Categories of natural environments not described in this 

 inventory are: 



(1) Brackish Marsh . Vast expanses of marsh fringe the shore- 

 line along Pamlico Sound. For the most part, this eco- 

 system is protected through State and federal regulatory 

 programs. 



(2) National Wildlife Refuges . Both the Mattamuskeet and 

 Swanquarter National Wildlife Refuges are recognized on 

 the State Registry of Natural Heritage Areas. Lake 

 Mattamuskeet, in excess of 50,000 acres in size, is the 

 largest natural lake in North Carolina. The lake is 

 bordered by a narrow band of woodlands and freshwater 

 marshes. The refuge supports more than 100,000 wintering 

 waterfowl and a large number of breeding ospreys. Bald 

 eagles also over-winter at the lake. Swanquarter refuge 

 is primarily composed of needlerush-brackish marsh and 

 estuarine waters and is noted for large numbers of 

 wintering water fows and raptors. It supports a popula- 

 tion of American Alligators, and a heron colony is known 

 to breed in an old-growth cypress stand. Much of Swan- 

 quarter refuge is designated as a National Wilderness 

 Area. 



(3) Outer Banks Barrier Islands . Not included in the inventory 

 project, Ocraocke Island is primarily owned and managed 



by the National Park Service. The narrow 12-mile-long 

 barrier island is relatively undisturbed and provides a 

 fine illustration of zonations—beach, fore dunes, sand 

 flats, relict dunes, tidal creeks, live oak-wax myrtle 

 maritime woods, and spartina marshes. The island supports 

 large nesting populations of shorebirds. Also in the 

 Ocracoke Inlet, on Shell Castle, Beacon, and North Rock 

 Islands, nest the state's largest breeding colony of 

 brown pelicans, which is the northernmost breeding colony 

 on the East Coast. 



The Office of Coastal Management, and the Coastal Resources 

 Commission which it serves, implement the Coastal Area Manage- 

 ment Act of 1974 (CAMA) . Under this statute, the North Carolina 

 Coastal Management Plan has been prepared and approved. It 

 includes the definition and designation of various Areas of 

 Environmental Concern (AEC) . In many cases, AECs coincide 

 with natural areas that are herein recommended for preservation 

 or special management. In some cases, AECs may encompass other 

 areas — such as marsh zone wetlands — which are not extensively 

 treated in this inventory. 



Peat mining has particular implications for these natural 

 areas, some of which overlay exploitable peat deposits. Mining 

 will remove natural vegetation, permanently alter the hydrology 

 of the region, lower surface soil types from high organic 



in 



