Congressional Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Sheet

Department of the Interior - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

contacting the Office:

Pete_Benjamin@fws.gov
 

Who to Contact:

Pete Benjamin  (Ecological Services Supervisor)(ext. 11)

Station Facts :

• Established: 1955
• FY 1998 Budget: $1.3 million
• Staff:13

Station Goals:

• Conserve, protect, and enhance Federal trust resources and their habitats including National Wildlife Refuges wetlands, endangered species, migratory birds, and interjurisdictional fishes;
• Implement recovery and Section 7 consultation activities for 45 federally listed endangered and threatened species in North Carolina;
• Restore wetlands and other rare or diminishing habitats on private and public lands; and.
• Investigate, prevent, and remediate effects of environmental pollution to maximize quality habitat for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service trust resources.

Services Provided To:

• Private citizens;
• Federal and State agency clientele seeking federal or State approvals;
• Local governments and community groups; and
• Other U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service entities.

Activity Highlights:

• Annually reviews over 3,000 federally funded, licensed, or permitted projects for impacts on fish and wildlife resources;
• Assists military bases such as Fort Bragg and Camp Lejeune with the conservation of threatened and endangered species (the red cockaded woodpecker and others) while maintaining their mission of national security;
• Accomplishes habitat enhancement and restoration on private lands (over 3,600 acres at 74 sites between 1988-1997) through programs such as Partners for Fish and Wildlife;

• Through the Environmental Contaminants Program:

-Assists in the recovery of the endangered Cape Fear Shiner (a freshwater fish) and the Carolina heelsplitter (a freshwater mussel) by assessing their sensitivity to pollution and the quality of their habitats;

-Investigates the health of, and pollution impacts to brown pelicans, common loons, ospreys and royal tems in coastal North Carolina;

-Fosters wise management of water resources in the lower Roanoke River through assessment of water quality and the causes of recurrent fish kills;

• Through the Services Coastal Program:

-Increases anadromous fish stocks through the restoration of spawning habitat (as with the removal of Quaker Neck Dam on the Neuse River and the installation of fish passage devises on the Lower Cape Fear River and at Lake Mattamuskeet);

-Restores approximately 300 acres of wetlands annually, prioritized on their ability to improve water quality in the Albemarle-Pamlico Estuary; and

-Conducts outreach efforts aimed at informing the public about vital estuarine resources and the influence of private citizens on living resources.

Frequently asked questions

1. Why does the Service oppose the construction of a Dual Jetty System at Oregon Inlet, Dare County, North Carolina?

The dual jetty system would be built upon public land within the Department of Interiors Cape Hatteras National Seashore and Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge along North Carolinas Outer Banks; a location recognized by many as a national treasure. The project area is located on very dynamic barrier islands where landscape features change in response to the forces of winds and waves. The project would seek to stabilize the inlet and thereby eliminate the ability of the area to respond to these natural forces. It would require the implementation of a massive, annual sand bypassing operation, in perpetuity, to prevent severe erosion of beaches within several miles of the inlet. The proposed jetties and associated sand management plan would have adverse impacts to fish and wildlife resources which cannot be mitigated. This massive engineering project would convert Interior lands in the vicinity of the inlet into a construction zone. Once in place, the management authority of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service would be subordinated to the operation of the jetties and sand bypassing. Annual placement of massive amounts of sand on the beach will displace nesting by the federally listed loggerhead sea turtle and piping plover. Nesting habitat on the beach and nearby dunes for other shorebirds would be rendered unsuitable. Beach invertebrates, an important wildlife food source would be seriously impacted, if not destroyed; and the highly regarded recreational surf fishing would be harmed. Blockage and diversion of sand that would normally be carried into Pamlico Sound will result in the loss and degradation of sound-side habitats, including tidal marshes, mud- and sandflats, and sea grass beds. Although the issue remains unresolved, the jetties could block the passage of larval marine fishes from migrating into essential nursery areas in Pamlico Sound. At tremendous expense to the nation and with irreversible impacts to the local environment, the Manteo Shallowbag Bay Project would attempt to "lock in place" dynamic natural processes, the effectiveness of which cannot be predicted, all the while less drastic alternatives to accomplishing project purposes remain unevaluated.

2. Why is the Service concerned with the operation of hydroelectric facilities?

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issues licenses to impound public trust waters to allow for the production of electricity. The Service works with the FERC and the power producers to minimize impacts to public fish and wildlife resources. Service concerns include management of fish and wildlife habitat within the project area including reservoir shorelines, minimum flows to protect the aquatic ecosystem downstream from dams, safe and effective fish passage around the projects for migratory fishes, and fish mortality associated with the operation of the projects.

3. What is the Coastal Barrier Resources Act (CBRA) and what is the Service involvement in the process? 

  In 1982, Congress passed the Coastal Barrier Resources Act to address problems caused by coastal barrier development. The CBRA restricted Federal expenditures and financial assistance, including Federal flood insurance, in the Coastal Barrier Resources System, a defined set of undeveloped coastal areas along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts. Congress explicitly decided what areas would be included in the system. In 1990, the CBRA was amended by the Coastal Barriers Improvement Act which broadened the definition of a coastal barrier and expanded the system. Three important goals of CBRA are to 1) minimize loss of human life by discouraging development in high-risk areas, 2) reduce wasteful expenditure of Federal resources, and 3) protect the natural resources associated with coastal barriers. Since the devastating hurricane strikes to the North Carolina coast in 1996, the Raleigh Field Office has been exceptionally active in consulting with Federal agencies, especially the Federal Emergency Management Agency, in determining appropriate expenditures of public funds for activities within the system. It is also the Services s responsibility to determine the location of private properties in relation to System boundaries. Currently the Service is working with Dare County, the State, and private surveyors to clarify system boundaries and to make this information available to widest public possible.
 

4. Is the management of endangered species on military bases impacting our national security?

The Department of Defense (DOD) actively manages its lands for fish and wildlife including endangered species. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service actively participates with DOD through the Endangered Species Act, Section 7 consultation process, in developing endangered species management plans that provide assurances for the continued existence of the species while at the same time allow for the primary mission of national security readiness. This collaborative process has been particularly successful at Fort Bragg, where DOD is effectively managing one of the nations densest populations of red cockaded woodpeckers while conducting intensive training maneuvers.
 
 

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