98 - 



Addendum to Natural Heritage Program Report on Patsy Pond Natural 

 Area - by Otte and ^^^^etsto^e 1979 . by John Fussell and Jeannie 

 Wilson 1 December 1980. 



As part of our survey of natural areas of Carteret County during 

 1980 (contract work to Natural Heritage Program for the Office of 

 Coastal Management), we surveyed the area of freshwater ponds and 

 shallow marshes lying W and NW of the ponds studied previously by 

 Otte and IJhetstone. We wished to find out if these additional ponds 

 were also of significant natural value and if the rarer species of 

 plants found by Otte and Whetstone were also present in the more NW 

 ponds . 



We surveyed the area 11 and 14 October and beiefly on 13 November. 

 We found none of the rarer plant species, but, in the case of the 

 aquatics, this could have been due to the extremely dry summer and 

 early fall. However, we were impressed with many features of these 

 ponds and marshes. Some of these areas are obviously naturally 

 impounded sections of former drainage systems; however, there are 

 also depressions that exhibit "sinkhole" form. Some of these are 

 less than 50' across with no water or wetland vegetation; larger 

 ones have open water and/or marsh. Also this area has 2 or more 

 marsh areas that are associated with Carolina bays. The ponds and 

 marshes have a rather wide range of vegetation, which is generally 

 different from the ponds to the SE . There are several zonation 

 patterns associated with the ponds and marshes (many different from 

 the ponds to the SE); one interesting situation was a dense band of 

 Cassandra calyculata in one of the Carolina bay marshes. For these 

 geological and botanical reasons, we recommend the addition of this 

 area to the Patsy Pond Natural Area . 



Also within this additional area, we found 2 active red-cockaded 

 woodpecker cavity trees (See Map I'j. 



An addition to the rare fauna of the Patsy Pond Natural Area 

 is the crawfish frog ( Rana areolata ) (species of special concern). 

 Dr. Julian Harrison, College of Charleston, Charleston, S.C. collected 

 this species in the 1950's (pers, com. to Fussell Sept. 1980). 

 Collection was either at Patsy Pond or one of the immediately 

 adjacent ponds. Also, we saw a river otter at site B (see Map 11) 

 13 November. 



The Patsy Pond Natural Area is much in need of more frequent 

 fire management. Especially needed is the determination of the 

 effects of fire on the shrub vegetation on the slopes of the ponds 

 and marshes in a natural situation; currently these areas are pro- 

 tected from fire by the presence of fire lines between them and the 

 more flammable Pinus palustris / Quercus laevis / Aristida striata 

 community. 



Unfortunately, human abuse of the natural area continues. 



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