Tag: Asheville Ecological Services Field Office
The content below has been tagged with the term “Asheville Ecological Services Field Office.”
Podcasts
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A tri-color bat in the Avery County with white-nose syndrome. Photo by Gabrielle Graeter, NCWRC.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park closure for bats
September 28, 2015 | 2 minute read
Transcript Greetings and welcome to the Southern Appalachian Creature Feature Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials announced the closure of the Whiteoak Sink area effective now through March 31, 2016 to limit human disturbance to bat hibernation sites and help hikers avoid interactions with bats. Park biologists have reported dramatic declines of cave-dwelling bat populations throughout the park, thought to be due to white-nose syndrome. Infected bats are marked by a white fungal growth on their noses, wings, and tail membrane. Learn more...
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Emerald ashe borer. Photo by USDA.
Emerald ash borer control
September 21, 2015 | 2 minute read
Transcript Greetings and welcome to the Southern Appalachian Creature Feature. On a recent camping trip to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, it bore remembering that the park only allows outside firewood that is certified as being heated to the point that undesirable insects hitching a ride on the wood would be killed. One of the undesirable insects that is already in the park is the emerald ash borer. This Asian insect was first detected in the United States in Michigan in 2002 and has killed tens of millions of ash trees across the U. Learn more...
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A wildlife biologist holds a rainbow trout. Photo by Mark Lisac, USFWS.
Cold water species and climate change
September 14, 2015 | 2 minute read
Transcript Greetings and welcome to the Southern Appalachian Creature Feature. New research on the effects of warming temperatures and stream acidity projects average habitat losses of around 10 percent for coldwater aquatic species in southern Appalachian national forests – including up to a 20 percent loss of habitat in the Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests. The researchers, from the Forest Service, Oregon State University, and E&S Environmental Chemistry, focused on streams draining seven national forests in the southern Appalachian region, first mapping out how much of the area’s current habitat is suitable for acid- and heat-sensitive animals such as the native eastern brook trout. Learn more...
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A wildlife biologist holds a small eastern brook trout. Photo by Steve Droter, Chesapeake Bay Program.
Whirling disease and North Carolina
September 7, 2015 | 2 minute read
Transcript Greetings and welcome to the Southern Appalachian Creature Feature. Whirling disease, a parasitic disease affecting trout and salmon, has been found in North Carolina. The disease, native to Europe, affects trout and salmon by damaging nerves and cartilage, which may result in abnormal whirling or tail-chasing behavior. Other signs are a black tail and deformities to the head or body. These abnormalities in behavior and body make the fish more susceptible to predation and make it more difficult for the fish to find food. Learn more...
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Monarch fueling up for migration. Photo by Lilibeth Serrano, USFWS.
Pollinator garden success
August 31, 2015 | 2 minute read
Transcript Greetings and welcome to the Southern Appalachian Creature Feature Staff at the Asheville-based non-profit Monarch Rescue recently reported that monarch butterfly eggs and caterpillars were found at a pollinator garden they worked with students to install at Yancey County’s Mountain Heritage High School. The high-school pollinator garden is one of 100 sties recently added to the Rosalynn Carter Butterfly Trial. The trail, established in April 2013, raises awareness of the monarch’s plight and encourages the conservation of butterflies and their habitats. Learn more...
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White fringeless orchid. Photo by USFWS.
North Carolina receives bog conservation grant
August 24, 2015 | 2 minute read
Transcript Greetings and welcome to the Southern Appalachian Creature Feature. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently announced 37.2 million dollars in grants to 20 states to support the conservation of threatened and endangered species across the nation, and a portion of that money is coming to the southern Appalachians. The North Carolina Plant Conservation Program is receiving more than $41,000 to help acquire seven Henderson County acres that are home to an endangered and a threatened plant. Learn more...
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A wildlife biologist holds a rainbow trout. Photo by Mark Lisac, USFWS.
Gill lice in North Carolina
August 17, 2015 | 2 minute read
Transcript Greetings and welcome to the Southern Appalachian Creature Feature. Fresh off of discovering whirling disease for the first time in North Carolina, fisheries biologists with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission recently confirmed gill lice on rainbow trout in three North Carolina streams. Gill lice—which are actually tiny, white crustaceans—attach to a fish’s gill, which can inhibit the fish’s ability to breathe. While most fish are able to tolerate a moderate infestation of gill lice, some fish, particularly those suffering from other stressors like drought or high water temperatures, can succumb. Learn more...
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Lynn Cove Viaduct, Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina. Photo by Matthew Paulson, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
Blue Ridge Parkway bio-blitz
August 10, 2015 | 2 minute read
Transcript Greetings and welcome to the Southern Appalachian Creature Feature. The Blue Ridge Parkway, the National Park Service unit that stretches from Great Smoky Mountains National Park, along the Blue Ridge Mountains, to Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park, is hosting a bio-blitz in mid-September. The blitz will be a 24-hour period, when experts on plants, mushrooms, birds, and other forms of life will descend on the Rock Castle Gorge area of the Parkway in southwest Virginia. Learn more...
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Oconaluftee River snorkelers. Photo by Gary Peeples, USFWS.
River snorkeling
August 3, 2015 | 2 minute read
Transcript Greetings and welcome to the Southern Appalachian Creature Feature. We’re in the heat of summer, and one thing is evident – river recreation is on the uptick this year. Why not add a new dimension to hitting the water? We think of snorkeling as a tropical, saltwater pastime, but there’s no reason we can’t bring it to freshwater, and there’s no better place than the rivers of the Southern Appalachians. Learn more...
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Outdoor Heritage Act
July 25, 2015 | 2 minute read
Transcript Greetings and welcome to the Southern Appalachian Creature Feature. North Carolina governor Pat McCrory recently signed into law the Outdoor Heritage Act. The act does a handful of things, the one that has gotten the most attention is that it allows for hunting on Sundays with the use of firearms on private property with written permission from the landowner, beginning Oct. 1, with the following provisions: Hunting on Sunday between 9:30 a. Learn more...
