Wetlands play vital roles for ecosystem functioning and for human society. They filter out pollutants (e.g., from agricultural and stormwater runoff), and are thus critically important for maintaining water quality for healthy fisheries, swimming, drinking, and other activities important to people and wildlife. They buffer against flooding and erosion. They are important as habitat for fishes and wildlife, including many species of interest to both recreational and commercial fisheries.
Wetlands in Carteret County
In Carteret County, there are roughly 175,000 acres of wetlands (274 square miles), comprising 53% of the county's land area. The dominant wetland type in Carteret County is salt/brackish marsh (26%), followed by pocosin (18%), pine flat (16%) and managed pineland (14%). (Check out this map of wetlands in Careteret County).
Salt and brackish marshes are vital to maintaining the health of coastal estuaries, and they directly or indirectly support many important marine fishes and invertebrates (e.g., oysters, blue crabs, shrimp, flounder, red drum) as well as many wildlife species (e.g., waterbirds).
Pocosins, translated in the Algonquin language as "swamps on a hill", are fire-adapted forested peatlands unique to the southeast. They are usually dominated by thick shrub vegetation, and often include pond pine, loblolly pine, or longleaf pine. Pocosins are home to black bears and numerous rare plants, including insectivores such as the Venus fly trap. Pocosins in our county occur within the Croatan National Forest.
Here are some links to learn more about wetlands and wetland species in coastal NC:
Most common saltmarsh plant species
Take a tour of coastal wetland types in NC
Common wetland plants of North Carolina
Wetland protection, restoration, and regulation
There are approximately 4.3 - 5.7 million acres of wetlands in North Carolina today, which is about 50 - 60% of the estimated 7 - 11 million acres that were here prior to European settlement. Losses are attributed to draining and filling to convert wetlands into other land uses such as forestry and urban development. Most losses have occurred in the last 30 years.
The regulation of wetlands throughout the state is mostly dependent on Section 401 of the federal Clean Water Act. Additionally, wetland protection in NC is provided by three sets of state legislation: rules on discharges to isolated wetlands and isolated waters (NC Admin Code 02H.1300), the NC Coastal Area Management Act, or CAMA (applies to the 20 coastal counties, including Carteret County) (NC Gen. Statute Sec. 113A-100,07H), and riparian buffer protection rules (NC Admin Code 02B.0233, 02B.0259).
A number of statewide initiatives have helped protect or restore tens of thousands of acres of wetlands in NC. The NC Coastal Federation has been instrumental in many of these efforts throughout the state.
Links to learn more about wetlands, regulations, and relevant organizations in North Carolina
Restoration (organizations, initiatives, opportunities)North Carolina Coastal Federation
Coastal County Restoration Grants
NC Wetlands Restoration Program's Watershed Restoration Strategy 2001
NRCS Wetlands Reserve Program
North Carolina Government
Division of Marine Fisheries, Wetlands page
NC Division of Water Quality, Wetlands page
NC Division of Coastal Management, Wetlands page
Federal Government
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Wetlands page
NOAA, Wetlands page
USFWS, National Wetlands Inventory
Reports and other resources
Environmental Law Institute, State Wetland Protection Report for North Carolina, 2008
Association of State Wetlands Managers (excellent resource for federal, state, and local programs)
ASWM's North Carolina page