Wetlands

Coastal Carolina Riverwatch provides service to the White Oak River Basin (WORB) which includes a variety of wetland types and subtypes. The main wetlands you will find within the WORB are:

Pocosin
Basin
Riverine Forest
Pine wetlands
Freshwater marsh
Tidal freshwater marsh
Salt/brackish marsh
Estuarine wood

The Carolinas have a lot of wetlands, but our coastal regions are teeming with them, as shown in the map below.

map: Carolina Wetlands Association 

Wetlands are important for a variety of reasons including being a safe haven for critical wildlife, producing cleaner water outflow, providing flood protection, and boosting local economies. Remember: no wetlands, no seafood! There are numerous threats to wetlands and a number of these threats stem from human impact which is why it is imperative that these environments are protected and that we have restoration efforts in place.

The Theodore Roosevelt Natural Area, located in Pine Knoll Shores, is considered an “Outstanding Resource Waters” which are a subset of “High Quality Waters” by the US Environmental Protection Agency. This supplemental classification is intended to protect unique and special waters having excellent water quality and being of exceptional state or national ecological or recreational significance.