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008 <br /> furthermore , is mitigated by the heavy amount of recreational use the reservoir receives , and <br /> even more by the US 501 highway corridor that cuts across the valley less than a quarter mile <br /> from the Emouth of the gorge . <br /> Downstream from US 501 , the main portion of the Little River Reservoir takes up most <br /> of the stream valley and acts as a major barrier to the movements of aquatic species . On the <br /> other hand , the buffer lands around the lake provide the only significant block of protected <br /> upland habitat that exists in the entire upstream reach of the Little River . Downstream from the <br /> reservoir , the corridor passes through a short section (about one river mile) of Treyburn <br /> Development , whose large residential and industrial complexes will eventually occupy most of <br /> the terrain between the Little River Reservoirs and the Triassic Basin lowlands that are protected <br /> as part of the Falls of the Neuse Gamelands16 . <br /> For the moment , the presence of otter , beaver , and red -bellied watersnakes within the <br /> Little River Gorge -- all of which have moved up the Little River from the Eno Valley -- <br /> indicates that this corridor can still be negotiated by at least semi- aquatic species . If <br /> conservation easements , landowner covenants , open-space set-asides , * and other conservation <br /> tools can be employed to protect buffer strips along the entire river , it is probably not too late <br /> to preserve the corridor function for still other species of wildlife , particularly species associated <br /> with riparian habitats . Protection of stream buffers is also critical for the preservation of the <br /> L nue <br /> Little River Aquatic Habitat . Ensuring the continued survival in this area of the its diverse <br /> community of terrestrial species , however , will probably require the protection of at least one <br /> large area of upland habitat , located in either Durham or Orange Counties . <br /> 16 The gamelands that surround the lower reach of the Little River, although logically a part of the Little <br /> River Corridor , are treated in this report along with the lower portion of the Eno — see Lower <br /> Eno/Lower Little River Bottomlands . <br /> 212 <br />