11a. Prose Description of Site: 



The Salyer's Ridge Natural Area contains a mature stand of 

 loblolly pine, one of the oldest-growth stands dominated by this 

 species known in Hyde County. The 80-acre stand is part of the 

 Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge and is designated a Re- 

 search Natural Area by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The 

 size and stature of the pines gives the tract impressive esthetic 

 and scenic qualities although its overall significance as a natural 

 area is not exceptionally high because of its suspected anthro- 

 pomorphic origins. 



The tract is located near the southwestern corner of Lake 

 Mattamuskeet, a large natural freshwater body encompassing about 

 40,000 acres. Much of the lake margin itself is dominated by 

 emergent marsh vegetation and many sites have been impounded 

 to enhance waterfowl habitat. Behind the marsh fringe is a 

 forested swamp forest which, depending on location and past 

 disturbance, is dominated by a number of wetland trees. 



The natural area proper is a part of the "lake margin" 

 forested swamp forest complex. It is located about 0.5 mile 

 from the present-day lake margin. In order to understand the 

 natural area's relationship to the lake and the underlying soils 

 it is necessary to describe briefly the geomorphology of the lake 

 and the immediately surrounding lands. 



Lake Mattamuskeet ' s origin is not known. It has been sug- 

 gested that the lake formed as a result of a deep peat burn and 

 subsequently enlarged itself by wind and wave erosion along its 

 shoreline. Another theory suggests that the lake may be multi- 

 ple Carolina bays although this view is not a popular one at the 

 present time (Mattamuskeet NWR Master Plan, no date) . 



Regardless of its origin, the lake must at one time have 

 been substantially larger than it is today. Examination of 

 topographic maps covering the Lake Mattamuskeet area clearly 

 indicate an arcuate series of slightly elevated ridges (5-8 

 feet msl) which encircle the lake at distances which average 

 about one mile from the current lakeshore. These ridges were 

 formed by a former lake shoreline when lake water levels were 

 3-5 feet higher than present levels. The area between these 

 ridges and the present lakeshore is presently occupied by a 

 mosaic of swamp forest wetlands, waterfowl impoundments, and 

 drained cultivated fields. Many North Carolinians have pro- 

 bably heard or read about the ill-fated attempt during the 

 1930' s to drain the lake and convert it to agriculture. Al- 

 though unsuccessful , this drainage attempt did allow some 

 marginal farming operations to become established particularly 



189 



