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Mr. Rick Linthurst 

 Dept . of Botany 

 N.C. State University 

 Raleigh, N.C. 27607 



Current Use and Protection Status: 



These marshes are largely unaltered. They probably 

 contain the largest contiguous tract of undisturbed 

 irregularly inundated salt marsh in North Carolina. 

 Obvious manmade features in the marshes are: N.C. 12 

 and two adjacent borrow ditches that bisect the marshes 

 from southwest to northeast, the Thorofare channel that 

 crosses the southwestern section of the marshes, and 

 the John Day Ditch that crosses the northeastern 

 section of the marshes. The effect of these features 

 on the ecology of the marshes is unknown. 



The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service administers all 

 the marshes northeast of the Thorofare channel (approxi- 

 mately 6000 acres). So far, the only alteration of the 

 marshes by the Service has been the blasting of a few 

 "potholes" and some control burning-both to improve 

 habitat for waterfowl. Currently, the Service is 

 considering the impoundment of approximately 2000 

 acres of marshes northwest of N.C. 12 for waterfowl 

 habitat, especially to improve habitat for nesting 

 Black Ducks . 



We do not know of any plans by the Marine Corps 

 or the Rayland Corporation to alter the area of marshes 

 they own. Of course, all the Cedar Island Marshes 

 are designated as an area of environmental concern 

 under the Coastal Area Management Act. 



Vegetation and Plant Communities: 



The dominant plants of the marshes are Spartina 

 a lternif lora , Spartina patens , Spartina cynosuroides , 

 Panicum virgatum , and Juncus roemerianus . Along the 

 southeast side of the marshes (toward Core Sound), 

 Spartina alterniflora (the short form) is dominant. 

 In this area, pond holes (many containing Ruppia 

 maritima ) are common. Northwestward toward N.C. 12, 

 the Spartina alterniflora grades into Juncus roemerianus 

 (often intermixed with Panicum virgatum ) and Spartina 

 patens . Just northwest of N.C. 12, Spartina patens and 

 Juncus continue to be generally dominant, although in 

 some areas, Spartina cynosuroides is equally common. 

 In the central area of the marshes northwest of N.C. 12, 

 some shrubs ( Iva f rutescens and Baccharis halimifolia ) 

 are present (These can be seen from N.C. 12). Their 

 presence suggests that the area is slightly higher and 

 the ground less moist. Perhaps the composition of grasses, 

 sedges and rushes in that area is different from the rest 



