Public Meetings Planned On Red Wolf Recovery Efforts

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will hold two meetings in eastern North Carolina this week to discuss the future management of the red wolf recovery effort.  Residents who live in the red wolf recovery area, which includes Washington, Tyrrell, Dare, Hyde and Beaufort counties, are encouraged to weigh in on an environmental assessment focusing on potential changes to the management of red wolves under the National Environmental Policy Act. The Service is seeking comments and suggestions specifically on the appropriate size and scope of the non-essential, experimental population area, tools for population management, and strategies to address hybridization with coyotes.  A public meeting takes place Tuesday at Mattamuskeet High School in Swan Quarter at 6:30 pm.  Another is planned Thursday at 6:30 pm at the Coastal North Carolina National Wildlife Refuges Visitors Center in Manteo.  Comments can also be submitted online at www.regulations.gov through July 24, 2017.