USFWS to authorize incidental taking of RCWs. The 2014 DCR Comprehensive
Range Plan states that the 4th OSS and CEA will work to establish RCW
clusters along the range boundaries and away from the impact areas.
Previously listed as endangered until 1987, the American alligator
experienced a full recovery and is now protected under the Endangered
Species Act (ESA) due to its resemblance to the endangered American
crocodile and other protected species of crocodiles. As a result of its current
classification as “threatened due to similarity of appearance,” the American
alligator is regulated for harvest and trade to prevent the illegal taking and
trafficking of endangered look‐alike reptiles. As stated in 2008 DCR INRMP,
impacts to the [American] alligator are not expected and the Air Force does
not foresee any consultation requirements during implementation of the
INRMP.
After populations of the American black bear fell in the 1970s, 28 sanctuaries
were established by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission, including
Alligator River NWR and the DCR. Currently, the refuge has one of the largest
concentrations of black bear in the southeastern US. After an increase in
appearances of black bears, bear hunting was reintroduced in the 1990s. In
2005, the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech)
completed a study of the black bear population at Alligator River, estimating
the population to be between 180 and 293, which is considered a normal
population for a range of this size and conditions. Until March 11, 2016, the
American Black bear was classified as “threatened due