Feed Editor 1 Oct 2008 17:22:03 GMT News about the Asheville Field Office's efforts to conserve plants and wildlife in the Southeast, especially threatened or endangered species. http://www.fws.gov/asheville/htmls/media/recentreleases.html en White-nose syndrome, the disease that has killed hundreds of thousands of bats in the Eastern United States, has been discovered in a retired Avery County mine and in a cave at Grandfather Mountain State Park, marking the arrival of the disease in North Carolina. 9 Feb 2011 13:42:20 GMT http://www.fws.gov/asheville/htmls/media/2011pressreleases/February2011pressreleases.html U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service F126C738-B30E-49D4-9232-B1764F423B97 At first glance it appears to be merely a patch of woods and farm field beside an established Flat Rock neighborhood. However, to biologists it’s Ochlawaha bog, a degraded remnant of one of the rarest natural communities in North America, and it’s in the beginning stages of a resurgence 4 Feb 2011 18:17:55 GMT http://www.fws.gov/asheville/htmls/media/2011pressreleases/February2011pressreleases.html U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 8885F4DE-1104-4C45-BE42-8FA21EDFCA0B Stocking a river with one of the nation’s rarest fish is a slow and gentle process. On a late-June day, biologist Steve Fraley lowers a clear-plastic bag full of water and fifty small, threatened fish called spotfin chub into Graham County’s Cheoah River, keeping the bag closed while the water temperature in the bag approaches the river’s temperature. After a few minutes, he opens the bag and mixes in some river water, continuing the acclimation process. Finally he opens the bag, giving the fish free reign to enter the river. By the end of the day, 844 of the tiny fish were released. 14 Jul 2010 13:47:25 GMT http://www.fws.gov/asheville/htmls/media/2010pressreleases/July2010pressreleases.html U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service D7183A02-3F10-469A-B0FC-E9EC44427F31 The day after he arrived in Asheville, Ben Wicker, an employee of Highland Brewing Company, was invited to paddle the South Toe River by a near stranger – an event that helped solidify his love of these mountains and his fondness for the area’s people. Today, Ben is helping drive an effort by Highland Brewing to give back to the mountains that provide Highland employees with off-duty recreation, supply the water for its beer, and lend their names to the company’s seasonal brews. 8 Jun 2010 13:37:43 GMT http://www.fws.gov/asheville/htmls/media/2010pressreleases/June2010pressreleases.html U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service D761DC45-01AD-4351-8D2B-277809265D30 Western North Carolina’s Toe River Valley Watch and Blue Ridge Resource Conservation and Development Council were recently presented with a 2009 Regional Director’s Conservation Award by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service for their efforts to protect rivers and streams. 8 Jun 2010 13:36:56 GMT http://www.fws.gov/asheville/htmls/media/2010pressreleases/May2010pressreleases.html U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 428AA67E-B3B7-43E3-BE6E-764E0402067F With the recent discovery of a fungus that is associated with deadly bat disease in the Tennessee portion of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, wildlife biologists in North Carolina are keeping a watchful eye on the state’s bat populations and preparing for the possible arrival of white nose syndrome. 8 Jun 2010 13:35:56 GMT http://www.fws.gov/asheville/htmls/media/2010pressreleases/May2010pressreleases.html U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 904EA02B-9FF9-4BAE-8055-7C2E4B4AC1B3 Dillsboro Dam, built in 1927, is one of a series of Duke Energy hydropower facilities on western North Carolina’s Tuckasegee River. Federal law requires operators of private hydropower dams to address impacts to fish and wildlife. Duke Energy’s decision to remove dam is seen as a major part of that effort on the Tuckasegee River and will aid the recovery of a pair of imperiled species – the federally endangered Appalachian elktoe mussel and the sicklefin redhorse fish. 11 Feb 2010 17:20:50 GMT http://www.fws.gov/asheville/htmls/media/2010pressreleases/January2010pressreleases.html U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service EA4729DB-1180-4E2A-B657-F839774989C0 A pair of Harris’ hawks, unlawfully captured in Texas and brought to North Carolina, are being treated to a plane ride back to their south Texas home today, the culmination of nearly two months of effort that included law enforcement officers, raptor biologists, and Delta Air Lines. 21 Dec 2009 18:52:04 GMT http://www.fws.gov/asheville/htmls/media/2009pressreleases/December2009pressreleases.html U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service BC543397-902E-4E6C-9746-EFB15216FDB7 As part of the federal economic stimulus effort, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has awarded $425,000 in grants to three western North Carolina non-profits to help restore wildlife habitat on private lands. 10 Nov 2009 17:13:56 GMT http://www.fws.gov/asheville/htmls/media/November2009pressreleases.html U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 1DABD743-9010-4AB0-AF74-384493E01B77 The noise from the staccato pounding of a massive jackhammer brings nearby conversation to a stop. Bit by bit the machine, perched on the edge of the North Toe River just downstream from the town of Spruce Pine, cuts away at a decrepit dam whose removal will make the river safer for paddlers and open up miles of upstream habitat to fish and other aquatic life. 29 Jul 2009 19:34:37 GMT http://www.fws.gov/asheville/htmls/media/July2009pressreleases.html U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 23BFB702-9A8A-4043-A106-CC31FFF63248 The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is offering a series of water quality workshops for educators, August 31- September 3 on western North Carolina Rivers that are home to the endangered Appalachian elktoe mussel. 20 Jul 2009 16:36:09 GMT http://www.fws.gov/asheville/htmls/media/July2009pressreleases.html U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service E41DEB5A-C94C-449C-BC71-6C0DB0800DEE Biologists working to conserve the chucky madtom, an imperiled catfish known to exist only in East Tennessee’s Little Chucky Creek, have turned to a novel idea to help the fish – flowerpot saucers. 22 May 2009 21:19:23 GMT http://www.fws.gov/asheville/htmls/media/May2009pressreleases.html U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 239C602D-8244-4EF7-8A93-8351DAD669B1 A natural history workshop will be held for commercial outdoor guides on Thursday, April 30th, from 9:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. at the Nantahala Outdoor Center facilities on the French Broad River in Hot Springs. 7 Apr 2009 17:24:58 GMT http://www.fws.gov/asheville/htmls/media/April2009pressreleases.html U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 9408618A-33AF-40DD-B871-E72FCAF60CFC Ten years ago the peregrine falcon, the world’s fastest bird, was removed from the threatened and endangered species list and wildlife biologists look to rock climbers as a key part of the bird’s continued success in Western North Carolina. 17 Feb 2009 22:25:06 GMT http://www.fws.gov/asheville/htmls/media/February2009pressreleases.html 767577A1-5138-4DC6-8BA4-7FFEB4D3DE0A The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and radio station WNCW now offer the weekly radio commentary, The Southern Appalachian Creature Feature as a podcast, enabling listeners to subscribe to the commentary and download it to their computer, iPod or other personal listening device. 8 Dec 2008 13:43:56 GMT http://www.fws.gov/asheville/htmls/media/December2008pressreleases.html U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 7A066102-6E9C-4336-ABB4-87EC1977452B The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service recently announced it’s awarding $115,000 in grants to improve water and stream quality and help ensure fish and other aquatic life can freely move up and downstream in the Upper Nolichucky River Basin, 22 Oct 2008 18:33:38 GMT http://www.fws.gov/asheville/htmls/media/October2008pressreleases.html U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service F5DC65AC-E12B-4FD2-A2E4-BC717ADEB252 A group of Mars Hill College students are working with professor Scott Pearson to bring the power of the school’s computers to bear in an effort to help the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service protect the endangered Roan Mountain bluet. 22 Oct 2008 18:35:56 GMT http://www.fws.gov/asheville/htmls/media/October2008pressreleases.html U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service A281DC08-5429-484B-A645-71399582E276 Aquatic biologists returning to Yancey County’s pollution-plagued Cane River made a surprising discovery recently – two live Appalachian elktoe mussels upstream of the town of Burnsville’s wastewater treatment plant which has been beset with problems. 1 Oct 2008 18:16:03 GMT http://www.fws.gov/asheville/htmls/media/September2008pressreleases.html U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service FAB70C89-9BB5-4FC9-A94B-3914F5DEE891 The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is offering a series of water quality workshops for educators, August 31- September 3 on western North Carolina Rivers that are home to the endangered Appalachian elktoe mussel. 20 Jul 2009 18:18:50 GMT http://www.fws.gov/asheville/htmls/media/July2009pressreleases.html 7BA7132D-7223-44FB-ABA9-1DB15F888CD6 On the bank of the Little Tennessee River, downstream from the town of Franklin, biologists squeeze tiny yellow eggs from a fish into a plastic bag. Unlike caviar, these eggs won’t be eaten, but rather trucked to a high-tech aquatic lab in Knoxville, Tenn., to join an effort to keep a rare fish off the endangered species list. 1 Oct 2008 18:20:24 GMT http://www.fws.gov/asheville/htmls/media/June2008pressreleases.html 11D94D58-BF0D-4EF9-B433-3C61E956AC33 In late May, a team of biologists canoeing the Little Tennessee River discovered two new patches of the federally-protected Virginia spiraea plant growing on the river’s banks. 1 Oct 2008 18:21:17 GMT http://www.fws.gov/asheville/htmls/media/June2008pressreleases.html 5D381D4B-01CF-4359-AFF6-06538228BBCD The morning of May 17th saw a flotilla of 17 boats set out in the Toe River on an expedition to find the endangered Appalachian elktoe mussel. 1 Oct 2008 18:21:54 GMT http://www.fws.gov/asheville/htmls/media/May2008pressreleases.html DA613E27-7103-4BD0-BA96-D98D8A296C55 A pair of dams, one in Mitchell the other in Yancey County, are slated to be removed in an effort spearheaded by Toe River Valley Watch and Blue Ridge Resource Conservation and Development Council. 1 Oct 2008 18:22:30 GMT http://www.fws.gov/asheville/htmls/media/april2008pressreleases.html 4C7EA403-1355-4B65-8311-D416DAA4650B The endangered Indiana bat saw a 9.4% population increase between 2005 and 2007, continuing a twelve-year rise in bat numbers, though a mysterious illness in the Northeast poses a threat to this success. 1 Oct 2008 18:28:10 GMT http://www.fws.gov/asheville/htmls/media/february2008pressreleases.html 57344E39-D21B-4AF5-9007-F14A992075FF In March, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service concluded its review of the proposed widening of U.S. Highway 19 between Interstate 26 and Spruce Pine, determining that the project would not jeopardize the existence of any threatened or endangered species in the area. 1 Oct 2008 18:23:02 GMT http://www.fws.gov/asheville/htmls/media/march2008pressreleases.html 87DFA8A9-0FFE-4781-B8C8-EE53F8FDAE37