are abundant. Turtles slide off half- submerged logs as one passes, 



and sometimes a water snake or alligator splashes. Shallows along 



the shoreline or around the infrequent islands in the river have 



dense beds of the narrow-leaf form of cowdock. Because the lower 



reach of the river has no weirs or other impounding structures, 



anadromous fish move into and out of the river. Fishing pressure 



is light and is mostly confined to the spring runs of shad. Recreational 



boating is popular near the public access points, with perhaps heaviest 



concentration being near Castle Hayne. 



The adjacent swamps of the Northeast Cape Fear add to the mystique. 

 Large cypress trees, with diameters in excess of 6 feet are not at 

 all uncommon. The tidally inundated swamp floor is mucky and treacherous 

 to the timid, but unusual and interesting flora and fauna are found 

 there. We saw the mustard, Cardamine longii, at numerous places south 

 of NC 210, and a small population of the river quillwort, Isoetes 

 riparia , along Island Creek. Old cypress trees with horizontal branches 

 bedecked with resurrection fern turned out to harbor mats of the 

 epiphytic orchid, Epidendrum conopseum . From Burgaw Creek upstream 

 to Holly Shelter Creek, we saw in July, numerous clumps of a yellow- 

 flowered loosestrife, tentatively identified as Lysimachia lanceolata 

 var. hybrida . The scarlet-velvet fruits of the sarvis-leaf holly, 

 Ilex amelanchier , impressed us as we boated up Holly Shelter Creek. 



The river has long stretches of placid water south of NC 210; 

 upstream the turns are more frequent, and sometimes an arching canopy 

 of river birch obscures the sky. Short, dead-end coves attest to 

 a meandering channel, and with the assistance of topographic quad- 

 rangles, oxbow ponds can be located. 



The history of the river is as alluring as the biota. Barbadoan 

 explorers reached the Stag Park vicinity in the mid-1600s. A century 

 later rich planters — the Ashes, the Moores, and others owned plantations 

 along the banks. Colonial artifacts lie buried in the river silt. 

 A marker at Castle Hayne describes an early drawbridge built across 

 the river. 



Rich in lore, rich in flora, rich in fauna, the Northeast Cape 

 Fear demands that we slow our pace and leisurely indulge in the pleasures 

 of an incomparable natural area. Drift with the tide by Point Pleasant 

 or silently paddle a canoe down Harrisons Creek, you will experience 

 a never-to-be-forgotten sensation of the richness of the out-of-doors. 

 Northeast Cape Fear — natural area unexcelled. 



11B. Prose Description of Site Significance: The Northeast Cape Fear 



Natural Area offers multiple recreational opportunities and a super- 

 lative study area for black-water river systems. The major feature 

 of the river and its associated swamps is that they are intact; thus they 

 provide a lengthy corridor for wildlife, contain seven species of 

 special interest plants, several animals (many reports of alligators, 

 not verified by our study) of concern, and connect the major wilderness 



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