0306010606 Augusta Canal-Savannah River HUC 8 Watershed: Middle Savannah
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Georgia Ecological Services U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 2/9/2021 HUC 10 Watershed Report HUC 10 Watershed: 0306010606 Augusta Canal-Savannah River HUC 8 Watershed: Middle Savannah Counties: Burke, Columbia, Richmond Major Waterbodies (in GA): McBean Creek, Savannah River, Butler Creek, Boggy Gut Creek, Reed Creek, Newberry Creek, Rocky Creek, Phinizy Swamp, Fort Gordon Reservoir, Bennock Millpond, Lake Olmstead, Millers Pond Federal Listed Species: (historic, known occurrence, or likely to occur in the watershed) E - Endangered, T - Threatened, C - Candidate, CCA - Candidate Conservation species, PE - Proposed Endangered, PT - Proposed Threatened, Pet - Petitioned, R - Rare, U - Uncommon, SC - Species of Concern. Shortnose Sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum) US: E; GA: E Occurrence; Please coordinate with National Marine Fisheries Service. Atlantic Sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) US: E; GA: E Occurrence; Please coordinate with National Marine Fisheries Service. Wood Stork (Mycteria americana) US: T; GA: E Potential Range (county); Survey period: early May Red-cockaded Woodpecker (Picoides borealis) US: E; GA: E Occurrence; Survey period: habitat any time of year or foraging individuals: 1 Apr - 31 May. Frosted Flatwoods Salamander (Ambystoma cingulatum) US: T; GA: T Potential Range (county); Survey period: for larvae 15 Feb - 15 Mar. Canby's Dropwort (Oxypolis canbyi) US: E; GA: E Potential Range (soil type); Survey period: for larvae 15 Feb - 15 Mar. Relict Trillium (Trillium reliquum) US: E; GA: E Occurrence; Survey period: flowering 15 Mar - 30 Apr. Use of a nearby reference site to more accurately determine local flowering period is recommended. Updated: 2/9/2021 0306010606 Augusta Canal-Savannah River 1 Georgia Ecological Services U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 2/9/2021 HUC 10 Watershed Report HUCFederal 10 Candidate,Watershed :Candidate Conservation, or Petitioned Species: (likely or known to occur in the watershed) Robust Redhorse (Moxostoma robustum) GA: E; US: Pet Occurrence; Migratory species with low detection, any surveys should be coordinated with FWS, GDNR. Delicate Spike (Elliptio arctata) US: Pet; GA: E Occurrence; Survey period: year round, when water temperatures are above 10° C and excluding when stage is increasing or above normal. Atlantic Pigtoe (Fusconaia masoni) US: PT; GA: E Occurrence; Survey period: year round, when water temperatures are above 10° C and excluding when stage is increasing or above normal. Gopher Frog (Lithobates capito) US: Pet; GA: R Historic Occurrence; Survey period: breeding season 1 Feb - 30 Apr. Spotted Turtle (Clemmys guttata) US: Pet; GA: U Occurrence; Survey period: 1 Feb - 30 Apr. GDNR assumes presence within known range. Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) US: C; GA: T Occurrence; Survey period: Year-round Bog Spicebush (Lindera subcoriacea) US: Pet Occurrence; Surveys are best conducted during flowering (March) and fruiting (mid-summer) when fruits are red. Carolina Bogmint (Macbridea caroliniana) US: Pet; GA: R Occurrence; Survey period: flowering 15 Jul - early Sep. Gulf Sweet Pitcherplant (Sarracenia rubra) US: Pet; GA: T Occurrence; Survey period: flowering 1 Apr - early Oct. Gulf Sweet Pitcherplant (Sarracenia rubra ssp. gulfensis) US: Pet; GA: T Occurrence; Survey period: year round. Ocmulgee Skullcap (Scutellaria ocmulgee) US: Pet; GA: T Occurrence; Survey period: flowering late Jun - early Oct. Use of a nearby reference site to more accurately determine local flowering period is recommended. Georgia Aster (Symphyotrichum georgianum) US: CCA; GA: T Occurrence; Survey period: flowering early Sep - early Nov. Use of a nearby reference site to more accurately determine local flowering period is recommended. State Listed or Other At-risk Species: (likely or known to occur in the watershed) Updated: 2/9/2021 0306010606 Augusta Canal-Savannah River 2 Georgia Ecological Services U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 2/9/2021 HUC 10 Watershed Report Savannah Lilliput (Toxolasma pullus) GA: T HUC 10 Watershed: Occurrence; Survey period: year round, when water temperatures are above 10° C and excluding when stage is increasing or above normal. Southern Hog-nosed Snake (Heterodon simus) GA: T Occurrence; Survey period: Surveys not practical. Southeastern Pocket Gopher (Geomys pinetis) GA: T Occurrence; Please consult with GDNR for survey efforts. Sandhill Milk-vetch (Astragalus michauxii) GA: T Occurrence; Please consult with GDNR for survey efforts. Pink Ladyslipper (Cypripedium acaule) GA: U Occurrence; Please consult with GDNR for survey efforts. Georgia Plume (Elliottia racemosa) GA: T Occurrence; Please consult with GDNR for survey efforts. Shoals Spiderlily (Hymenocallis coronaria) GA: T Occurrence; Please consult with GDNR for survey efforts. Indian Olive (Nestronia umbellula) GA: R Occurrence; Please consult with GDNR for survey efforts. Pickering's Morning-glory (Stylisma pickeringii var. pickeringii) GA: T Occurrence; Please consult with GDNR for survey efforts. Any of the above species may occur in suitable habitat in this HUC 10 watershed. Survey dates are provided for reference only. Please coordinate with your lead federal agency, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, or USFWS to determine if surveys will help assess project impacts to species of concern. Watershed Specific Concerns: There are federally listed aquatic/wetland and terrestrial species that occur or could occur in this watershed. If the project contains suitable habitat for listed species, please contact your lead federal agency to determine the appropriate next step for those species to inform their NEPA and ESA decisions. Coordination with Georgia Department of Natural Resources may also be helpful in those decisions. Critical Habitat: There is Critical Habitat designated under the Endangered Species Act for at least one species in this watershed. Please see the list above to determine which species. Please coordinate with our office to determine if your project will impact this habitat. Frosted Flatwoods Salamander: Suitable habitat includes isolated depressional wetlands located in pine flatwoods. If this habitat occurs in the vicinity of the project area, it may represent potential breeding sites for this species. Minimizing impacts to wetland and pond habitats including impacts caused by fill, draining, and altered hydrology in areas where this species Updated: 2/9/2021 0306010606 Augusta Canal-Savannah River 3 Georgia Ecological Services U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 2/9/2021 HUC 10 Watershed Report HUCoccurs 10 can Watershed assist with: its recovery. Wood Stork: The Wood Stork feeds in shallow emergent wetlands, ditches, pond margins, and coastal areas. The successful fledging of chicks from the nest is dependent on adults finding sufficient foraging areas that contain prey species. Minimizing potential impacts and ensuring water quality is preserved or enhanced is vital to the successful recovery of this species. If the project area is located within the Core Foraging Area (13 mile radius) of a Wood Stork rookery, additional considerations may be requested for unavoidable impacts to foraging and nesting habitats. Red-cockaded Woodpecker: Red-cockaded Woodpecker requires large expanses of mature (approximately 60-80 years old or older), open pine forest, preferably longleaf, slash, or loblolly pine or younger forests with artificial nesting cavities. Natural nest cavities are excavated in mature living pines and may take several years to complete. Red-cockaded woodpecker colonies require large, contiguous tracts of habitat, ranging in size from approximately 60-600 acres per family group, depending upon the quality of the habitat. Currently, its range is fragmented and most populations are found on public lands where timber harvesting has not been maximized. Sturgeon: Atlantic, Gulf, and Shortnose Sturgeon are all under the jurisdiction of National Marine Fisheries Service. Please contact National Marine Fisheries Services for coordination of any impacts to the species or their designated Critical Habitat and project related avoidance and minimization measures under Section 7. Robust Redhorse: This HUC 10 provides habitat for Robust Redhorse, a petitioned species of conservation concern for FWS and GDNR. Please be considerate of actions that impact mid-channel gravel bars or point bars in this watershed and actions that may impede migration between winter (mid to lower sections of the Savannah River mainstems) and spawning habitats in the mainstem of the Savannah from Augusta Shoals to 16 km downstream of New Savannah Bluff Lock and Dam. Migrating fish have been known to move between these spawning sites downstream to near the I-95 bridge crossing in Effingham County where young-of-year and juvenile fish have been captured. Canby’s Dropwort : The predicted range for Canby’s Dropwort is based on the presence of soils associated with wetlands with fluctuating water levels (e.g., cypress ponds, sloughs, Carolina bays, or wet savannas). These wetland habitats have been highly altered in the Coastal Plains and may not occur in the vicinity of the proposed project. In the absence of suitable habitat, no surveys for Canby’s Dropwort are requested. Georgia Aster: There are known occurrences of candidate conservation species Georgia Aster in this watershed. Georgia Aster can be found in open forests or forest edges and right-of-ways. For the protection in areas where this species occur, use prescribed fire or mowing in winter or early spring to create or maintain sunny openings. Avoid