Chapter 4 Habitats
Priority Conservation Action, Examples of Focal Species or Focal Habitats • Support conservation and restoration of streams and riparian zones in priority areas.
• Incorporate management goals for aquatic community conservation and enhancement planning and new land acquisitions for game lands. Needmore Game Lands • Continue reintroduction of extirpated priority and other species in the Cheoah River and other restored or improved habitats as opportunity allows. • Continue restoration and augmentation of Sicklefin Redhorse and evaluate potential for the restoration of other target priority species in the upper Tuckasegee, Little Tennessee, and Oconaluftee rivers. Sicklefin Redhorse Little Tennessee River • Prioritize education and other measures to prevent the introduction or spread of invasive nonnative species. Crayfish Zebra Mussels Alewife Blueback Herring • Support removal of relict dams and enhancement of aquatic organism passage at other barriers. 4.5.10.5.5 Conservation Programs and Partnerships Conservation programs, incentives and partnerships should be used to the extent possible to conserve high quality resources and important natural communities. Protective measures that use existing regulatory frameworks to protect habitats and species should be incorporated where applicable. Land conservation or preservation can serve numerous purposes in the face of anticipated climate change, but above all, it promotes ecosystem resilience. Many Oconaluftee River Tuckasegee River overlapping priorities and common objectives, the relative availability of funding and support, and many willing partners provide abundant opportunities in the Little Tennessee River Basin. Priority Conservation Action, Examples of Focal Species or Focal Habitats • Support NCDMS’s Watershed Restoration Plan (WRP) and River Basin Restoration Priorities (RBRP) for the Little Tennessee River Basin and Local Watershed Plans (LWPs) and a Project Atlas for the Franklin to Fontana Reservoir reach (NCDEQ 2025j) .
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2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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