The proposed work on pocosin lakes NWR is high priority area for breeding habitat for threatened eastern black rails

This Cooperative Agreement award from the U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Region 4, under the Coastal Program (CFDA 15.630), provides $180,000 to the North Carolina Wildlife Federation for habitat restoration and conservation efforts on the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina. The key products and services to be delivered include:

1. Creating 3 acres of elevation, shallow water, and wetland edge habitat to support breeding habitat for the threatened Eastern Black Rail bird species, and to improve water quality in the area.
2. Converting 40 acres of cropland to early successional emergent wetland with hummocks to provide preferred breeding habitat for Eastern Black Rails.
3. Converting 30 acres of cropland to Atlantic White Cedar forest, building on previous restoration efforts on the refuge, and engaging the public and local students in the planting of Atlantic White Cedar seedlings.

The award period is from September 1, 2023 to August 29, 2028.

The project will also restore globally threatened AWC (chamaecyparis thyoides) forests within its historic range . 1) the proposed work includes a) create elevation, shallow water and wetland edge habitat for eastern black rail breeding habitat adjacent to a canal (3 acres) and to improve water quality (grassy ridge flood reduction study) b) conversion of 40 acres of cropland to early successional emergent wetland with hummocks that will provide preferred habitat for breeding black rails c) conversion of 30 acres of cropland to AWC forest. AWC seedlings will be planted building on previous restoration at 1) restoration stand planted by weyerhaeuser with support from USFWS on refuge in the early 1990S and 2) the millennium forest planted by volunteers in 2002. The interested public and local school children will be educated on the progress of this work and will assist with local volunteer planting of AWC seedlings.