RALEIGH, N.C. (Sept. 23, 2016) — The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission and the N.C. Alligator Task Force are holding three public forums in early November to receive public input on management of American alligators in North Carolina.

Task force members will consider this input as they develop an alligator management plan. Commission staff will not present any proposals for changes in regulations governing alligator hunting.

Forums will run from 7 to 9 p.m. Dates and locations are:

• Tuesday, Nov. 1
  Leland Town Hall, Council Chambers
  102 Town Hall Drive, Leland
• Wednesday, Nov. 2
  Swansboro Parks and Recreation, Multi-Purpose Room
  830 Main Street Ext., Swansboro
• Thursday, Nov. 3
  Dare County Center, Multi-purpose Room
  950 Marshall Collins Drive, Manteo

Gordon Myers, the Commission’s executive director, appointed the 15-member North Carolina Alligator Task Force and charged it with writing an alligator management plan for the state. Task force members include private citizens, including landowners and homeowners, Commission staff, and scientists. The charge to the task force is to develop a plan that includes:

• Evaluation of all available biological information on alligators in North Carolina,
• Identification of knowledge gaps and additional research needed on alligator population demography, historical changes in alligator habitats, and public attitudes and opinions on alligator conservation,
• Identification of areas where alligators may be over-populated and recommend biological and social strategies to address alligator management issues in these areas,
• Recommendations of geographical management zones,
• Recommendations for metrics to establish the number of permits per year that could be issued for opportunities to harvest alligators by hunting where sustainable and consistent with local alligator population, habitat, and social conditions, and
• Recommendations on a framework for gathering public input on the North Carolina Alligator Management Plan.

Those who cannot attend a forum but would like to offer input can submit their comments to Allen Boynton, Wildlife Diversity Program coordinator, at allen.boynton@ncwildlife.org.

For more information on alligators in North Carolina, visit www.ncwildlife.org/conserving, or download an American Alligator wildlife profile.