Chapter 3 North Carolina Species
Residential and commercial development ranked high as a research priority for many species, especially for the Allegheny Woodrat, Southern Appalachian Woodrat, Buxton Woods White- footed Deermouse, Rock Shrew, Southern Bog Lemming, and the Southeastern Bat. 3.7.7 Additional Information In September 2023, the USFWS released the final Revised Recovery Plan for the Red Wolf (USFWS 2023b) and the Population Viability Analysis of the Red Wolf (Miller et al. 2023) . The USFWS Red Wolf Recovery Program continues to manage the state’s wild population. In 2025, the NCWRC and USFWS completed an MOU outlining how the two agencies will collaborate in a North Carolina Red Wolf Team to further the purposes of the Red Wolf Recovery Plan and Red Wolf Implementation Strategy. (NCWRC 2024a) . The NCWRC worked collaboratively with USFWS and other partners to develop a surveillance and response plan for WNS in bats (NCWRC and USFWS 2013) . The plan objective is to coordinate the conservation community’s strategy for addressing WNS as it relates to disease surveillance and response, population monitoring, and research in North Carolina. Available online https://www.ncwildlife.gov/media/1301/download?attachment. Bat Conservation International (BCI) is an organization that was developed to conserve bat species and their habitats. It works with local, regional, national, and multinational public and private partners to respond rapidly and effectively to bat conservation crises, to prevent the extinction of threatened bats and the extirpation of globally significant populations of bats. For example, conservation strategies developed by Lacki and Bayless (2014) for Rafinesque’s Big- eared Bat and Southeastern Bat are available through BCI’s website. Online resources for bat conservation also can be found at www.batcon.org. Information on the ecology of mammals in the South and habitat management techniques to promote conservation can be found in “The Land Manager’s Guide to Mammals of the South,” a publication developed through collaboration between the US Department of Agriculture and The Nature Conservancy (Trani et al. 2007) . Available online https://www.nrs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/jrnl/2007/nrs_2007_trani-lndmgr-full_009.pdf. 3.7.8 Recommendations Evidence-based knowledge is key for planning successful conservation strategies and for the cost-effective allocation of scarce resources (Littlewood et al. 2020) . In general, protection and restoration of natural community composition and function and protection of surrounding natural areas under current conditions are the best ways to ensure that suitable habitats are available for these species. Measures that protect a large and diverse pool of populations are best for ensuring that species are able to survive future stresses and adapt to changing climate conditions. Implement conservation measures and recommendations in protected species conservation plans.
2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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