Wildlife

Federation

hatches

Boone branch
By Scott Nicholson
nicholson@wataugademocrat.com

The non-profit North Carolina Wildlife Federation is organizing a new Boone-area wildlife chapter to take action for wildlife and its habitat.

“This will be our ninth chapter in the state,” said federation representative Chris North. The closest one is currently in Asheville.

“It's fun working with our chapters because it's an extension of us.”

North said volunteers are critical in augmenting the limited resources of biologists and wildlife conservationists.

It takes close to a dozen people to found or lead a chapter, North said. The only qualification is an interest in wildlife protection and having a core group. North said interested people could contact him and learn more.

A preliminary meeting was held a couple of weeks ago to lay the groundwork for a larger effort. North said the public meeting would be an opportunity not just for volunteers but for anyone who wanted to learn more about local wildlife.

“Essentially the founders become an acting board,” North said, with chapters organizing their own officers. After the chapter becomes public, officers are elected.

The chapters implement wildlife projects and help with landscaping, habitat concerns, and ways to make property friendly to wildlife.

The chapter would also locally implement a state-wide strategy called the North Carolina Wildlife Action Plan. The plan is a comprehensive management tool developed to help conserve and enhance the state’s full array of fish and wildlife and their habitats. It was developed by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission and state leaders in research, conservation and education.

The Wildlife Action Plan identifies 371 priority species of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish, mollusks and crustaceans that need help from local communities and on-the-ground conservation actions.

Many can be found around the Boone area, such as the peregrine falcon, Carolina northern flying squirrel, Rafinesque’s big-eared bat and the green floater, a state endangered mussel. North said projects could involve a type of nesting box for the Carolina northern flying squirrel, which has only eight populations in the mountains.

Water protection is also critical for animal habitat, North said, with the Boone area a key to water quality in three important river basins: Watauga, New and Catawba.

There are more than 25 priority aquatic species in these rivers alone and very little is known about them, North said.

The Wildlife Action Plan describes known and unknown negative impacts from stormwater runoff, tree farms and other disturbances that need to be monitored.

The introduction of non-native species are also a threat to habitat.

Contact North at the North Carolina Wildlife Federation for more information and a schedule of upcoming chapter meetings at chris@ncwf.org or (704) 332-5696.