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Greetings Wetland Supporters!
February brings so much for us to celebrate: Black History Month, World Wetlands Day (February 2), and Valentine’s Day (February 14).
 We know that Black History has a played a big role in our current societal structure, but it has also been deeply integrated with our landscape. North Carolina wetlands played a role in helping escaped slaves travel on the Underground Railroad. Read this article about the role of The Great Dismal Swamp to learn more. The Carolinas are also home to the Gullah/Geechee Nation, descendants of Africans who were enslaved on the Sea Islands, and have retained their own rich culture strongly tied to place. Read this article to learn more about this community and its traditions tied to coastal salt marshes. The Carolina Wetlands Association is working with members of this community on salt marsh restoration projects and potential flood reduction projects in South Carolina. I hope that you can take some time this month to learn about the ways in which Black History and the wetlands in your community are interconnected.
 The theme for this year’s World Wetlands Day was wetland restoration. The Carolina Wetlands Association is working to help communities voluntarily restore or create wetlands to reduce flooding, provide recreation, and improve downstream water quality. In contrast, the majority of wetland restoration is performed to offset the filling, degradation, or destruction of wetlands elsewhere. This type of restoration is called compensatory mitigation. Compensatory mitigation is required by the Clean Water Act to achieve “no net loss” of wetland acreage. However, the newly restored or created wetland will not be able to immediately perform the same wetland functions as the destroyed wetland. Therefore, those who wish to impact wetlands must frequently restore a greater area of wetland than they destroyed. Both voluntary and compensatory restoration are important tools in the maintenance of our wetland resources.
 As for celebrations of Valentine’s Day, I hope that we can all agree that there is a special place in our hearts for wetlands. We can show our appreciation as we do with all of those that we love by spending quality time together and showing them kindness and support. You can get started with these goals by taking the Ramsar pledge for wetland restoration, visiting a wetland near you, or joining the Carolina Wetlands Association at a future event!
I hope to work together soon!
Chase Bergeson
Volunteer Wetland Monitoring Program Coordinator
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NC SciFest at Hemlock Bluffs
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The Carolina Wetland Association in partnership with Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve is excited to bring wetland discovery to you during the NC Science Festival in April. Through hands-on activities for kids of all ages, along with the wetland monitoring team, which will provide demonstrations and data collecting tools, you can engage in wetland adventures and learn the importance of our wetland ecosystem. This event will take place on April 1 from 10-1 on site at Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve located in Cary, North Carolina. Find more information at ncsciencefestival.org.
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Meet our Staff: Chase Bergeson
 Chase Bergeson is the Volunteer Coordinator for the Wetland Monitoring Program. She has an MS in Natural resources from NC State University and has experience working in water quality monitoring, environmental consulting, and environmental education. Chase is passionate about working with communities on conservation of our water resources. She lives in Raleigh, NC where she loves to spend time with her friends and family, travel, swim, kayak, and walk in the woods.
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Wetlands in the News
Disconnectivity matters: the outsized role of small ephemeral wetlands in landscape-scale nutrient retention
"Wetlands protect downstream waters by filtering excess nitrogen (N) generated from agricultural and urban activities. Many small ephemeral wetlands, also known as geographically isolated wetlands (GIWs), are hotspots of N retention but have received fewer legal protections due to their apparent isolation from jurisdictional waters. Here [in this article], we hypothesize that the isolation of the GIWs make them more efficient N filters, especially when considering transient hydrologic dynamics."
Longtime tensions over federal wetlands rule return in U.S. House WOTUS hearing
"A U.S. House panel renewed the decades-long fight over how standing waters on farmland and other private property should be defined and regulated by federal authorities, with Republicans calling for a pause until the U.S. Supreme Court can provide more clarity. The definition of so-called Waters of the United States, or WOTUS — wetlands that fall under federal jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act — has been in a state of flux for years, often in conjunction with changing administrations in the White House."
[Read more of The Nebraska Examiner]
CoastLine: Deforestation, wetlands destruction, ghost forests, all forms of land degradation in the Cape Fear region
"Land degradation is a serious problem in Africa as fertile grasslands get drier and thorny vegetation with deeper roots takes over. Wildlife and domesticated livestock alike have fewer places to graze – which, of course affects humans. But desertification is not the only form of land degradation. Deforestation and destroying wetlands are other forms. And that’s happening right here in the Cape Fear region." Rachel Lewis Hiburn talks with UNC Wilmington professor, Dr. Narcisa Pricope who was recently appointed the UN Convention to Combat Desertification.
"Trumpeter swans are the largest; tundra swans fly the farthest; mute swans are the most aggressive. Of course, each has other characteristics that make them distinctive. In the eastern half of the country, the majority of tundra swans fly to wetlands in North Carolina, the numbers reportedly totaling as high as 75,000 in some years. These snow-white birds are also known as whistling swans because of the sound their wings make when a flock flies overhead."
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New Tools for Conservation Planning
The Conservation Trust for North Carolina and the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability at Duke University have designed a pair of online tools for conservation organizations and land trusts to evaluate the benefits of North Carolina's natural and working lands to climate resilience, adaptation and mitigation. The two tools deliver complementary information to organizations looking to preserve new lands, better manage lands they already own or demonstrate their value:
- The high-level Conservation Prioritization Tool enables users to identify broad areas for conservation action, either within the entire state or by county, river basin or a defined region. The tool prioritizes sub-watersheds with the greatest potential to meet a set of up to 11 conservation metrics selected by the user.
- The Benefits Calculator estimates conservation benefits for specific areas of interest, such as individual properties. Organizations could use this information to communicate the benefits provided by currently conserved properties, or to support decisions about conserving new areas.
For more information and related resources, including a recorded webinar with demonstrations of these tools, please see the news item on the Nicholas Institute website. |
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Upcoming Events
February
Harnett County African American Heritage Festival
Dunn, North Carolina
Feburay 25, 2023
3 pm - 7 pm
The 5th Annual African American Heritage Festival featuring Michael Boykins and the Voices, Michael Boone, Jarae Peyton and others. There will be vendors and food trucks. This event is a family affair event. The Carolina Wetlands Association will have a table at the event.
[ More Information]
March
Volunteer Wetland Monitoring Program
March 3 - Roberston Millpond Preserve
March 4 - Mason Farms Biological Reserve
March 5 - Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve
Let us know if you can make the monitoring events . . . RSVP HERE >
Carolina Wetlands Association
Meet and Greet
Wednesday, March 8
6pm - 8pm
Location TBD
Let us know if you can make the Meet & Greet . . . RSVP HERE >
Carolina Wetlands Association
Board Meeting
Monday, March 20, 2023
6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Virtual Meeting and In-Person
Cary Innovation Center Conference Room
201 S. Academy St.
Cary, NC
Open to the public - contact Rick Savage for details.
2023 WACCAMAW WEEK: Swamp Things
March 25, 2023
12:00 - 3:30 pm
Horry County Muesuem
Conway, South Carolina
The Waccamaw Riverkeeper and our partners, North Inlet – Winyah Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, and CCU’s Waccamaw Watershed Academy, will host the 2023 Waccamaw Week from March 19 through March 25. During the week of World Water Day, activities and events will be hosted to celebrate the strange and wonderful Waccamaw River watershed. Carolina Wetlands Assocations will be an exhbitor at the Swamp Summit - stop by and say hello!
[ Click here for more information and a complete list of events.]
April
NC SciFest at Hemlock Bluffs Natura Preserve
Cary, North Carolina
April 1, 2023
10 am - 1 pm
Join in the fun!
Come discover new adventures and wetland treasures under the trees at Hemlock Bluffs!
[ More Information]
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Ways to Support Us
The Carolina Wetlands Association is a 501(c)3 organization and we rely solely on your donations to support our mission.
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