The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission’s aquatic plant nursery produced over 5,500 plants this year! These plants were used to enhance aquatic habitat in eight waterbodies throughout the state. Plant inventory at the nursery has already been replenished and is ready for 2025. There are also plans to increase the nursery’s capacity in Spring 2025 thanks in part to a generous grant from AFTCO.
This year the NC Wildlife Resources Commission’s Piedmont Region staff established more native aquatic vegetation at Lake Gaston, Shearon Harris Lake, Tuckertown Reservoir, Oak Hollow Reservoir, Hyco Lake, and Graham-Mebane Lake. Overall, 1.6 acres of vegetation was established in 2024. These projects take a lot of work and could not be accomplished without the partners & volunteers who donated over 530 hours during 2024. Staff installed artificial fish attractors and cut and cabled five shoreline trees at Graham-Mebane Lake in Alamance County. The map of all WRC fish attractors can be found here: https://www.ncpaws.org/ncwrcmaps/FishAttractors
Lake Gaston:
The revegetation project on Lake Gaston has been very successful. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began the project in 2005. The Wildlife Resources Commission took a leadership role in 2014, expanding the effort to fourteen sites throughout the lake. In 2022, the NCWRC, Lake Gaston Weed Control Council, Lake Gaston Association, NC State University, VA DWR, NC B.A.S.S. Conservation, and VA B.A.S.S. Conservation developed a five-year Operational Habitat Plan that will be used through 2027. Vegetation has expanded outside of the planted areas at more than 10 sites, with some vegetation spreading more than 100 yards away! For the last two years, volunteers have been removing fenced exclosures which will make them easier for the fish to get into and, of course, easier for anglers to cast into. This is the goal for all the projects, and WRC is happy to report that Gaston is reaching this crucial milestone!
Shearon Harris:
This was the seventh Summer of the NC Wildlife Resources Commission’s aquatic habitat enhancement project on Shearon Harris Lake. Plant growth is slow but remains on a steady annual increase. There are good sites of Water Willow and Spatterdock in shallow areas of the lake. A few sites have Coontail growth which is promising for future submerged aquatic vegetation. Harris also has almost 800 fish attractors, the most of any lake within the state of NC.
For more information on North Carolina’s native aquatic habitat enhancement projects click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsvJw4K1Nec, or, contact Mark Fowlkes: Mark.Fowlkes@ncwildlife.org.
