Where: Wetlands of Coastal NC (Pocosins, Carolina Bays, Bottomlands and Salt Marshes)

Transcription

1 ENV 792 FIELD TRIP - Fall WETLANDS OF COASTAL NORTH CAROLINA Date: October 6-9, 2017 Where: Wetlands of Coastal NC (Pocosins, Carolina Bays, Bottomlands and Salt Marshes) Instructor: Curt Richardson Class Attributes: Instructor consent required to enroll Course Description: This field based course explores the ecology and management of coastal wetlands North Carolina. Wetlands included in the course include Pocosin bogs, bottomland hardwoods, cedar swamps, freshwater marshes and coastal saltmarshes. Field measurements are taken for water quality, soils and vegetation. Analysis includes the effects of sea level rise on coastal communities as well as urban coastal development, farming and forestry. Students are required to be enrolled in or have taken a wetland or aquatic ecology course. Course Goals/Objectives: To obtain a fundamental knowledge of coastal wetland ecosystems and discuss various coastal water issues and potential solutions To understand the importance of science-based wetland resources management Course Texts/Materials: Tentative readings (additional readings will be included when course is developed in Fall 2017): Bruland, G.L., M.F. Hanchey, and C.J. Richardson Effects of agriculture and wetland restoration on hydrology, soils, and water quality of a Carolina bay complex. Wetlands Ecology and Management 11: Richardson, C.J Pocosin wetlands: Vanishing wastelands or valuable wetlands? Bioscience 33: Richardson, C.J Pocosins: Evergreen Shrub Bogs of the Southeast. Chapter 14 (pp ) in Batzer, D.P. and A.H. Baldwin (eds.), Wetland Habitats of North America: Ecology and Conservation Concerns. University of California Press, Berkeley. Richardson, C.J., and R.S. King A Primer on Sampling Plant Communities in Wetlands. Chapter 12 in Methods in Biogeochemistry of Wetlands. R.D. DeLaune, K.R. Reddy, C.J. Richardson, and J.P. Megonigal, eds. Soil Science Society of America Book Series No. 10. Madison, WI: Soil Science Society of America. Pp Silliman, B. R., L. Schrack**, Q. He*, A. Santoni**, R. Jacobi***, M. Jacobi, T. van der Heide, J. von de Koppel Facilitation shifts paradigms and can increase success of coastal restoration. Proceedings of The National Academy of Sciences. Silliman, B. R. and M. D. Bertness A Trophic Cascade Regulates Salt Marsh Primary Production. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (USA) 99: doi: /pnas

2 Itinerary* Friday Morning (Oct 6th): We will leave at 8:00 AM (location in departure section above) and head south (2 hours trip) to Jones Lake State Park to view Carolina Bays and Bay lakes. The origin of these isolated wetlands is unknown and one of the great mysteries of our time. It is also interesting that these wetlands are found within the sand hill region of North Carolina, an area that was beneath the ocean during the Pleistocene. Many photo opportunities will be available to see one of the unique wetlands of the world. We will also be able to see long leaf pine (Pinus palustris) as well as turkey oak (Quercus laevis) in this area. We will spend several hours at this site and then drive (2 hours) to our condos on Emerald Island near Morehead city. The NC route (41 and 53) will traverse the coastal plain of North Carolina. Many wetlands are found along the way as well as large farms. This region also has some of the highest densities of hog farms and water quality issues in North Carolina. Saturday Morning (Oct 7th): Breakfast at 8:00 AM. Please be ready to leave at 9:00 AM. Our first stop will be Cedar Island Wildlife Refuge. We will have several stops along the way to view one of the most spectacular salt marsh communities along the east coast of the U.S. Cedar Island is a true barrier island that is migrating landward. It has a maritime forest, and spectacular low and high marsh complex dominated by Spartina alterniflora (smooth cord grass) and Juncus roemerianus (black needle rush). We will spend several hours touring some of the best examples of salt marsh in North Carolina and measuring water quality and soil chemistry. Saturday Afternoon (Oct 8th): We will leave the salt marsh area and head along NC 101 to our next stop in the Croatan National Forest. Its name comes from Sir Walter Raleigh s Lost Colony (116 men, women and children) that completely disappeared in North Carolina somewhere between 1587 and 1591 except for the name Croatan carved on a tree. This 152,000-acre (61,500 ha) area is made up of half Pocosin (Algonquin Indian word for Swamp-on-a-hill ) and half upland forestland. The pocosin complex is comprised of short pocosin (deep peat areas with low vegetation), tall pocosins (shallow peat < 0.5 m with high vegetation), bay forest (moderate peat depth) and coastal flat woods (sandy soils with peat coloring). A listing of the general vegetation is found in the handouts. It contains 78 species of reptiles and amphibians as well as being home to the American alligator. We will tour the pocosin areas, lakes, and waterfowl impoundments. We will then enter the forest off Route 70 one mile south of Fishers Landing. There, we will visit short pocosin, tall pocosin and bay forests as well as several lakes. Sunday Morning (Oct 8th): Breakfast at 8:30 AM, Please be ready to leave at 9:30 AM. Our first stop will be a salt marsh in the Cedar Point Recreational Area. It is one of the best sites on the east coast to view a coastal salt marsh up close. We will also tour a maritime forest at this site. Next is lunch at Haywood Landing a great site up the White Oak River to see and measure the interface of freshwater and saltwater??

3 Sunday Afternoon (Oct 8 th ): Our next stop will be will visit Island Creek forest. This is one of the most unusual sites we have on the coastal plain and one has to see it to understand how this ecosystem came to be. Can you explain what you see? If we have time we will we will head west on NC 58 towards Trenton. Here we will visit an old mill pond with some great bald cypress trees (Taxodium distichum). Sunday Evening (Oct 8 th ): Sunday evening on the beach and Pizza dinner on Dr. Richardson. Students supply their own drinks. Monday Morning (Oct 9th): Breakfast at 8:00 AM, Please be ready to leave at 9:30 AM. (Note: WE HAVE TO CLEAN UP THE PLACE AND TAKE OUT THE GARBAGE). Our first stop will be Open Grounds Farms a former 40,000 acre pocosin that is now the largest farm in NC. It is now owned by an Italian farming group and has been the site of numerous innovative plans for agriculture and restored treatment wetlands. After seeing this farm we will head west on NC 101 towards Havelock on route 70. Our last stop of the day will be the bottomland hardwood swamp along the Neuse River at Kingston, NC. This is a great example of a swamp forest with many of the native species of gum (Nyssa aquatica) and maple (Acer rubrum) as well as cypress. We will now be on the road back to Durham on route 70. We have a 2.5-hour trip back to the LSRC. We should be home by no later than 5pm. * Specific itinerary on each day is subject to slight change due to the weather or road conditions.

4 Beaufort/Morehead City/Atlantic Beach Area Cedar Island Wildlife Refuge and Cedar Point Recreational Area

5