North Carolina's Wildlife Action Plan (WAP) is a comprehensive planning tool developed by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission to help conserve and enhance the state’s full array of fish and wildlife species and their habitats. State Wildlife Action Plans emerged from a mandate by the U.S. Congress that each state develop a comprehensive conservation strategy to be eligible for federal funding under the State Wildlife Grants program.
Since submitting the state’s first WAP in 2005, North Carolina has received an average $1.3 million dollars annually to support implementation of the conservation actions laid out in the Plan. In large part these funds have been used to support the Commission’s Wildlife Diversity Program, which implements the WAP throughout North Carolina.
The 2015 WAP was developed in cooperation with numerous partners, including federal and state agencies, conservation organizations, and stakeholders. The Wildlife Commission received approval from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service for the comprehensive revision of the WAP on March 30, 2016.
The 2020 Addendum 1 is an interim revision to incorporate new web-based assessment tools, project results, species name and listing status changes, and revisions to the Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) list. Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) and other priority fish and wildlife can now be specifically targeted by carefully considering conservation or management options within essential habitats. The goal is to strategically target imperiled animals and their required habitats early, preventing them from becoming extinct. With the 2020 Addendum 1 to the NC Wildlife Action Plan, there are 483 SGCN listed in the Plan. This number includes amphibians, birds, crayfishes, freshwater fishes and mussels, mammals, reptiles, and terrestrial and aquatic snails evaluated by Wildlife Action Plan Taxa Teams of species experts. The SGCN also includes insect and marine species evaluated by others and determined to be a priority for conservation action. North Carolina’s WAP describes 17 river basins and 40 types of aquatic, wetland, and terrestrial natural communities found across the state that provide important habitat to fish and wildlife. The plan matches each SGCN to the habitat type or river basin where it is found, identifies the most important threats facing each habitat, and details the priority conservation actions required to protect and conserve these species and habitats.
Addendum 2 is an interim revision to add plants to the SGCN list. This addendum is in preparation for the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (RAWA), proposed federal legislation with wide bi-partisan support, which will include provisions for plant conservation. When passed, RAWA will provide a new source of federal matching grant funds to states that include plants as SGCN in their Wildlife Action Plans. The Wildlife Commission will join 15 other state wildlife agencies that already include plants in their Wildlife Action Plans. Addendum 2 will also add a new natural community description for Piedmont and Coastal Plain Oak Forests, and a table is added to provide habitat associations between plant SGCN and the natural communities described in the Plan.
Addendum 2 Plant SGCN
Addendum 2 Plant SGCN – Appendix H Update
NEW! May 2023 - A new online tool is available to help users quickly search Wildlife Action Plan content to find priority conservation actions and recommendations for SGCN, habitats, and 11 different categories of potential threats. The search tool offers two options for search criteria that includes habitat categories and types, five recommendation categories, river basins, taxa type or single SGCN, and threat category. Search results can be printed or exported as an Excel worksheet. Please visit the search tool by visiting the Wildlife Action Plan Search website or by pasting this URL into your internet browser https://www.ncpaws.org/paws/wrc/speciesranking/search.aspx.
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Download entire document (PDF) Download entire document to access appendixes using in-document links.
Note: Large download - 34 MB | 1328 pages. The PDFs and Excel files are available to download in compressed ZIP file format - send an email to Cindy Simpson to request a Dropbox link for the download.
Download Table of Contents and Chapters 1-8 only (PDF - 11 MB)
NOTE: To access the appendixes using in-document hyperlinks, download the entire document. Or download the Appendixes below. In-document hyperlinks to appendixes will not work if only the Table of Contents and Chapters 1-8 are downloaded.
Download Appendixes (PDF, Excel, and ArcMap files)
Appendixes (PDF)
A-F,
I,
K-O
Appendix G (Excel) - Taxa Team Evaluation Results
Appendix H (Excel)
Appendix J (Excel) - Priority HUC12s by River Basin
GIS DATA Download a ZIP compressed file with ArcGIS shapefiles OR send a request to cindy.simpson@ncwildlife.org
Appendix P (Excel) - All SGCN by Taxonomic Group
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission has completed a minor revision to the 2015 Wildlife Action Plan that updates the Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) list, appendixes with data related to the evaluation of SGCN, and text to Chapters 1, 2, 3, and 6.
2020 Addendum 1 update to 2015 NC Wildlife Action Plan - Updated Chapters Only (PDF)
2020 Addendum 1 update to 2015 NC Wildlife Action Plan - Updated Appendixes Only (PDF)
2020 Addendum 1 update to 2015 NC Wildlife Action Plan - Full Document (PDF) - warning, this is a very large file.
Send an email to cindy.simpson@ncwildlife.org if you would like a link to a OneDrive or Google Drive cloud folder to download a ZIP file with the updated documents.
May 2023 - Final Approval received from U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Addendum 2 to the 2015 NC Wildlife Action Plan adds a list of plant SGCN as a component of the state’s natural communities, adds a new natural community description for Piedmont and Coastal Plain Oak Forests, and provides new and updated appendices.
Download Addendum 2 documents by clicking links below.
Chapters
Appendices
Appendix PA-2 List of Plant SGCN - Click here to download an Excel file (includes listing status and NatureServe rank information)
Click here to Contact Cindy Simpson (Wildlife Action Plan Coordinator) by email if you have any questions or trouble downloading Addendum 2 documents.
Download compressed ZIP files that contain ArcGIS shapefile data by clicking on the links below or send a request to cindy.simpson@ncwildlife.org to get a OneDrive download link.
Aquatic Conservation Opportunity Areas (COAs) - Priority HUC12s by River Basin
Download a ZIP compressed file
Terrestrial Conservation Opportunity Areas (COAs) - download ZIP compressed files by clicking on the ecoregion of interest
Coastal Plain COAs by HUC12
Sandhills COAs by HUC12
Piedmont COAs by HUC12
Mountain COAs by HUC12
NC OneMap is a strategic resource providing a collection of authoritative data and web services. It is an organized effort of numerous partners throughout North Carolina, involving local, state, and federal government agencies, the private sector and academia. Search for or browse the data, use it in your applications, analyze it with your tools, or build apps using the APIs. https://www.nconemap.gov/
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) has geospatial data available to view in an online map viewer or to download for use in your own GIS program. .For example, their website has a critical habitat for threatened and endangered species online mapper or the data can be downloaded for both linear features or polygon areas.
Gap Analysis Project (GAP). Gap Analysis is the science of answering the question "How well are we protecting common plants and animals?" GAP is the USGS program that is developing the data and tools to support that science. GAP works to ensure that common species – those that are not officially endangered – remain common by identifying those species and plant communities that are not adequately represented in existing conservation lands. Species range and predicted habitat data, land cover, slope, canopy cover, and other ancillary data can be downloaded for the conterminous US. https://www.usgs.gov/programs/gap-analysis-project/science/species-data-download
The Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US) is the nation's inventory of protected areas, including public land and voluntarily provided private protected areas, identified as an A-16 National Geospatial Data Asset in the Cadastre Theme ( https://ngda-cadastre-geoplatform.hub.arcgis.com/ ). The PAD-US is an ongoing project with several published versions of a spatial database including areas dedicated to the preservation of biological diversity, and other natural (including extraction), recreational, or cultural uses, managed for these purposes through legal or other effective means. https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/folder/61794fc2d34ea58c3c6f9f69
The Invasive Species Habitat Tool (INHABIT) uses species distribution models created by associating known occurrences of a species with environmental characteristics where those occurrences are found. These associations are then used to make predictions of habitat suitability to all locations across the country to make a map. Currently the tool is focused on terrestrial plants that are non-native to the contiguous US. https://gis.usgs.gov/inhabit/
The Nature Conservancy (TNC) Resilient and Connected Landscapes project provides reports, tools, and data that comprehensively maps resilient lands and significant climate corridors across Eastern North America. Explore the results in three interactive maps or download the data, read the reports, or peruse background papers. Additional spatial data for terrestrial, freshwater, and marine systems is also available for review and download. https://www.conservationgateway.org/ConservationByGeography/NorthAmerica/UnitedStates/edc/reportsdata/mapsdata/Pages/default.aspx
CLICK HERE TO OPEN BOTH TOOLS IN A NEW WINDOW
Two new web-based decision support tools (DSTs) were launched in Spring 2017 to support priority conservation recommendations outlined in the 2015 NC Wildlife Action Plan (NCWAP). They are the Threat Risk Assessment (TRA) tool and the Conservation Opportunity Area (COA) tool.
Download PDF documentation:
User Guide and Step-by-Step Instructions
Threat Categories Metadata
COA-TRA Analysis Worksheet
Case Studies - Examples of How to Interpret COA-TRA analysis results (will be available soon!)
1. Threat Risk Assessment (TRA) Tool
The North Carolina Wildlife Habitat Threat Data Viewer and Analysis Tool is a spatially-explicit decision support tool (DST). It was developed to support state-wide habitat acquisition and management decisions by projecting future probability of occurrence of specific threats in North Carolina relative to terrestrial and aquatic habitats, specifically climate change and urbanization.
The TRA tool also uses data sets compiled by USEPA for specific threats that are not projected in time (static, but updated periodically), but whose occurrence on the landscape helps managers gain a more comprehensive idea of threats for any location on the State.
Habitat threats can be individually assessed and/or modeled for five decadal time steps (2010, 2020, 2030, 2040, 2050). Assesses risks in terms of number of threats, proximity of threats, and severity relative to an area of interest (AOI). The Threat Risk Assessment tool will serve multiple functions that will allow you to:
Spatially explore individual threats
Assess risks in terms of number of threats, proximity of threats and severity relative to an area of interest (AOI)
Develop composite threat analyses to target specific habitats as well as develop specific scenarios of future trends
Set analysis extent based on existing polygon datasets (e.g. counties, ecoregions) or customized extent
Quickly generate printable maps as well as reports and tables of analyses
The spatial unit for all analyses is based on 12-digit Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC12) sub-watersheds (there are 1,720 in NC). More information about the HUC cataloging system can be found at the US Geological Survey Water Resources web page.
2. Conservation Opportunity Areas (COA) Tool
The Conservation Opportunity Area DST links Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) data from the 2015 NCWAP with USGS Gap Program species range data to predict areas with the least amount of protection for wildlife. More information about the SGCN can be found in the 2015 NC Wildlife Action Plan, Chapter 3.
This report, Understanding the Impacts of Climate Change on Fish and Wildlife in North Carolina, provides a comprehensive and up-to-date review for North Carolina of climate change science, the potential vulnerability of wildlife and their habitats, and response options available through conservation planning.
Chapter 1. Understanding Climate Change and Impacts on Wildlife
Chapter 2. Temperature, Precipitation, and Sea Level Rise in the Southeast Under Climate Change: Future Projections and Impacts on Species and Habitats
Chapter 3. Projected Impacts of Climate Change in North Carolina
Chapter 4. Synergistic Threats to Species and Habitats
Chapter 5. Conservation Planning and Adaptation Strategies for Wildlife Under Climate Change
Click here to open a PDF copy of the report.
Chapter 4 in the 2015 NC Wildlife Action Plan provides more information about these communities and ecoregions.
North Carolina River Basins View Larger Map
Click here for more information about N.C. River Basins (redirects page to N.C. Environmental Education website)
The NC Department of Environmental Quality provides science-based environmental stewardship for the health and prosperity of all North Carolinians. Through legislative action, DEQ has designated 17 major river basins in North Carolina. Of these, 11 river basins have headwaters that begin in North Carolina but only 4 are contained entirely within the state - these are the Cape Fear, Neuse, Tar-Pamlico, and White Oak river basins. The other river basins have headwaters that drain across adjacent states (Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia) before crossing North Carolina.
The NC Division of Water Resources is responsible for the environmental protection and quality of the State’s surface water and groundwater, and to ensure safe drinking water for its residents. This authority is granted in accordance with laws, policies and rules established by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency, the N.C. General Assembly, the Environmental Management Commission, and the Commission for Public Health. Staff issue pollution-control permits, monitor compliance and conduct regulatory enforcement for environmental violations. Additionally, staff evaluate environmental water quantity and quality via field sampling and two in-house chemical laboratories; develop water quality standards, rules and management strategies; and provide educational awareness.
While inland freshwater aquatic systems represent a small percentage of the landscape, they are living systems that are influenced by numerous conditions such as landscape position, slope, width, depth, temperature, velocity, substrate or bed material, chemistry, and land cover. The various geology, landscape, and climate attributes found in North Carolina contribute to the wide diversity of aquatic habitats found across the state. The following table provides an overview of the type of natural aquatic communities found in North Carolina and the ecoregions where they occur.
For up to date information about these projects and others, download copies of the quarterly Diversity Program reports.
Wildlife Diversity staff launched a project during 2007 to determine the abundance and distribution of the Carolina madtom, a very small catfish. The madtom is listed as a state-threatened fish and was once abundant in the Neuse and Tar rivers. Biologists’ surveys found the fish is still abundant in the Tar River but is nearly gone from the Neuse River. One of the reasons for the fish’s decline in the Neuse is degraded habitat due to urban development. This suggests that additional care is required if the madtom is going to survive the Tar River basin’s development.
Since 2002, Wildlife Diversity personnel have been principals in a cooperative project tagging and monitoring the robust redhorse, a large sucker that until very recently was thought to be extinct in North Carolina. The robust redhorse is extremely rare and, in North Carolina, is found only in the Pee DeeRiver. Human impacts, such as dam building, pollution and the introduction of exotic species, are likely causes of the fish’s decline.
lo-res (pdf, 392 KB) hi-res (pdf, 2.32 MB)
Between 1984 and 1997, N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission personnel released 92 juvenile peregrines from various cliff sites in western North Carolina. In 1999, peregrines were removed from the federal list of endangered species; however, with such a small population in North Carolina (less than 15 breeding pairs), falcons remain on the state endangered species list. Wildlife Diversity staff coordinate a nest monitoring project, which continues to track the success of restoration efforts and provides guidance to cliff landowners on how to manage these important breeding sites.
Wildlife Diversity staff monitor bald eagle nests each year to obtain information, such as the number of active nests, along with the number of young fledged per nest. Bald eagles are another example of a collaboration of the Commission, agencies, organizations and landowners that has led to the national recovery of an endangered species. The Wildlife Observation Site on Jordan Lake provides a tranquil location for observing our national bird in addition to year-round wildlife. Wildlife Diversity staff coordinates management of this site, in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the New Hope Audubon Society, and helps landowners statewide with guidance and information on how to ensure the continued recovery of bald eagles in North Carolina.
Wildlife Diversity staff work on Commission-owned game lands and with other state and federal agencies in North Carolina to manage public land for the red-cockaded woodpecker. In addition, the Commission has initiated a Safe Harbor Program on private lands to help landowners manage their properties in ways that benefit woodpeckers while ensuring that landowners can utilize their property in compliance with terms of the US Endangered Species Act. This small black-and-white woodpecker, perhaps the most well-known endangered species in North Carolina, uses open stands of pine forests with trees that are 30 years or older for foraging and even more mature trees for nesting.
Learn about the Red-Cockaded Woodpecker Safe Harbor Program: Safe Harbor Program Questions and Answers (PDF) Information for Landowners. Is it right for you? (PDF)
Wildlife Diversity staff survey and monitor green salamanders in western North Carolina to help determine the status of green salamander populations in the state and direct conservation action.
Wildlife Diversity personnel in the mountains conduct research involving trapping, nest box surveys and radio-telemetry of northern flying squirrels to help determine the range of this endangered species. This information will help ensure that our forests are managed in a manner that protects and enhances northern flying squirrel habitat.
Wildlife Diversity staff conduct monitoring studies throughout the state to determine bat distribution and hibernation sites. They use a variety of methods, such as mist netting, trapping, banding and telemetry, to survey and band hundreds of bats. They also work to conserve important roost sites such as caves and mines.
hi-res (pdf, 1 MB)
North Carolina’s White-nose Syndrome Surveillance and Response Plan (pdf, 2 MB)
The Commission began surveys for bog turtles in North Carolina in the 1980s to determine the status of populations. Since then, Wildlife Diversity biologists and partners have conducted surveys every year and recorded important information on each captured bog turtle, such as gender, age and shell length. They are working to conserve the rare wetland habitats in the upper Piedmont and mountains that these turtles call home.
Begun in 2004, the Urban Wildlife Project works to promote open space conservation through land use planning and land conservation in the Triangle Region. This proactive approach steers development away from sensitive wildlife habitat and encourages compact communities with associated connected open spaces.
The NC Birding Trail was created "to conserve and enhance North Carolina's bird habitat by promoting sustainable bird watching activities, economic opportunities and conservation education."
Learn more at seaturtle.org
Learn about the satellite tracking at Bald Head Island, NC
Pigeon River. The Pigeon River was severely polluted by a paper mill for nearly a century. Cleanup efforts reversed much of the damage, but many native fish species had disappeared with no route to recolonize naturally. Since 2003, biologists have been working with partners Blue Ridge Paper, University of Tennessee, N.C. Division of Water Quality and others to restore some of these populations. So far, six fish species —silver, mirror, telescope, striped and Tennessee shiners, and gilt darters — are being reintroduced to their native water.
Cheoah River. The Cheoah River had most of its water diverted for hydropower production for more than 70 years. Flow now has been restored but the river is isolated from potential source populations of missing species. Biologists are working now with partners Alcoa, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Service, Virginia Tech and others to restore habitat and species. In 2007, wavy-rayed lampmussels were the first to be reintroduced. A cooperative effort is under way now to restore the spotfin chub, a federal threatened species.
Many (144 species) freshwater mussels, fishes and crayfishes in North Carolina are listed as threatened or endangered or were identified as priorities for conservation in North Carolina’s Wildlife Action Plan. Surveys to monitor these species and their habitats, as well as searches for new or undiscovered populations, are conducted by biologists throughout the state. Information from these studies is used to guide habitat conservation and enhancement, update the status of imperiled species, revise conservation priorities, and assess the effectiveness of conservation actions.
North Carolina has a new tool for conserving rare and endangered freshwater mussels and fishes! Wildlife Diversity is partnering with the Commission’s Table Rock and Marion fish hatcheries, N.C. State University, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the N.C. Department of Transportation, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and Conservation Fisheries, Inc., to develop facilities, techniques and the expertise needed to reproduce rare species in captivity. Following successful experiments to hold and propagate mussels, plans are now under way to expand culture facilities for them and rare fishes at the Marion hatchery. This expansion will enable biologists to provide safe refuge for critically endangered mussels during short-term habitat problems (like drought). It also will allow for the production of juvenile mussels and fishes for restoring populations in North Carolina streams and rivers and will support further research to improve and expand these efforts.
Since2007, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission mountain region Wildlife DiversityProgram, along with project partners from the N.C. Zoo, collaborators from theN.C. Division of Parks and Recreation, and other agencies, volunteers,universities, etc., began a long-term project to inventory, monitor and assessspecies status in North Carolina. The goals are to study hellbender populationsin the state, revisit historical locations, discover new locations, monitorpopulations and increasing threats to habitats, conduct applied research andeducate the public on hellbender conservation.
lo res (pdf - 563 KB)
high res (pdf - 3.52 MB)
Wildlife Resources Commission staff work cooperatively with many different partners and stakeholders to conserve North Carolina’s natural resources. Some of these working relationships span years and involve multiple project efforts, while others represent single or unique opportunities. These descriptions represent only a few of the partnerships Commission staff have been involved with over the years. A broader list is available for download in Adobe PDF format; Click here for a copy of the list.
Albermarle Pamlico Community Conservation Collaboration
The Albermarle Pamlico Community Conservation Collaboration got underway in 2007 when an extensive group of professionals gathered to share concerns for the natural resources and important wildlife habitats of the Albermarle Pamlico peninsula, especially in light of global climate change. This group intends to explore opportunities to manage lands, restore habitats, and protect lands and waters for the benefit of species native to the region.
Cape Fear Arch
The Cape Fear Arch includes the watersheds of the lower Cape Fear and the Waccamaw Rivers. The area is under great development pressure, which requires infrastructure that often eliminates habitat for important wildlife species. Since forming in 2006, the mission has been to develop a community conservation vision that provides protection and stewardship of the important natural resources and raises conservation awareness for the area.
Chatham Conservation Partnership
Numerous state and federal agencies, local land trusts, local conservation organization, county officials, commissioners, planners, and landowners have the common interest of developing a sustainable county focused on the preservation of its natural resources and rural and agricultural heritage.
Conservation Trust for North Carolina
The Conservation Trust for North Carolina protects land and water through direct efforts with willing landowners and in partnership with our state's local and regional land trusts. As a land trust, their protection efforts are focused on mountain streams, forests, and scenic views along the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture
A collaboration between state fish and wildlife agencies, federal resource agencies, academic institutions and private sector conservation organizations working under a Memorandum of Understanding to conserve native Eastern brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) and their habitats. The long-term goals of the joint venture are to implement a comprehensive conservation strategy to improve aquatic habitat, raise public awareness, and prioritize the use of federal, state and local funds for brook trout conservation.
Greater Uwharrie Conservation Partnership
This partnership centers around the southern, central Piedmont of North Carolina that contains the Uwharries, an ancient mountain range, a series of lakes along the Yadkin-Pee Dee watershed, nationally significant aquatic habitats, rare wetlands, Uwharrie National Forest, Pee Dee National Wildlife Refuge, farmlands, and Piedmont prairie remnants. The mission is to work for the long-term conservation and enhancement of biological diversity and ecosystem sustainability throughout the Greater Uwharries landscape compatible with the land use, conservation, and management objectives of the participating organizations and agencies.
Hiwassee River Watershed Coalition
A conservation organization whose mission is to facilitate water quality improvements in lakes and streams throughout the upper Hiwassee River watershed within Cherokee and Clay counties in NC. The coalition supports water quality education, watershed restoration projects, watershed planning, and opportunities for citizens to volunteer.
North Carolina Coastal Land Trust
The Coastal Land Trust works to protect land, water, and air quality in the Coastal Plain through the acquisition of open space and natural areas, conservation education, and the promotion of good land stewardship.
NC Partners in Amphibian & Reptile Conservation
NC Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (NCPARC) is North Carolina’s own chapter of the successful world-wide organization Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation. Like its parent organization, NCPARC unifies members from all walks of life under one banner; that of the conservation of amphibians and reptiles and their habitats. The program hopes to make a difference for the persistence of healthy amphibian and reptile populations in our state.
NC Partners In Flight
This initiative, coordinated by Wildlife Resources Commission nongame staff, brings together government, private and public organizations and individuals in an effort to further migratory bird conservation throughout the Americas. Through habitat protection, management, monitoring, professional training and education, this program strives to maintain both bird species and habitats.
North Carolina Sandhills Conservation Partnership
This Partnership was formed to facilitate collaboration between various federal, state, and non-profit conservation groups for the purpose of conserving the vanishing longleaf pine ecosystem and recovering the federally-listed endangered red-cockaded woodpecker in the North Carolina Sandhills.
Onslow Bight Conservation Forum
The goals of this conservation forum include promoting conservation, restoration, health and sustainable use of the landscape and the native terrestrial and aquatic communities that depend, in whole or in part, on the lands and waters of the Onslow Bight area. This regional collaboration works toward conserving saltwater marshes, riverine wetlands, pocosins, longleaf pine savannahs, and other coastal plain ecosystems located between Cape Lookout and the Cape Fear River. The area also encompasses several large protected areas, including Cape Lejune and Croatan National Forest.
NC Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (NCPARC) is North Carolina’s own chapter of the successful world-wide organization Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation. The members of NCPARC hail from academia, state and federal agencies, research facilities, nature education centers, land trusts, municipalities, zoos, veterinary fields, forest products industries, energy cooperatives, conservation organizations, herpetological societies, pet trade industries, museums, and even your own neighborhoods. The program hopes to make a difference for the persistence of healthy amphibian and reptile populations in our state.
This initiative, coordinated by Wildlife Resources Commission nongame staff, brings together government, private and public organizations and individuals in an effort to further migratory bird conservation throughout the Americas. Through habitat protection, management, monitoring, professional training and education, this program strives to maintain both bird species and habitats
Robust Redhorse Conservation Committee
A voluntary stakeholder partnership established in 1995 and charged with the overall responsibility for directing the recovery of the robust redhorse (Moxostoma robustum). The partnership is a pioneering effort to recover a species proactively, without federal listing. The partnership operates under a Memorandum of Understanding between state and federal resource agencies, private industry, and the conservation community in lieu of listing this species under the Endangered Species Act.
Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership
A regional collaboration of natural resource and science agencies, conservation organizations, and private interests developed to strengthen the management and conservation of aquatic resources in the southeastern United States. The mission of this partnership is to protect, conserve, and restore aquatic resources including habitats throughout the Southeast.
(exits NCWRC website)
NatureServe and the National Geographic Society have embarked on a long-term initiative to develop the premier online conservation and educational resource for the land-protection community and the public. LandScope America is a guide to where great places are being protected and conserved for the benefit of everyone.
LandScope America uses an interactive map viewer to bring together maps, data, photos, and stories and provides useful tools and resources for strategic conservation planning at a landscape scale and priority-setting. A state-of-the art map viewer is central to your website experience. You can always open the map viewer from any page by clicking on "Go to the Map" near the top of the page. Use your mouse to pan and zoom smoothly from a national view to state and local scales anywhere across the country.
You can register and establish a user profile on LandScope to gain access to additional, personalized features. As a registered user, you can save and retrieve your favorite map views, and share them with colleagues via email. We anticipate adding other powerful features for registered users, such as the ability to contribute photos and stories that will be published via the map viewer, and to manage organizational profiles for your organization. (But registration is always optional, and you don’t need to register to access any content).
The State Wildlife Grants (SWG) program was designed to assist states with the conservation of nongame species by providing annual allocations to supplement, not duplicate, existing fish and wildlife programs. These matching funds support work that benefits species in greatest need of conservation; species indicative of the diversity and health of the states’ wildlife; and species with low and declining populations, as designated by the states’ fish and wildlife agencies. In short, the funds are to be used for conservation efforts aimed at preventing wildlife from becoming endangered and keeping common species common.
To be eligible for SWG matching funds, each state was required to develop a comprehensive wildlife conservation plan, more commonly known as a state Wildlife Action Plan (WAP or Plan). The NC Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC or Commission) is responsible for managing the SWG program and implementing the NC Wildlife Action Plan (NCWAP).
Each Plan must address the Eight Required Elements (see Table 1.1 on pages 6-7 in the 2015 Plan) and, at a minimum, be revised at 10-year intervals. This second version of the NCWAP is the result of the collaborative efforts of many federal and state agencies, local organizations, and citizens working on the revision. North Carolina's Plan not only fulfills the requirements set forth by Congress, it also serves as a practical and essential resource for fish and wildlife conservation planning statewide.
The North Carolina Wildlife Action Plan (NCWAP) is intended to provide a foundation for State and Federal agencies and other conservation partners to think strategically about their individual roles and coordinate prioritizing conservation efforts throughout the state. At a minimum, North Carolina's Plan will be comprehensively evaluated and revised every 10 years. However, we expect that as new information is discovered about the status of species and natural communities we will need to develop interim updates. You can help us keep the content of the Plan relevant to current issues and needs by sharing your knowledge about the state's fish and wildlife species and their habitats, for example:
Cindy Simpson Wildlife Action Plan Coordinator N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission 1721 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699-1721 919-707-0227
Wildlife Diversity Program and Quarterly Reports
Understanding the impacts of climate change on fish and wildlife in North Carolina
Green Growth Toolbox (includes GIS downloads)
NC Forest Plan
Southeast Regional SGCN List (wildlife)
Southeastern Plants Regional SGCN List
USFWS ESA Listed Species in NC
USFWS Critical Habitat for ESA Listed Species (online map)