Chapter 4 Habitats
4.2.4 Coolwater Aquatic Communities 4.2.4.1 Ecosystem Description
Coolwater streams are found in small and large river systems in the Mountain ecoregion. Many have impoundments and reservoirs (see Section 4.2.13 Reservoirs & Impoundments for additional information). Many of the coolwater streams and rivers originate in high-elevation areas in the upper portion of watersheds as cold waters but transition to coolwater with a decrease in elevation or gradient and the addition of tributary waters. The coolwater designation is based upon two general principles: temperature regime and fish community structure. Temperature regime can also be used to help classify coolwater streams where summer temperatures are predominantly warmer than 20°C (68°F) but typically do not exceed 25°C (76°F). This is a suggested temperature that will typically support the fish community structure (USACE 2003) . Coolwater streams generally have a fish species composition that includes Smallmouth Bass, Rock Bass, Walleye, Muskellunge, Creek Chub, River Chub, Bluehead Chub, Whitetail Shiner, White Sucker, Tennessee Shiner, Mirror Shiner, Warpaint Shiner, Northern Hog Sucker, Fantail Darter, Greenside Darter, and Greenfin Darter. This list is not inclusive and provides general guidance on aquatic community structure. Bogs and associated wetlands and floodplain forests are two SWAP priority habitats that also may be associated with coolwater stream communities; they provide habitat for wildlife that use adjacent terrestrial habitats. Descriptions of bog and other wetland communities are in Section 4.3 of this chapter. 4.2.4.2 Location of Habitat Coolwater aquatic communities can be found in the upper Yadkin, Hiwassee, Little Tennessee, Savannah, French Broad, Watauga, New, Catawba, and Broad River basins. A review of US Geological Survey (USGS) real-time stream gauge data for water temperatures shows that Cheoah River (near Tapoco, NC), Hyco River (near McGehees Mill, NC), Wolf Island Creek (near Reidsville, NC), Candy Creek (near Monticello, NC), and Deep Creek (near Moriah, NC) historically have cool waters during the summer (USGS 2014a) . Other examples include the Valley River, Hiwassee River (below Mission Lake Dam), Little Tennessee River, Pigeon River (below the confluence of the East and West Forks Pigeon River), French Broad River (below Nicholson Creek and Davidson River), Nolichucky River, New River, and Johns River. 4.2.4.3 Problems Affecting Habitats Chapter 5 Threats provides more information about 11 categories of threats most likely to impact North Carolina’s wildlife and natural communities. The list of threats is based on definitions and classifications published by Salafsky et al. (2008, 2024) . The following information focuses on current and anticipated threats for this habitat.
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2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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