The
Fish
a d
Wildlife
Se vice
esto ed
peat
wetla ds
at
G eat
Dismal
Swamp
Natio al
Wildlife
Refuge
No th
Ca oli a’s
coastal
peatla ds
a e
bei g
esto ed
to
p otect
wetla ds,
educe
wildfi e
isks
a d
keep
ca bo
sto ed
i
the
soil.
The
wo k
is
focused
o
b i gi g
wate
back
to
a eas
that
we e
o ce
d ai ed
a d
alte ed
fo
fa mi g,
timbe
ha vesti g
a d
othe
uses.Peatla ds
a e
wetla ds
whose
soils
co tai
la ge
amou ts
of
pa tly
decayed
o ga ic
matte .
They
cove
o ly
about
3%
of
the
Ea th’s
su face
but
sto e
mo e
tha
twice
as
much
ca bo
as
all
the
wo ld’s
fo ests,
acco di g
to
The
Natu e
Co se va cy.
Whe
peat
emai s
wet,
it
ca
hold
ca bo
i
the
soil.
But
whe
it
d ies,
it
becomes
highly
flammable
a d
ca
elease
la ge
amou ts
of
ca bo
dioxide
whe
it
bu s.This
makes
wate
ma ageme t
a
key
pa t
of
co se vatio
i
coastal
No th
Ca oli a.
Natu e-based
solutio s
ca
imp ove
wildlife
habitat
while
also
helpi g
ea by
commu ities
th ough
bette
wate
quality,
ec eatio
a d
educed
isks
f om
floods
a d
othe
climate- elated
th eats.O e
majo
focus
is
the
Pocosi
Lakes
Natio al
Wildlife
Refuge
i
the
Albema le-Pamlico
Pe i sula.
The
efuge
is
o e
of
i e
atio al
wildlife
efuges
i
the
a ea,
which
suppo ts
fishi g
a d
tou ism
but
faces
th eats
f om
sea-level
ise,
sto ms,
floodi g
a d
wildfi es.
With
fu di g
f om
the
I flatio
Reductio
Act,
the
Fish
a d
Wildlife
Se vice
a d
its
pa t e s
have
esto ed
37,000
ac es
of
peatla d
at
Pocosi
Lakes.
Resto i g
wate
At
Pocosi
Lakes,
la ge
a eas
we e
o ce
c ossed
by
d ai age
ditches.
Ce tu ies
of
ditchi g
a d
d ai i g
seve ely
deg aded
peatla ds,
while
ea lie
la d
clea i g
a d
d ai age
also
affected
the
efuge.Whe
peat
is
kept
wet,
it
is
less
likely
to
suppo t
i te se
g ou d
fi es.
“Resto atio
is
focused
o
ewetti g
the
peat,
stoppi g
a tificial
d ai age
a d
esto i g
o
mimicki g
the
atu al
moveme t
of
wate
ac oss
the
efuge,”
We dy
Sta to ,
ma age
of
Pocosi
Lakes
Natio al
Wildlife
Refuge
told
Public
Radio
Fo
Easte
No th
Ca oli a.
She
said
the
esto ed
a ea
ow
cove s
mo e
tha
37,000
ac es.The
eed
fo
this
wo k
became
clea
du i g
majo
wildfi es.
I
2008,
light i g
sta ted
a
fi e
at
Pocosi
Lakes
that
bu ed
fo
th ee
mo ths
a d
dest oyed
mo e
tha
40,000
ac es
of
peat.
Mea while,
the
Alle
Road
fi e
i
1985
bu ed
th ough
about
100,000
ac es,
dest oyed
26
homes
a d
bu ed
as
deeply
as
th ee
feet
i to
the
peat.
The
fi e
lasted
eight
weeks,
while
a
estimated
1
millio
to
3.8
millio
met ic
to s
of
ca bo
we e
eleased
i to
the
ai ,
The
Coastal
Review
epo ted.
Volu tee s
collect
ative
tallg ass
p ai ie
seed
at
Neal
Smith
Natio al
Wildlife
Refuge
i
Iowa.
Wate -co t ol
st uctu es
Co se vatio
teams
a e
usi g
wate -co t ol
st uctu es
to
cha ge
how
wate
moves
th ough
these
d ai ed
la dscapes.
At
Pocosi
Lakes,
the
st uctu es
ca
hold
back
wate
i
d ai age
systems,
helpi g
to
esto e
wette
co ditio s
i
the
peat.
The
Natu e
Co se va cy
says
its
teams
mo ito
wate
levels
a d
adjust
the
st uctu es
to
bette
mimic
the
atu al
hyd ology
of
a
i tact
peatla d.A
simila
app oach
is
bei g
used
at
A gola
Bay
Game
La d.
The
Natu e
Co se va cy
a d
the
No th
Ca oli a
Wildlife
Resou ces
Commissio
a e
wo ki g
o
a
esto atio
desig
fo
7,500
ac es
of
ditched
pocosi .
Wate -co t ol
i f ast uctu e
bega
bei g
i stalled
i
2023,
with
the
p oject
also
i volvi g
pla s
to
esto e
habitat
usi g
wetla d
species
such
as
Atla tic
white
ceda ,
bald
cyp ess,
po d
cyp ess
a d
butto bush.The
st uctu es
ca
also
be
adjusted
acco di g
to
co ditio s
at
i dividual
sites.
E ic
Sode holm,
The
Natu e
Co se va cy’s
coastal
wetla ds
esto atio
lead
i
No th
Ca oli a,
says
the
app oach
allows
teams
to
cha ge
the
effective
d ai age
height
by
adjusti g
the
boa ds
i
the
st uctu es.
Teams
the
mo ito
the
esults
to
dete mi e
whethe
wate
is
bei g
held
too
high
o
too
low.This
mo ito i g
is
impo ta t
because
the
aim
is
ot
simply
to
flood
the
la d.
Resto atio
teams
wa t
to
c eate
seaso al
moistu e
levels
simila
to
those
that
would
have
existed
atu ally.
Ca bo
sto age
Keepi g
peat
wet
also
has
implicatio s
fo
climate
cha ge.
Resto ed
peat
wetla ds
at
G eat
Dismal
Swamp
Natio al
Wildlife
Refuge
sequeste
about
200,000
met ic
to s
of
ca bo
each
yea .
That
amou t
is
equivale t
to
the
a ual
emissio s
of
42,000
vehicles,
acco di g
to
a
US
Geological
Su vey
a d
Fish
a d
Wildlife
Se vice
study.It
estimates
that
esto i g
10
ac es
of
pocosi
peatla d
is
compa able
to
emovi g
the
emissio s
of
5.3
passe ge
vehicles
pe
yea ,
while
d ai i g
10
ac es
ca
have
the
opposite
effect.The
esto atio
p og amme
also
i volves
local
commu ities
a d
la dow e s
because
cha ges
to
wate
ma ageme t
ca
affect
fa ms
a d
othe
livelihoods.
Pocosi
Lakes
has
held
meeti gs
with
su ou di g
commu ities
to
explai
its
wo k
a d
hea
co ce s.
Refuge
officials
have
also
wo ked
with
fa me s
o
d ai age
issues.The
challe ge
is
becomi g
mo e
u ge t
as
the
coastal
plai
faces
isi g
seas
a d
cha gi g
weathe .
The
Pocosi
Lakes
wate
ma ageme t
pla
otes
that
the
ability
of
these
wetla ds
to
adjust
to
isi g
sea
levels
may
be
limited
if
sea-level
ise
becomes
faste
tha
the
ate
at
which
peat
accumulates.