TAR HEEL — The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission has reopened the Tar Heel boating access area located at 1000 Wildlife Landing Drive in Tar Heel.

The Tar Heel boating access area provides access to the Cape Fear River. The access area features a 15-foot-wide concrete boat ramp. It also features a gravel parking lot, which includes 21 spaces for vehicles and trailers and six spaces for single cars, including two ADA-compliant spaces. A new floating dock will be installed later this year.

“That area of the Cape Fear River gives anglers some great fishing opportunities,” said Michael Fisk, the Commission’s Piedmont fisheries research coordinator. “Boaters can expect to catch a wide variety of species such as sunfish, striped bass, bluegill, largemouth bass and catfish.”

The project was funded with motorboat registration receipts and Sport Fish Restoration Program funds. The gravel parking lot material was donated by the N.C. Department of Transportation.

For more information on boating in North Carolina, including the locations of more than 200 free, publicly accessible boating access areas, visit the Commission’s online locater map. For more information on fishing in North Carolina, including where to fish, visit the fishing page on www.ncwildlife.org.

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Public forum

set for BCC

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The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission and the N.C. Alligator Task Force will hold a public forum on June 13 to present a draft of the N.C. Alligator Management Plan and receive public input on the plan.

The forum, which will begin at 7 p.m., will be held atBladen Community College in Dublin. An online comment form is available for those who cannot attend a public forum but would like to offer input.

The draft Alligator Management Plan was developed by the N.C. Alligator Task Force, which was established by resolution by the Commission in 2016. The draft plan provides biological information on alligators in North Carolina, identifies knowledge gaps and additional research needed on alligators, identifies areas where alligators may be overpopulated, and recommends biological and social strategies to address alligator management issues.

Download the Alligator Management Plan. Each sentence of the plan is numbered to make commenting on specific portions of the plan easier. Reviewers can refer to the line number when providing comments. Comments on the plan will be accepted until June 25.

Along with the online comment form, interested people can offer input by mailing or emailing their comments to: Allen Boynton, Wildlife Diversity Program Coordinator, at allen.boynton@ncwildlife.org or 1722 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, N.C. 27699-1700.

Better accees providedto the Cape Fear River

Staff report