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North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission <br />Ingram Cameron, Executive Director <br />Mailing Address: Habitat Conservation • 1721 Mail Service Center • Raleigh, NC 27699-1721 <br />Telephone: (919) 707-0220 • Fax: (919) 707-0028 <br />MEMORANDUM <br />TO: Lyn Biles, Environmental Assistance and SEPA Coordinator <br />NCDENR Division of Environmental Assistance and Customer Services <br />FROM: Olivia Munzer, Western Piedmont Coordinator <br />Habitat Conservation <br />DATE: 09 October 2023 <br />SUBJECT: Environmental Assessment for the Lawrence Road Recreational Facilities Development <br />in Orange County, North Carolina. DEQ No. 24-0077. <br />Biologists with the North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission (NCWRC) have reviewed the subject <br />document. Comments are provided in accordance with provisions of the Fish and Wildlife Coordination <br />Act (48 Stat. 401, as amended; 16 U.S.C. 661-667e) and North Carolina General Statutes (G.S. 113-131 <br />et seq.). <br />On behalf of Lawrence Road Partners, LLC, Summit Design and Engineering Services has prepared a <br />Special Use Permit Application for the Lawrence Road Recreational Facilities Development located east <br />of Lawrence Road and U.S. Highway 70A in Orange County, North Carolina. The proposed project <br />includes subdividing the current parcel into three lots for an athletic club, and baseball and softball fields. <br />Unnamed tributaries to the Eno River and Stony Creek in the Neuse River Basin flow through the site. <br />We have no known records for rare, threatened, or endangered species at or adjacent to the site. However, <br />we have known records for the state endangered and federal proposed endangered tricolored bat <br />(Perimyotis subflavus) in Orange County and potentially suitable habitat may occur on the site. We <br />recommend contacting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to ensure that any issues related to this species <br />are addressed. <br />Based on the information provided, the NCWRC has no major concerns with regards to the project. <br />However, we offer the following recommendations to further minimize impacts to aquatic and terrestrial <br />wildlife resources: <br />1. We recommend not clearing the entire site, but rather maintaining the maximum amount of native <br />vegetation as possible. <br />2. We recommend minimize clearing of living, dying, or dead mature trees, particularly if they are <br />hardwoods, and avoid tree clearing activities during the activity period for tricolored bats (April 1 <br />–November 14). <br />Material Submitted Into Evidence During 10-18-2023 Evidentiary Hearing