Posted on February 27, 2023
Work to restore 10 acres of wetland habitat in Carolina Beach State Park is set to begin on Feb. 27 and be completed by April.
The North Carolina Coastal Federation and the North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation are working to restore and enhance the tidal marsh habitat between the Sugarloaf and Swamp trails inside the park, which has suffered heavily from the invasive plant species Phragmites australis.
They have used burning, pesticide treatment, and cutting to remove the Phragmites. Restoration will be conducted in multiple phases:
- Invasive species removal
- Creation of a slough (a shallow swale of varying depths) through the removal of fill material and grading
- Native vegetation planting
- Monitoring of the site
“This project will restore valuable brackish marsh habitat in a highly disturbed area of the park. The project will also serve as a case study in the removal of the highly invasive Phragmites for other areas along the coast.”
The project is one of ten funded through the Natural Resource Damage and Restoration (NRDA) Restoration Plan for Kerr-McGee Chemical Corporation EPA Superfund Site in Navassa.
Monitoring of the site will continue for several months following the project’s completion. Details of temporary trail and parking closures during construction as well as increased vehicle traffic will be posted here at a later date.
