APGI established the North Carolina Resource Management and Enhancement Fund (NC Fund) in 2005. APGI makes annual monetary contributions to the NC Fund, which are then used by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), US Forest Service (USFS), Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources (NCDENR), and NC Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) (collectively, the NC Fund Board).
The current members of the NC Fund Board are:
- Chris Goudreau, NCWRC
- Mark Cantrell, USFWS
- Jason Farmer, USFS
- Michael Bolt, EBCI
- Jim Mead, NCDENR (Chairman)
The NC Fund supports monitoring and natural resource stewardship activities such as the recovery of threatened and endangered species, habitat enhancement, and vegetation management in the Cheoah River and Little Tennessee River basins.
The NC Fund Board meets annually to make funding decisions. The NC Fund Board is currently funding the following projects:
- Population genetics of the Appalachian elktoe mussel
- Restoration ecology of fishes in regulated rivers
- Virginia spiraea monitoring and management
- Captive culture and reintroduction of priority fishes and mussels
- Yellow Creek invasives eradication
- Propagation and reintroduction of the Wounded darter
