AG 1999 08 30 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

SOIL &WATER CONSERVATION Cabarrus Soil and Water Conservation District 715 Cabarrus Avenue West · Concord, North Carolina 28027 Phone: (704) 792-0400 · Fax: (704) 795~6432 TO: FROM: DATE: SUBJECT: COPIES: Cabarrus County Board of Commissioners i~av' Dennis E. Testerman, Resource Conservation Specialis August 24, 1999 Support for a Wildlife Resources Commission Stream Restoration Project Matthew Kinane, Myra Neal Morrison, Tommy Porter The Board of Supervisors of the Cabarms Soil and Water Conservation District and the members of the Cabarrus County Watershed Improvement Commission request that you join them in endorsing a grant proposal being submitted by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission to the North Carolina Clean Water Management Trust Fund to restore mussels and/or snails to selected streams in the Piedmont region of the state. Rocky River in Cabarms County is in one of the targeted rivers. Both the Soil and Water Conservation District and the Watershed Improvement Commission have endorsed the following resolution: We endorse the grant proposal by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission to the North Carolina Clean Water Management Trust Fund for restoration of mussels and snails to selected Piedmont North Carolina streams. This restoration project proposal is an outgrowth of aquatic systems research conducted by the Wildlife Resources Commission. The Commission's staff recently completed a survey of aquatic resources in Cabarrus County as part of a comprehensive, systematic inventory &the natural heritage of Cabarms County. During their study, they identified otherwise healthy streams that were lacking some species of common aquatic animals. Their proposal calls for selected species of mussels and snails to be reintroduced to streams they likely once inhabited. Cabarrus County can expect to benefit from this project in a number of ways. The species to be reintroduced are important components of properly functioning aquatic ecosystems. In general, mollusks serve to process nutrients within associated habitats, and healthy populations of filter feeding mussels help reduce sediment-related turbidity, an important water quality parameter. One of the most exciting aspects of the proposed project is a plan to utilize school students in this restoration project. This dimension of this project will complement the district's conservation education program.