MOTSU

​In accordance with the ESA and Sikes Act, MOTSU works to assist in the recovery efforts of all listed federally protected species and their habitats that are currently under the Army’s land management authority. This includes the management and monitoring of rare, threatened, and endangered species. The most important federally listed species occurring on and managed at MOTSU include the red-cockaded woodpecker (RCW) (shown right) and rough-leaved loosestrife (RLL). Red-cockaded woodpeckers (Dryobates borealis) are an endangered, non-migratory bird species that is currently located in the remaining fragments of suitable pine forests in the southeastern U.S. Other protected species include the piping plover, seabeach amaranth, northern long-eared bat, West Indian manatee, American alligator, Atlantic and shortnose sturgeon, and four species of marine turtles (green, loggerhead, leatherback, and Kemp’s Ridley). MOTSU and the surrounding area is also home to a diverse community of non-threatened mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, and amphibians.

​The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) jointly define wetlands as those areas that are inundated or saturated by surface or ground water at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, and that under normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions (Federal Register 1980 and 1982).

MOTSU’s procedures to protect and improve the water quality in existing surface waters and wetlands extends to the streams, creeks, estuaries, and navigable waterways located on and adjacent to the installation, which feed into the Cape Fear Basin. MOTSU uses a watershed management approach to protect water quality and conserve aquatic resources. Regular monitoring programs are used to identify potential erosion problems and any associated sedimentation impacts to wetlands and streams.

​The per-and polyfluoroalkl substances (PFAS) are a group of chemicals used to make fluoropolymer coatings and products that resist heat, oil, stains, grease, and water. Fluoropolymer coatings can be in a variety of products. These include clothing, furniture, adhesives, food packaging, heat-resistant non-stick cooking surfaces, and the insulation of electrical wire. Many PFAS, including perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), are a concern because they:

• do not break down in the environment,
• can move through soil and contaminate drinking water sources,
• build up (bioaccumulate) in fish and wildlife.

PFAS are found in rivers and lakes and in many types of animals on land and in the water. PFAS persist in the environment and exposure in people can occur by consuming PFAS-contaminated water or food. Exposure may happen by using products that contain PFAS.