acres of new land will be cleared in the US in the next 20 years, to keep 

 pace with rising world demand for grain. It is conceivable that most of 

 the upland forests of the county will eventually be removed for agriculture. 

 This may be carried out by the next generation, after the present pine 

 plantations are harvested. 



About half the county's portion of Dismal Swamp is being converted 

 to agriculture and tree farming operations. Through continuing drainage 

 efforts, the Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge will eventually be the 

 only significant remnant of this wetland. 



Future demand for forest products after upland forests are all 

 converted to agriculture and other uses, plus new technology will 

 probably lead to some sort of tree farming in even the wettest swamps, 

 with native communities being replaced with some fast growing species. 



2. PEAT MINING: There may be enough peat in the Dismal and Chowan Swamps 

 to fuel a power plant or some other facility for 20 to 30 years. Should 

 this occur. Dismal Swamp might cease to exist as a wetland. Should Chowan 

 Swamp be mined for peat , only open water would remain and the county would 

 actually lose about 30,000 acres of land area. This would be an extremely 

 short-sighted action, since the peat, once used, would be gone, but left 

 in place would provide a permanent base for forest and wildlife habitat. 

 Should the Miocene formation underlying the swamp ever be mined for 

 phosphate, the same result would ensue. The county commissioners would 

 do well to prepare ordinances in advance to prevent such a loss. 



At present, the only significant natural areas in the county that 

 are reasonably protected for access by future generations are Merchants 

 Mill Pond and the portion of Dismal Swamp included in the Refuge. Should 

 owners of the lands in the Sand Banks decide to log the small tracts of 

 longleaf pine and turkey oak, these remnants of the original forests 

 would be gone forever. In Chowan Swamp, the mineral rights to the public 

 lands are privately owned, so this extensive natural area is, in reality, 

 unprotected, and could be destroyed at some future date. 



SPECIES EXTIRPATION FROM GATES COUNTY 



Removal of the remaining upland forests and peat mining or tree 

 farming of wetlands would drastically reduce the diversity of wildlife 

 and plant species in the county. A number of native species have already 

 been lost. The county was within the original range of both the Carolina 

 Paroquet and the Passenger Pigeon before their extinction. It is unknown 

 whether the Ivory-billed Woodpecker ever occurred this far north. At least 

 two large mammals, the eastern panther and red wolf were eliminated long 

 ago, probably during the 18th century. 



The shortnose sturgeon and an unknown number of other aquatic 

 species have been extirpated. Most of the other anadromous fishes of the 

 Chowan River are on the decline because of pollution. An unknown number 



