2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan

Chapter 4 Habitats

4.5.11.3 Aquatic Species Appendix 3 provides lists of aquatic SGCN and other priority species for which there are knowledge gaps or management concerns. Appendix 3-18 identifies aquatic SGCN associated with aquatic communities found in this river basin. In addition to the crayfish, freshwater fish and mussels, and aquatic snails found in the basin, there are also species that have both aquatic and terrestrial stages to their life history. The following list of SGCN is also associated with the aquatic communities in the Lumber River Basin.

Federal Status

State Status

Common Name

Scientific Name

AMPHIBIANS River Frog

E

Rana [Lithobates] heckscheri

--

DRAGONFLIES Clearlake Clubtail

Phanogomphus australis

--

--

Stylurus ivae

Shining Clubtail

--

--

Stylurus townesi

Townes' Clubtail

--

--

REPTILES Carolina Swamp Snake

SC SC

Liodytes pygaea paludis Malaclemys terrapin

--

Diamondback Terrapin

-- --

Liodytes rigida

--

Glossy Crayfish Snake

Farancia erytrogramma

--

--

Rainbow Snake

4.5.11.4 Threats Affecting Aquatic Species Pollution. Impacts affecting species and their habitats within the Lumber River Basin include nonpoint sources of pollution resulting from inadequate management practices related to agriculture, forestry, construction, and stormwater discharges. Sedimentation due to erosion is one of the major causes of habitat loss in this basin. Water Quality. In addition, the Lumber River Basin has a dense concentration of swine production facilities. There are 208 permitted Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) in the Lumber River Basin with 299 waste lagoons associated with the facilities (NCDEQ 2024c) . Waste from these sites contains high levels of nutrients (e.g., nitrogen and phosphorus), in addition to fecal coliform bacteria and chemical compounds, such as antibiotics or hormone products used in commercial feeding operations (NCDWR 2015b) . Animal-waste lagoons and spray fields that discharge near or into aquatic environments through runoff, percolation into groundwater, and volatilization of ammonia and the release of bacterial contamination can significantly degrade water quality and endanger human and animal health (Mallin 2003; Mallin and Cahoon 2003) .

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2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan

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