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Wildlife
The Tapoco reservoirs are essential habitat for hundreds of species of mammals, birds, fish and plants, including some rare plant and animal specials such as the peregrine falcon, bald eagle, river otter, Indiana bat, Appalachian elktoe, and Virginia spiraea.
Wildlife
Tapoco lands and waters provide habitat for many terrestrial wildlife species. In total, the Project Boundary includes over 2,000 acres of land, mainly found in narrow strips along the margins of the reservoirs. Hundreds of species of terrestrial mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and birds have been observed or recorded at the Project. Beaver, muskrat, otter, raccoon, turtles, hummingbirds, butterflies and numerous other bird mammal, reptile and amphibian species have been found.
Fisheries
Santeetlah Reservoir supports a warm-water fishery managed by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC). Fish species that are actively managed in Santeetlah Reservoir include walleye, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, white and black crappie, bluegill, and redbreast sunfish. Santeetlah Reservoir is operated in a manner designed to provide protection and enhancement for aquatic species and habitat in addition to a number of other resources. Downstream of Santeetlah, the Cheoah River supports a cool-water fishery that is managed by the NCWRC primarily for smallmouth bass and rock bass.
Cheoah Reservoir supports a cold-water fishery that is actively managed by the NCWRC. The fishery of Cheoah Reservoir is described as a put-take stocked trout fishery. Dominant fish species in Cheoah Reservoir include white suckers, rock bass, river chub, rainbow trout, and smallmouth bass. Like the Cheoah Reservoir, Calderwood Reservoir supports a cold-water fishery managed jointly by the NCWRC and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA). The NCWRC manages Calderwood similar to Cheoah and stocks the reservoir with brook trout, rainbow trout, and brown trout. The dominant species found in Calderwood Reservoir are white suckers, rock bass, warpaint shiner, mottled sculpin, and river chub.
The upper portion of Chilhowee Reservoir supports a cold- to cool-water fishery while the lower portion supports more of a cool-water fishery. Rock bass, bluegill, and smallmouth bass are the dominant species collected in the reservoir.
To help protect and enhance the fisheries and aquatic habitat at the Project, and in accordance with the Project license and RSA, Tapoco has implemented a Fish Passage Translocation Plan, a Chilhowee Tailwater Fish Monitoring Plan, and a Gravel Enhancement Plan for the Bypassed Reach of the Cheoah River.
Botanicals
Plant communities above full pond within a 200-foot band of the reservoirs and a 100-foot band of the Cheoah River consist of hardwood forest (cold deciduous forest), softwood forest (needle-leaved temperate or sub-polar forest), mixed forest (mixed needle-leaved evergreen forest/mixed needle-leaved evergreen woodland), and fields (grasslands). Wetland types occurring above and below full pond are composed of emergent, shrub-scrub, and forested wetlands.
Rare, Threatened, and Endangered Species
An inventory of all species of plants or animals considered rare, threatened, or endangered (RTE) at the state or federal level on Project lands and waters located 23 RTE species. Among the 23 RTE species, 12 were animal species (3 birds, 3 salamanders, 3 mammals, 2 fish, and 1 lizard) and 11 were plant species (5 herbaceous flowering species, 2 trees, 2 ferns, 1 moss, and 1 hornwort). All of the RTE species receive formal protection under state or federal statutes.
Habitat
There are five general types of priority habitat at the Tapoco project: scrub-shrub, emergent wetland, forested wetland with emergent fringe, forested wetland with unvegetated stream bottom, and unvegetated flat. The priority habitats potentially provide habitat to 80 species of amphibians and reptiles (4 of special concern), numerous bird species (none are listed or of special concern), 54 mammal species (23 are listed, or have potential for listing, or are of special concern), and 79 species of butterflies (12 are of special concern).
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