APPENDIX A: ADDENDA TO PREVIOUSLY SUBMITTED'' BRUNS'^CK 

 COUNTY NATURAL AREA REPORTS. 



Big Cypress Bay 



Since submission of the original 1979 contract report, the entire 

 interior airea of the bay has been explored. The vegetational communities 

 throughout are similar to those already detailed in the earlier contract 

 report, with the dominant interior community type in terms of areal extent 

 being pond cypress ( Taxodium ascendens ) /swamp black gum ( Nyssa sylvatica 

 vsir, biflora)/dahoon ( Ilex cassine var. myrtifolia ) . Notably large popu- 

 lations of several infrequent species — water-spider orchid ( Habenaria 

 repens), cassena ( Ilex cassine var. cassine ) , suid bladderwort ( Utricular ia 

 fibrosa ) — occur around the northwest bay sirea sinks and within the interior 

 bay forest. 



The importance of the site as breeding habitat for a number of "special 

 concern" bird species was probably underestimated in the original report, 

 and needs to be further inventoried. 



Island Savannah 



SavannaJh area 2 (see topographic map accompanying original report) 

 and the adjacent pocosin area which occurs between this tract and savan- 

 nah area 1 (the main portion of Big Island Savannah) were drained, clear- 

 cut, burned, and plowed during the summer of 198O, As a result, Big 

 Island Savannah is now surrounded on three sides (highway NC 211 borders 

 the savannah on the fourth side) by intensively managed pine plantation. 

 The effects of such disturbance on the local hydrology cannot be predicted 

 precisely, but it is probable that the savannah itself will gradually 

 become drier as a result of further lowering of the area water table. 



Big Island Savannah is -clearly the largest, most diverse clay soil 

 savannah presently known, not only within the county, but also, within 

 the state. The importance of the site as representing a nearly "extir- 

 pated" portion of our natural heritage cannot be overemphasized. Unfor- 

 tunately, the outlook for the future of the site does not presently look 

 particularly bright. 



Blue Pond 



mxring the winter of 1980, the longleaf pine ( Pinus palustris ) forest 

 adjacent to Little Blue and Black Ponds was clearcut, biirned, and plowed 

 by the owner, with a great deal of disturbance resulting within the pond 

 communities, greatly lowering the site qualities. Blue Pond itself, under 

 different ownership, remains in escellent condition. 



An additional pair of nesting osprey (Pandion halioetus) was present 

 at Blue Pond during the I981 nesting season. 



1 



The reports referred to were originally submitted in 1979 as portions 

 of two contract inventory agreements with the N. C, Natural Heritage Program, 



248 



