coming at NC Wildlife Softshell Turtle Reporting , this information is very helpful to us!
AUBREY HEUPEL GREENE/NCWRC
AUBREY HEUPEL GREENE/NCWRC
Left: Cope’s gray treefrog from North Carolina. Right: Northern gray treefrog from Iowa.
AUBREY HEUPEL GREENE/NCWRC
THE NATURE CONSERVANCY
Above: Prescribed fire in the wetland basin. Below: Drone image showing the extent burned around a wetland during a prescribed fire the previous day.
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KAREN SZAFRAJDA/MACULAY LIBRARY
Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Report for July–September 2025
NC Wildlife Action Plan
T he Commission is responsible for facilitating and implementing the Wildlife Action Plan, a comprehensive wildlife resource conservation blueprint. The Plan has a required 10-year revision cycle which is due by September 30, 2025 to the US Fish and Wildlife Service. • The 2025 revision of the NC State Wildlife Action Plan has been submitted to the USFWS for review and approval. The revision meets the 10-year mandatory com- prehensive review and revision criteria established by the federal State and Tribal Wildlife Grants Program. • A draft 2025 Plan was circulated for public comment in June 2025 to media, part- ners, and the public. A summary of these comments will be included in Appendix 8 of the final Plan.
• The Plan identifies fish, wildlife and plant species of greatest conservation need (SGCN), as well as research and manage- ment priorities for other species. The draft 2025 Plan has 435 SGCN which is a slight drop from the 2015 Plan with 483 SGCN, which spotlights the work and effort toward wildlife conservation work over the last 10 years. Land snails are a new addition to the Plan. • The draft 2025 Plan includes 5 conservation success stories to highlight implementation activities since 2015. These proj- ects include activities related to Wood Stork downlisting, Carolina Northern Flying Squirrel, Magnificient Ramshorn, Conservation Aquatic Center at Marion, NC, and Roanoke Logperch. • The Commission worked with Southeast Conservation Adaptation Strategy (SECAS) staff to update analysis of potential conservation opportunity areas (COAs). The project updates the method and results of the first COA analysis completed in 2016 through a partnership with N.C. State University. The 2025 COAs will be published as an online map tool by the end of the year, and GIS shapefile data will be made available to download.
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Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Report for July–September 2025
Wildlife Passage
T he NCDOT has been installing wildlife fencing at several locations along I-40 near the Tennes- see line to augment wildlife passage measures incor- porated into recent bridge replacement projects. Lim- ited monitoring has shown wildlife fence sections to be effective at redirecting wildlife away from the roadway and in the direction of crossing locations. However, installation of fencing along roadways in mountainous and rocky terrain is challenging and will require maintenance due to the proclivity of tree falls and other damage. NCDOT currently does not have a funding mechanism to maintain fencing.
Green Growth Toolbox
• Staff coordinated and conducted two half-day Green Growth Toolbox Workshops this quarter. One workshop was held in Forest City with eight local and regional government planners in attendance, and one was held in New Hanover County with 20 in attendance. • Staff have provided technical assistance on the following: Apex’s Comprehensive Plan, Durham’s Unified Development Ordi- nance and development review on one project, the Durham-Roxboro Trail Plan, Pittsboro’s small area plan for the Chatham Park development, Orange County Water and Sewer Authority easement management practices, Huntersville Connectivity Plan, and the Hoke County Comprehensive Plan. • Staff have updated the Green Growth Toolbox Handbook and continue to work with IT staff to revise the webpages.
Partners for Green Growth
Recipients of the Partners for Green Growth cost-share program in 2024 are moving forward with their projects. • Union County holds monthly stakeholder meetings with their steering committee, planning staff, NCWRC, and other perti- nent stakeholders. The county is in collaboration with Catawba Land Conservancy and NCWRC to identify priority areas for conservation in the rural parts of the county. • Pender County continues to develop their preferred development guide and have identified regions of highest conservation value. The county plans for the preferred development guide to supplement their comprehensive plan as it is updated. • Chatham County has rehired a conservation planner position and is restarting work on their conservation dashboard and conservation action plan. • Brevard is working on reviewing their ordinances to identify opportunities to enhance conservation outcomes of development. The 2025 Partners for Green Growth cost-share program received 4 applications. Buncombe County was awarded funding to support the development of the Swannanoa Small Area Hazard Mitigation & Resiliency Plan. The planning process will begin this summer.
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Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Report for July–September 2025
Cooperative Land Conservation
• Staff continue monitoring the largest southeastern myotis roost in an underground stormwater system in Raleigh. The num- ber of bats fluctuated throughout the year, from a low of approximately 125 during the winter to over 1,000 during the maternity season. In September, we placed radio transmitters on males and females to find additional roost locations. The females did not move to another location. However, we radio tracked one male to another but smaller colony of southeastern
myotis off Highway 401 in north Wake County, which is about 5 miles from the Raleigh colony. Tricolored bats also use the culvert off Highway 401 during different times of the year. These tricolored bats tested positive for Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd), which is the fungus responsible for white-nose syndrome. • We completed data collection from the bat hibernacula study at 10 mines and caves throughout the Piedmont. A Kestrel temperature/ relative humidity logger inside and outside the hibernacula, bat acoustic recorder, and game camera were placed at each hibernacu- lum. Preliminary review of camera data and surveys of the hibernac- ula document tricolored bats utilizing some of the hibernacula
during the summer. Staff will continue the hibernacula study for one more season to better understand the environmental conditions in which tricolored bats become active in the winter. We also are monitoring three stormwater systems and cul- verts in addition to the large southeastern myotis colony. An intern has begun analyzing the data from the hibernacula study.
• The NCWRC, Greensboro Science Center (GSC), and UNC have begun the post-construction surveys for multiple taxa at the Stink- ing Quarter Stream and Wetland Mitigation Site. Monitoring during construction included acoustic monitoring, coverboard surveys, and game camera surveys. Construction was completed in May, and all taxa surveys have resumed. Samples were also collected for eDNA analysis. An NCWRC intern assisted with the project, primarily with pinning and identification of bees from the pre-construction surveys and the Causey Farm Mitigation Study. A UNC student received a grant to conduct a project at Stinking Quarter mitigation site. Together with Habitat Conservation and Aquatic Wildlife Diversity staff, the student developed a project that evaluates the efficacy of several trap types for surveying burrowing crayfish. The student’s project provided the NCWRC recommendations on the most effective trapping techniques and provided data on burrowing crayfish at Stinking Quarter Mitigation Site. The GSC staff found a software program that analyzes bird and amphibian calls. The pre-construction data analysis indicates the following SGCN bird species occurred at Stinking Quarter: barn owl, Kentucky warbler, brown-headed nuthatch, and northern bobwhite.
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Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Report for July–September 2025
• We received funding through a multi-state cSWG to conduct research on the frosted elfin, a butterfly SGCN listed in our 2025 SWAP update. With this funding, we will be partnering with NCSU to determine baseline population information as well as their larval host plant and habitat preferences so we can appropriately monitor and manage populations on Game Lands.
• We hosted a field workshop for private landowners on the Sandhills Game Lands that focused on herbaceous groundcover enhancement and restoration in longleaf ecosystems. We had speakers who dis- cussed the benefits of prescribed fire, native plants, beneficial insects, and herps. With funding received through an America the Beautiful grant, we hope to continue these workshops in the coming years. • Staff reviewed a report by Center for Large Landscape Conservation titled “Integrating Wildlife Habitat Connectivity into Local Government Planning”. This report described examples of conservation initiatives and strategies utilized by local gov- ernments across the United States. The Green Growth Toolbox is a case study in the report and includes two examples from North Carolina that involved technical assistance from WRC staff: the Triangle Connectivity Collaborative’s A Landscape Plan for Wildlife Habitat Connectivity in the Eno River and New Hope Creek Watersheds and the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Wildlife Crossings Plan. https://largelandscapes.org/wp-content/uploads/Integrating-Wildlife-Habitat-Connectivity-in- to-Local-Government-Planning.pdf
Conservation Partnerships
• Staff are assisting the Onslow Bight Conservation Forum in organizing their Private Lands Working Group and developing an outreach and technical assistance program for private landowners in the Onslow Bight. • Staff have been assisting the Eastern North Carolina Sentinel Landscape Partnership in updating the “Spaces Between the Bases” project to improve its relevancy for the partnership, to include updated information on conservation, military, and agricultural priorities and development growth models. • Staff have worked with SERPPAS to help coordinate the annual Principals meeting in November in Southern Pines. • Staff provided input for WRC on the 2025 update of the state’s Natural and Working Lands Action Plan. • Staff completed the final draft of WRC’s Resiliency Strategy 2025, which includes additional strategies identified by the Com- munications, Marketing, and Digital Engagement Division, the Law Enforcement Division, and the Office of Conservation Policy and Analysis, as well as updates from the Habitat Conservation Division, Inland Fisheries Division, Wildlife Manage- ment Division, Land and Water Access Division, and the Engineering Division.
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Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Report for July–September 2025
Barrier Removal and Assessment
• Habitat Conservation staff worked with staff from The Nature Conservancy, the US Forest Service (USFS), and other NCWRC staff to evaluate options to remove a wooden dam on the North Mills River in the Pisgah National Forest. This ‘rough fish barrier’ was installed to keep native fishes out of the upper North Mills River at a time when many USFS streams were being cleared of native non-trout species and replaced with non-native trout like Rainbow Trout and Brown Trout. Removal of the dam will enable native fishes such as migratory redhorse suckers to reestablish populations in the river. • The Habitat Conservation Division has established a new 3-year term-lim- ited position to implement a series of grants aimed at assessing barriers to aquatic organism passage in streams across eastern NC. Jacob Freedman was
hired into this position in the summer of 2025 and, along with his new temporary technician, Kendall Proctor, has been busy visiting culverts in the Tar and Neuse river basins, thanks to funding from the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Fish Passage Program. Each culvert is photographed and assessed using a standardized scoring protocol developed by the Southeast- ern Aquatic Resources Partnership (SARP; also a partner in this project) and all data is uploaded into a larger SARP database. During this quarter, 115 culverts have been assessed. The goal is to complete approximately 400 culverts by December of 2026. These data will help inform where barriers to both flow and animal passage are present on the landscape, which will in turn assist in identifying areas for remediation. • Following completion of the identified areas in the Tar and Neuse basins, the team will move to another group of 1500 cul- verts spread across the NC Coastal Plain, applying the SARP criteria with particular emphasis on passage for river herring. This second phase is funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and is also implemented through an agreement with SARP. • Staff have worked with SERPPAS to help coordinate the annual Principals meeting in November in Southern Pines. • Staff provided input for WRC on the 2025 update of the state’s Natural and Working Lands Action Plan.
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Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Report for July–September 2025
DYLAN OWENSBY
Technicians Quentin LaChance and Maddie Roark seining for fish on the South Toe River in August 2025.
Fish Populations in the Nolichucky River Basin Showing Signs of Resilience in First Year Since Hurricane Helene
by Dylan Owensby, Western Region AWD Biologist
L ate September 2025 marked one year since Hurricane Helene brought devastating floods to a large portion of Western North Carolina. Biologists with the Western Region of the Aquatic Wildlife Diversity Program have been focusing efforts on monitoring fish, mussel, and crayfish populations in areas that were most impacted from the Hurricane and associ- ated clean-up efforts. The Nolichucky River Basin in Avery, Mitchell, and Yancey Counties received some of the most extreme rainfall and flooding was particularly damaging in the Cane, North Toe and South Toe Rivers. Initial fish surveys conducted at six sites in the Nolichucky Basin in October and November of 2024 revealed mixed results, with the Cane River, South Toe River, and lower North Toe River showing general declines in fish species and total numbers of fish. In August 2025, biologists were able to return to these sites to complete another round of fish surveys. The Cane River had substantial improvements in fish spe- cies and total numbers of fish observed. The upper and lower Cane River sites each had 111% increases in the number of fish species present (9 species at each site in the 2024 surveys
compared to 19 species at each site in the 2025 surveys). There were abundant numbers of juvenile and young-of-the- year species present in the 2025 surveys. Improvements in fish species and total number of fish were also documented in the North Toe River. Surveys in the South Toe River in 2025 did not show simi- lar increases in fish species, however, biologists did detect Blotchside Logperch, Percina burtoni, a State Endangered spe- cies. Prior to Hurricane Helene, the Blotchside Logperch pop- ulation in North Carolina only existed in low densities throughout approximately 12 miles of the South Toe River. Naturally, updating and assessing the population status of the species after the Hurricane is a major priority for the region. To date, through five surveys this year, biologists have seen a total of 18 Blotchside Logperch. While the Nolichucky Basin fish survey results are encour- aging, more general and targeted fish surveys are needed to have a better understanding of the population status for Species of Greatest Conservation Need. Biologists plan to focus consider- able effort on this watershed over the next several years.
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Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Report for April–June 2025
Updating the Distribution of Brook Floater Following Hurricane Helene
by Mike Perkins, Foothills AWD Coordinator
T he Foothills AWD region has been hard at work one year after Hurricane Helene swept through the Blue Ridge moun- tains where it caused widespread destruction to several river drainages including the upper Catawba and upper Yadkin Riv- ers. One of our highest priority species in those river drainages is the Brook Floater, Alasmidonta varicosa (NC-Endangered). Foothills AWD biologists conducted numerous surveys through- out the Brook Floaters’ range in the Catawba and Yadkin drain- ages during July to September in 2025. Brook Floaters are a sen- sitive and rare mussel species that do not tolerate extreme disturbances or prolonged declines in water quality. Staff con- ducted approximately 50 person-hours of snorkel surveys for mussels between July and September. The NCWRC has been recording declines for this species in both the Catawba and Yad- kin Rivers for 7 years prior to the storm. In the Catawba River upstream of Lake James, biologists revisited areas where Brook Floaters have historically been found and detected small num- bers of individuals (<10) are persisting in areas where flood damage and debris removal operations were minimal. In the Lin- ville River however, there was significant widespread damage to the riverbed and few areas for refuge. Despite robust survey effort, staff have not detected any Brook Floaters from previously occupied sites in the Linville River. By far the best remaining Brook Floater population in the Catawba drainage is in the John’s River watershed, where staff have spent significant effort salvaging Brook Floaters and other species from sites where hab- itat quality has declined due to Hurricane Helene or where debris removal work was necessary to begin stream restoration. In general, the Yadkin River drainage experienced less severe impacts from Hurricane Helene. Foothills AWD biologists con- ducted surveys in the Yadkin River, Elk Creek, Roaring River, and Mitchell River between July and September. Despite rela- tively intact habitat after hurricane Helene, Brook floater popu- lations still appear to be in decline. We did not observe any indi- viduals in Elk Creek or Mitchell River, or from several previously known sites in the Roaring River watershed. There’s typically only a brief window where conditions are suitable for surveys in the Yadkin River mainstem; because the river is quite large and due to staffing shortages in the Foothills region, we were only able to prioritize a limited number of survey sites. In September, staff surveyed three of our longterm monitoring sites and docu- mented continued Brook Floater occupancy at all sites.
Foothills AWD plan to continue conducting surveys through- out the region, including heavily damaged areas such as Chim- ney Rock and Green River. We’re compiling data in the wake of Hurricane Helene and while it will be some time before we understand the long-term impacts to aquatic wildlife in the region, it appears that rare mussel populations are exhibiting sig- nificant levels of stress across areas affected by the storm. Fresh- water mussels are an important part of aquatic ecosystems; while often unseen, healthy mussel beds contribute to the Blue Ridge Mountain’s excellent water quality and will likely require addi- tional effort to conserve in the post-Helene landscape.
CHRIS CARLSON/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Top: FAWD technician Taylor Crews recording data on the Rocky Broad River in Chimney Rock, August 2025. Bottom: FAWD coordi- nator Michael Perkins holding a Brook Floater on the Catawba River, Sept 2025.
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Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Report for July–September 2025
Aquatic Species Surveys to Inform Habitat Suitability For Rare Aquatic Species by Michael Fisk, Eastern Region Coordinator
E astern Region AWD staff have been working with North Carolina State University to conduct mussel, fish, and macroinvertebrate surveys at nine sites in the Tar River basin as part of a long-term water quality monitoring project. Sites have been chosen based on presence or absence of Tar River Spinymussel, Atlantic Pigtoe, Dwarf Wedgemussel, Yellow Lance, Carolina Madtom, and the Neuse River Waterdog. Sites are located in Little Fishing Creek, Little Shocco Creek, Fishing Creek, Swift Creek, and Tar River. The surveys along with the water quality parameters collected will be used to describe each site and determine what biotic and abiotic factors are driving com- munity composition, species presence or absence and abundance. Fish surveys will identify if host fish are pres- ent at each site which are critical for mussel reproduction. From the nine sites surveyed, 6,485 fish were collected, and 51 species of fish were identified. For mussels, 13,776 were collected and 15 species identified. Seven Neuse River Waterdogs were also collected from five sites. The macroinvertebrate collections will be sorted and identified this winter. Moving forward into 2026, 10 additional sites will be surveyed for all three taxa in the Neuse River basin. This study will continue for the next eight years and help determine how these sites change over time along with the animals that inhabit these habitats.
MICHAEL FISK/NCWRC
Amber Olsen holding a Bowfin collected in the Tar River during a fish survey.
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