Haliaeetus leucocephalus . Bald eagle. Endangered. A nest of this Specie^ 

 wa^ reported for this area in 1972, although no adults were 

 observed at that tine» Believed possible that am osprey nest was 

 mistaken for the nest of this species. 



Pandion haliaetus . Osprey, Special concern. Breeds regularly at ' ' 

 several locations within the Big Cypress Bay, 



Sciurus niger . Southern fox squirrel. Special concern, Eeported to 

 occur occasionally within the refugia offered by the relatively 

 inpenetrable bay interior. 



Publications and scientific references: 



Blankenship, S.2, 19^5. Reconnaissance of the ground-v;ater resources 

 of the Southport-Elizabethtown area, North Carolina. N.C, Dept. V/ater Res,, 

 Div. Ground Water, Ground-'.7ater Bui, No. 6, h7 pp. 



Daniels, R.B., et, al, 1978, Age of soil landscapes in the coastaJL 

 plain area of Morth Carolina, Soil Sci. Soc, Am, J, k2: 98-105. 



Radford, A.E., e_t, al, 196'f. Manual of the Vascular Flora of the 

 Carolinas. UNC Press, Chapel Hill, N.C. II83 pp. 



Site ecological significance: 



. The ecologically significant aspects of the Big Cypress Bay area are 

 sumnarized: 



1) The site constitutes one of a very few remaining relatively undis- 

 turbed linesink coaplexes, here located v;ithin an apparent Carolina 

 bay, 



2) The occurrence v/ithin the inner ponds of the bay of several groups-' 

 of mature, probably untinbered stands of pond cypress ( Taxodium 

 ascendens ) , with scattered very large individuals. 



3) The occurrence of the endangered peripheral shrub, pondspice 

 ( Litsea aestivalis ) , within the bay, 



h) The inportance of the site as a minor rookery for the great blue 

 heron ( Ardea herodias ) , and as a nesting area for several other 

 species of birds, including osprey ( Pandion haliaetus ) , a species 

 of special concern, reportedly, v/ater turkeys ( Anhinga anhinga ), 

 and possibly a.t one time, the bald eagle ( Haliaeetus leucocg-halus .) , 

 an endangered species. 



k) Probable breeding of the endangered American alligator ( Alligator 

 mississippiensis ) within the bay — pond conplex, 



5) Use of the bay interior, possibly as a refugia against outside 

 hunting and/or habitat destruction pressures, by the Southern 

 fox squirrel ( Sciurus niger ), an animal species of special concern. 



Management recommendations: 



The following "management" recommendations are offered to assist in 

 determining the ultimate significance of the Big Cypress Bay area, and to aid 

 in maintaining the integrity of its associated plant and animal assemb- 

 lages at their present population condition and level: 



1) Future encroachment of "timbering" operations upon the interior 

 of the bay should be halted, with the currently existing buffer 

 area surrounding the ponds maintained. 



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