Ducks Unlimited and partners received a $1 million North American Wetlands Conservation Act grant for protection and enhancement of over 20,000 acres of diverse wildlife habitat in southeastern North Carolina.
“Over 50 percent of North Carolinas original wetlands have been lost,” said Craig LeSchack, Ducks Unlimited Director of Conservation Programs for North Carolina. “This region is experiencing unprecedented growth and development, and the threats of wetland loss, degradation and fragmentation increase each year.”
The four project sites are located within the Holly Shelter Game Lands in Pender County, the Suggs Mill Pond Game Lands in Bladen County, and within a newly acquired public game land along the Lower Cape Fear River.
“We plan to enhance managed wetlands on the two existing state game lands,” LeSchack said. “As part of this project, the 1,440-acre Whitehall Plantation in Bladen County will be permanently protected through incorporation into the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Game Lands Program.”
This grant is an important part of ongoing conservation efforts in North Carolina, said DU. The projects included in the proposal partially compensate for the regions loss of seasonally flooded forested wetlands. Local and regional water quality, recreational and educational opportunities will be enhanced.
