0313000408 Chattahoochee River-Lake Seminole HUC 8 Watershed: Lower Chattahoochee
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Georgia Ecological Services U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 2/9/2021 HUC 10 Watershed Report HUC 10 Watershed: 0313000408 Chattahoochee River-Lake Seminole HUC 8 Watershed: Lower Chattahoochee Counties: Early, Seminole Major Waterbodies (in GA): Chattahoochee River, Lake Seminole 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. Wood Stork (Mycteria americana) US: T; GA: E Potential Range (county); Survey period: early May Red-cockaded Woodpecker (Picoides borealis) US: E; GA: E Potential Range (county); Survey period: habitat any time of year or foraging individuals: 1 Apr - 31 May. Reticulated Flatwoods Salamander (Ambystoma bishopi) US: E; GA: E Potential Range (county); Survey period: for larvae 15 Feb - 15 Mar. Eastern Indigo Snake (Drymarchon couperi) US: T; GA: T Potential Range (model); Survey period: 1 Nov - 31 Mar. American Chaffseed (Schwalbea americana) US: E; GA: E Occurrence; Survey period: flowering 1 Apr - 30 Jun. Fringed Campion (Silene polypetala) US: E; GA: E Potential Range (county); Survey period: flowering late Feb - 31 May. Use of a nearby reference site to more accurately determine local flowering period is recommended. Florida Torreya (Torreya taxifolia) US: E; GA: E Potential Range (county); Survey period: year round. Updated: 2/9/2021 0313000408 Chattahoochee River-Lake Seminole 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) Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus adamanteus) US: Pet Historic Occurrence; Surveys are best conducted April - November. Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) US: C; GA: T Potential Range (county); Survey period: Year-round Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) US: Pet; GA: T Occurrence; Survey period: 1 Mar - 30 Nov. Harper's Fimbry (Fimbristylis perpusilla) US: Pet; GA: E Occurrence; Survey period: fruiting 1 Sep - 31 Oct. State Listed or Other At-risk Species: (likely or known to occur in the watershed) Spotted Bullhead (Ameiurus serracanthus) GA: R Occurrence; Please consult with GDNR for survey efforts. Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) GA: T Occurrence; Survey period: year-round. Barbour's Map Turtle (Graptemys barbouri) GA: T Occurrence; Survey period: 1 Apr - 30 Sep. Heartleaf Brickellia (Brickellia cordifolia) GA: T Occurrence; Please consult with GDNR for survey efforts. Whitetop Pitcherplant (Sarracenia leucophylla) GA: E 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. Reticulated 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 0313000408 Chattahoochee River-Lake Seminole 2 Georgia Ecological Services U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 2/9/2021 HUC 10 Watershed Report HUCoccurs 10 can Watershed assist with: its recovery. Bald Eagle: Bald Eagles and their nests are protected from take, including disturbance, under the federal Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. For information about Bald and Golden Eagles see the Service's regional web page: https://www.fws. gov/southeast/our-services/permits/eagles/ 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. American Chaffseed: Typical habitat for the American chaffseed consists of frequently burned longleaf pine savannahs, sandhills, and flatwoods, as well as moist, grassy areas around ponds within these habitats. This species only flowers in response to recent fire or management simulating fire (e.g., mowing or raking). Fringed Campion: This species is known to occur in the Flint, Ocmulgee, and Chattahoochee River drainages of Georgia, as well as the Apalachicola River drainage in Florida. Fringed Campion inhabits mature hardwood forests with low-acid soils on moist slopes and stream terraces. Gopher Tortoise: This species requires well-drained, sandy soil for burrowing, abundant sunlight availability, and rich herbaceous vegetation for foraging. It is a characteristic species of the disappearing longleaf pine and wiregrass community, which includes sandhills, dry flatwoods, and turkey oak scrub. Very little of this community remains, so many individuals have been forced to utilize artificial habitats such as roadsides or old fields that retain the three main habitat requirements. In Georgia, extant and historical populations are generally known throughout the state below the fall line. Avoiding direct impacts to Gopher Tortoise, including burying burrows and fragmenting colonies, and the use of upland culverts as wildlife passages to reconnect colonies where colonies are already fragmented by existing roadways can help minimize risk of harm to this species. Eastern Indigo Snake: This species is often associated with Gopher Tortoise burrows during the winter months, but it is wide- ranging during the rest of the year. When not wintering in Gopher Tortoise burrows, the Eastern Indigo Snake can be found in a variety of habitats, including bottomland forests along creeks and rivers, sandhills, pine woods, and along agricultural fields. Eastern indigo snakes primarily utilize wetland habitats for foraging. Seasonally appropriate surveys may be helpful to identify any Gopher Tortoise burrows within or near the project area for possible use by the Eastern Indigo Snake and assess the possible presence of these species. Priority Soils for Gopher Tortoise and Eastern Indigo Snake: This watershed contains highest priority soils identified from GIS analysis as habitat for candidate species Gopher Tortoise and threatened Eastern Indigo Snake. This dataset was developed to identify high priority habitat for both species. Specifically, higher priority rankings generally indicate known occupied habitat, with some areas containing both species and/or known "minimum viable populations" of Gopher Tortoise. Please note that for projects located outside of the range of Eastern Indigo Snake, potential impacts to this species do not need to be considered. Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake: This is an upland at-risk snake species that has been petitioned for federal protection. Where possible, the Service recommends avoiding and minimizing impacts to sandhills and providing educational materials to construction personnel instructing that these snakes should not be harmed or molested. Updated: 2/9/2021 0313000408 Chattahoochee River-Lake Seminole 3 Georgia Ecological Services U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 2/9/2021 HUC 10 Watershed Report HUCAlligator 10 WatershedSnapping Turtle: : The Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys spp.) was recently split into three distinct species. In this watershed, the species is Macrochelys apalachicolae. The Alligator Snapping Turtle is found in large streams and small to large rivers. Adults are largely sedentary where they will sit on stream bottoms near rock outcrops, ledges, undercut banks, and around large woody debris. This type of habitat could be found within the project action area. Temporary structures such as work bridges, bulkheads, and cofferdams may affect this species. Special Provisions and consideration of enhanced erosion control Best Management