Reference Document 6-1
Appendix 6
Southeast Conservation Blueprint Summary for North Carolina
Table 6: Indicator values for amphibian & reptile areas within North Carolina. A good condition threshold is not yet defined for this indicator.
Percent of Area
Indicator Values
Acres
↑ High Priority Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Area (PARCA)
6,640,472 27,803,359
19.3% 80.7% <0.1% 100%
↓ Low Not a PARCA (excluding Kentucky and Virginia)
Area not evaluated for this indicator
0.67
Total area 34,443,831
Priority Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Areas: Balsam/Pisgah
Balsam/Pisgah is a large PARCA that encompasses five counties in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Included in this area is a portion of Pisgah National Forest, the most visited national forest in the United States. This region boasts some of the highest elevation peaks east of the Mississippi, pristine headwater streams, hardwood forests, and countless waterfalls. Several species occupy this PARCA, including the eastern hellbender, timber rattlesnake, green salamander, coal skink, and southern pygmy salamander. Threats to the Balsam/Pisgah PARCA include increased flooding and drought periods due to climate change, impacts from heavy recreation such as habitat destruction and water pollution, and logging, which may affect sensitive habitats. Bladen Lakes The Bladen Lakes PARCA includes a mosaic of public and private lands in rural southeast North Carolina. The 33,500 acre Bladen Lakes State Forest is contained in this PARCA, the largest state-owned forest in North Carolina. The area is managed for recreation, timber harvest, pine straw, and charcoal. Agricultural lands are also present within and surrounding this PARCA. Habitat types include longleaf forests, Carolina bays, "sugar sand" ridges, pocosins, and wooded wetlands. Several species of concern occupy the Bladen Lakes PARCA, such as the southern hognose snake, mimic glass lizard, ornate chorus frog, and the pine barrens tree frog. Harmful algal blooms from excessive nutrient runoff have become a recent concern in this region, as well as development pressure. Working with private landowners to conserve unprotected areas and create wildlife corridors and ensuring proper forest management will provide these species with the best chance of future protection and survival. Blue Ridge Escarpment South Carolina’s Blue Ridge Escarpment is a region where the Blue Ridge Mountains meet the Atlantic Piedmont ecoregion. This region is characterized by high rainfall, lush cove forests, bare rocky cliffs and numerous small streams and rivers. This is the southern extent of the distribution for a wide variety of rare salamanders that find refuge in the cool and moist conditions provided by the Appalachian Mountains. These populations are increasingly fragmented from development. Carolina Bays Located in the upper Coastal Plain, the Carolina Bays PARCA encompasses a particularly dense
Created 11/20/2024 using the Southeast Conservation Blueprint Explorer
Page 11 of 85
Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator