NATURAL AREA INVENTORY 

 Basic Information Summary Sheet 



1. Natural Area Name: Black River 



2. County: Pender (and adjacent Bladen) 



3. Location: The natural area stretches from the mouth of the Black 

 River where it empties into the Cape Fear upstream for approximately 

 25 river miles to a point about 2 miles downstream from Beatty Bridge 

 (SR 1201). Coordinates: 34°20'N, 78°03'W to 34°30'N, 78°15'W (FIGURE 9), 



4. Topographic Quadrangle (s) : Acme (1954), Atkinson (1955), White Lake 

 (1954) 



5. Size: 9,500 ac 



6. Elevation: 3 ft to 8 ft above mean sea level 



7. Access: Private and public boating access points along the Cape Fear 

 River; a single Wildlife Resources landing from an unnumbered dirt 

 road off SR 1547 in Bladen County, about a mile downstream from the 

 NC 53 bridge. The river corridor can be reached via NC 210. 



8. Names of .Investigators: S. W. Leonard Ricky Davis 



P. 0. Box 3475 126 Duncansby Court 



Wilmington, NC 28406 Cary, NC 27511 



9. Date(s) of Investigation: May through September, 1981 



10. Priority Rating: High 



11A. Prose Description of Site: The Black River is, in many respects, 

 similar to the Northeast Cape Fear, but it is also different. The 

 channel takes a more winding course, and in the upper stretches, is 

 filled with shallow sandbars, which scarcely allow navigation by 

 small outboard engines. Scattered residential development is present 

 along portions of the river. 



Along the lower reach of the river, luxuriant marshes are frequent, 

 although never reaching appreciable areal extent. Swamps are low and 

 poorly drained, seldom having any banks of a foot or two in height as 

 occurs along the Northeast Cape Fear. Instead, the river gradually 

 decreases in depth to a rooted aquatic vegetation zone that grades 

 into marshlands, or typically into cypress-gum-maple woodlands. 

 Bluffs are unusual and landmarks difficult to discern. Upstream from 

 NC 210, the channel divides and re-divides, thus forming numerous 

 small islands. Short, dead-end sloughs diverge, and unless one is 

 familiar with the river, or has appropriate maps, the first-time 

 trip upstream can result in many wrong turns. 



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