22. Threats: 



Timber cutting is the chief threat to the natural integrity 

 of the site in the short term. Additional land clearing associated 

 with the "super farm" development to the south continues to erode 

 the margins of the natural area. Logging, per se, is not the 

 primary cause of ecological degradation. It is the associated 

 ditch and road construction which results in lowered water tables 

 and in increasing aecessibility of the swamp forest interior. Al- 

 though the road construction increases the "edge effect" and bene- 

 fits certain species, it also increases access and makes large game 

 species, such as black bear, more susceptible to hunting pressure. 



There is also a threat of peat mining in the area. Recently, 

 a peat mining permit application has been submitted for much of 

 the natural area. Otte and Ingram (1980) have found energy grade 

 peat (less than 25% ash at 0% moisture) under much of the natural 

 area. Agricultural development is limited as a threat to some 

 degree because the woody peats are uneconomical to farm. 



23. Management and Preservation Recommendation: 



The Alligator River-Swan Creek Lake natural area offers an 

 excellent opportunity for conservation of a superlative palustrine 

 (non-riverine) swamp forest system. In conjunction with adjacent 

 Dare County natural areas, the tract contains an extensive wetland 

 ecosystem containing a diverse assemblage of communities and as- 

 sociated wildlife diversity. The Alligator River natural lands 

 corridor is one of the largest relatively undisturbed swamp forest 

 tracts remaining in the N.C. coastal plain. The U. S. Fish and 

 Wildlife Service should look into the possibility of acquiring 

 the land and establishing a national wildlife refuge unit. 



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