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Learn what the Endangered Species Act does and doesn't do in these situations. 

Serving western North Carolina and southern Appalachia by conserving our most imperiled species and working with federal agencies to conserve plants, fish, and wildlife.

Latest News

Rolling mountains with conifer trees and a partly cloudy sky
2024 - Weekly Highlights from the Asheville Field Office, Asheville, North Carolina
2024 highlights from the Asheville Ecological Services Office
Man kneeling down, using loppers to cut small stems
Land Management
Snapshot: Biologists Assess Hurricane's Impacts to Wetlands
Fish and Wildlife Service biologists visit Western North Carolina Wetlands Post-Hurricane Helene
Two people using chainsaws to cut up a tree
Snapshot: Biologists Descend on North Carolina Wetland to Counter Invasive Tree
Fish and Wildlife Service biologists address an infestation of invasive European alder at a Western North Carolina wetland.
Woman at a microscope set up at at pickup truck
Endangered Species Act
Snapshot: Biologists Begin Assessing Area Streams Post-Hurricane Helene
Post-Hurricane Helene, Fish and Wildlife Service biologists begin the long process of assessing area streams and strategizing wildlife recovery.
Woman sitting on the forest floor examining something in a small tray she is holding
Endangered Species Act
Snapshot: Rare Spider Monitoring Season Comes to a Close in the Smoky Mountains Backcountry
Biologists conclude the 2024 spruce-fir moss spider monitoring season with a trip into the Smoky Mountain backcountry
Two butterflies on purple flowers with a building in the background
Snapshot: College Students Begin Semester-Long Service With Day at Asheville Pollinator Garden
Students from Warren Wilson College are spending fall semester helping the pollinator conservation efforts of the Fish and Wildlife Service's Asheville Field Office.
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About Us

Biologist in a field looking through binoculars
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From the top of North Carolina's Mount Mitchell, the highest peak in the eastern United States, one can see where streams flow east to the Atlantic Ocean and west to the Mississippi River. Across that landscape are caves and abandoned mines used by bats, wetlands that are home to carnivorous plants and North America's smallest turtle, and rivers rich in a diversity of fishes, mussels, and other aquatic life. We are stewards of those plants and animals, working with partners to conserve the most imperiled of those plants and animals and helping other federal agencies conserve our natural heritage.

What We Do

Biologist standing in a forest using a weedeater
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The conservation of our nation’s most imperiled species is at the heart of our office’s work. It drives what we do, from reviewing federally funded or authorized projects, to proactively working recover rare species. All of our work is done in conjunction with partners, including state wildlife agencies, tribes, other federal agencies, private industry, colleges and universities, and non-profit organizations.

Our Organization

As a field office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, we are charged with implementing certain of the Service's programs. Below you'll find a list, with links to more information about the programs we carryout for western North Carolina and southern Appalachia.

A rocky shoreline of a river. The water is calm. Mist and green branches line the river.
The Ecological Services Program works to restore and protect healthy populations of fish, wildlife, and plants and the environments upon which they depend. Using the best available science, we work with federal, state, Tribal, local, and non-profit stakeholders, as well as private land owners, to...
Program
Baileys Crossroads,VA
Close up of a California condor. Its pink featherless head contrasts with its black feathers.
We provide national leadership in the recovery and conservation of our nation's imperiled plant and animal species, working with experts in the scientific community to identify species on the verge of extinction and to build the road to recovery to bring them back. We work with a range of public...
Program
Baileys Crossroads,VA
A duck flies over a tundra pond.
We use the best scientific information available to determine whether to add a species to (list) or remove from (delist) the federal lists of endangered and threatened wildlife and plants. We also determine whether already listed species should be reclassified from threatened to endangered (uplist...
Program
Baileys Crossroads,VA
Condor soars over mountain ridge.
We work with partners to conserve the ecosystems upon which endangered species and threatened species depend, developing and maintaining conservation programs for these species to improve their status to the point that Endangered Species Act protection is no longer necessary for survival. This...
Program
Baileys Crossroads,VA
Butterfly with orange, brown, and white wings perched perched on a flower head gathering nectar with another butterfly on the backside of the flower head.
We assess the conservation status of species, using the best scientific information available, and identify those that warrant listing as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act. A species that we find warrants a proposal to list as endangered or threatened, but listing is...
Program
Baileys Crossroads,VA
Partners for Fish and Wildlife: Nevada Coordinator Susan Abele Meets with Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe Member to Conduct a Site Visit at Pyramid Lake Indian Reservation
The Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program provides free technical and financial assistance to landowners, managers, tribes, corporations, schools and nonprofits interested in improving wildlife habitat on their land. Since 1987, we have helped more than 30,000 landowners to complete more than 50,...
Program

Our Species

A young bog turtle is held in one hand while the other hand is holding calipers being used to measure the turtle's shell
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Our staff are experts on several federal threatened and endangered species of the upper North Carolina Piedmont and southern Appalachia. Learn more about the species that are the focus of our conservation efforts.

Projects and Research

Biologist standing in a river using a rope to help anchor a net spanning the river
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Working with partners to conserve plants and animals from the top of the highest mountains in the eastern United States to mountain rivers rich with life is the core of what we do. Learn more about some of our efforts.

Get Involved

Three groups of people standing in a river, each group with a net
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As a small office with a large work area, partnering with others is a foundation of our work - whether it be funding research, coordinating on-the-ground conservation efforts, or shepherding the next generation of conservation leaders. There may be opportunities for you to get involved conserving some of the rarest species and special habitats of southern Appalachia, either with us, or with one of our myriad partners. 

Location and Contact Information