Congressional Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Sheet

Station Facts:

•  Established: 1977 FY 1998.
•  Budget:  $1.7 Million.
•  Staff:  15.

Fish and Wildlife Service Mission:
Provide Federal leadership for the conservation, protection, and enhancement of fish and wildlife and their habitats for the continuing benefit of people. Migratory birds, endangered species, interjurisdictional fisheries, and certain marine mammals are the Service's primary responsibility.

Station Goals:

• Implement listing, recovery, and permit activities for 147 federally listed endangered and threatened species and 427 species of concern in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Kentucky and the ecosystems they depend upon.
• Coordinate habitat restoration activities in priority streams and wetlands that support a high diversity of trust resources.
• Coordinate the red wolf recovery program.
• Coordinate the recovery of fish and aquatic mollusk species in the Ohio River drainage in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia.
• Reduce impacts to fish and wildlife and their habitat in western North Carolina from federally funded or authorized projects.
• Conduct education and outreach activities in support of fish and wildlife conservation.

Services Provided To:

• Private citizens.
• Federal and State agencies seeking approval on federally funded activities that may impact federally listed species, wetlands, migratory birds and other trust resources.
• Federal, State agencies and Tribal governments seeking funding for federally endangered and threatened species, and species of concern listing and recovery activities.
• Local governments, community groups, and schools.
• Other Fish and Wildlife Service offices.

Activity Highlights:

• Coordinate grant-in-aid programs with State agencies in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Kentucky to assist with endangered species recovery projects.
• Represent endangered and threatened species interests in nine ecosystems from the Mississippi River to the Atlantic Ocean.
• Initiate and fund, with partners, innovative research that assists the recovery of federally endangered and threatened mussel and fish species.
• Coordinate the restoration of globally endangered plants to their native habitats.
• Coordinate the red wolf captive-breeding program with 33 zoos and nature centers throughout the Nation.
• Coordinate endangered bat recovery efforts in the Southeast, and assist other agencies with bat recovery projects nationwide.
• Review over 300 federally funded, licensed, or permitted projects annually for impacts to fish and wildlife resources in western North Carolina.
• Coordinate education and outreach programs for trust resources with partners and other Service offices.

Questions and Answers:
Why spend the time and money on endangered species when extinction is a normal process?

Extinction is a normal process, but the current extinction rate far exceeds the natural rate. We have the ability to alter the environment, air, water, and land so rapidly that species do not have time to adapt. More than 500 North American species have become extinct in the last 400 years. Scientists estimate the natural extinction rate to be one species lost every 100 years worldwide. As a nation through the Endangered Species Act we have committed to protect species and still allow development.

Why is the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service introducing the red wolf?

The red wolf is being reintroduced to prevent its extinction and to restore the ecosystems in which red wolves once occurred. Predators maintain the balance and health of ecosystems by controlling overpopulations of prey species and removing unhealthy animals. To be successful, public support is essential to red wolf recovery.

The majority of residents in the red wolf reintroduction area of eastern North Carolina support red wolf reintroduction and show a willingness to contribute financially to the recovery program. Private landowners are allowing red wolves on their property, adding almost 200,000 acres of available land to the project.

Are red wolves hybrids of coyotes and gray wolves?

Most scientific evidence indicates that the red wolf is not a hybrid but a unique species. However, the red wolf, coyote, gray wolf, and even the domestic dog are all capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. It is believed that limited interbreeding between wolves (gray and red) and coyotes on the fringes of wolf populations is a natural occurrence that does not affect the integrity of either species.

Why is it important to protect and conserve species like freshwater mussels and nongame fish?

Every living thing has value. These species affect us in direct and indirect ways. As these creatures disappear, they are warning us of landscape-level ecological problems the deterioration of the quality of water and riparian habitat.  Endangered and threatened species are early warning signs of environmental problems that we can learn from and correct for the betterment of the species and ourselves.

Does the Endangered Species Act stop development and take private land?

The Asheville Field Office reviews approximately 300 projects each year, none of which have been stopped.  However, recommendations have been made on some projects to minimize impacts to federally listed species and wetlands. No taking of private land has occurred in the history of the office.

The Endangered Species Act provides flexible tools so that solutions can be found to allow projects to proceed and the species or wetland in question to be protected.  The Asheville Field Office works closely with the State of North Carolina's Natural Resource Agencies, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and North Carolina Department Of Transportation to develop equitable solutions.

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