Public comments on the proposed federal listing of Carolina madtom and Neuse waterdog closes on July 22. There are only five comments submitted so far, two of which are nonsensical. Here's the direct link to comment online: https://www.regulati...8-0092-0001&p=1
In case that fails, go to the Federal eRulemaking Portal: regulations.gov. In the Search box, enter FWS–R4–ES–2018–0092, which is the docket number for this rulemaking. Then, in the Search panel on the left side of the screen, under the Document Type heading, click on the Proposed Rules link to locate this document. You may submit a comment by clicking on “Comment Now!”
Gerald's comments: I am an environmental consulting biologist in the Raleigh area, and I support the proposed ESA listing of the Carolina madtom and Neuse River waterdog. Both of these species have declined precipitously in the Neuse River basin over the past 30 years. While the Tar River basin populations have generally fared better, due to fewer dams and less dense urban development, urban growth projections for central and eastern NC are high, and stream habitats that have remained relatively unscathed so far will be subjected to increasing stressors as urban sprawl spreads into the Tar River basin. As these two rare animals occur principally in large streams, basin-wide protection strategies are required to ensured their survival. A localized "preserve" approach, as used for plants and headwater creek species, will not be sufficient to save these unique animals. Thank you for considering my comments.
photo by Scott Smith, www.ncfishes.com
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