The pocosin ecological reserve i (per i) totals 14593 acres of drained pocosin habitat adjacent to the pocosin lakes national wildlife refuge (plnwr)

This federal Cooperative Agreement award from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) under the National Wildlife Refuge System Enhancements program (CFDA 15.654) will provide $202,722 to Pantheon Regeneration PBC to restore and improve the ecology of the 14,593-acre Pocosin Ecological Reserve I adjacent to the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina. The project aims to restore pocosin wetlands, mitigate fire risk, increase biodiversity, protect water quality, reduce artificial drainage, and sequester carbon on both properties. Pantheon will collaborate with USFWS to manage shared canals, install and maintain water control structures, and implement landscape-scale restoration activities to create healthy, functioning pocosin wetlands. The award has a period of performance from December 6, 2024 to November 30, 2027.

Pantheon regeneration PBC (pantheon) will work in collaboration with the U.S. Fish and wildlife service (USFWS) to restore and improve the ecology and increase the resilience of the natural pocosin ecosystem of per i and adjacent portions of plnwr. Pantheon and the USFWS will share management and maintenance responsibilities on shared canals which serve as the physical border between the per i and are partly owned by pantheon and USFWS. Pantheon and USFWS will collaborate to obtain install manage and maintain water six control structures for the shared canals that meet the objectives for peatland and pocosin hydrologic restoration in plnwr water management plan and benefit landscape scale restoration on per i and plnwr. The shared intent of this restoration is to create healthy functioning pocosin wetlands mitigate fire risk increase biodiversity protect water quality reduce artificial drainage and sequester carbon on both properties.