Conservation in North Carolina
North Carolina is part of the Atlantic Flyway and provides important winter habitat for waterfowl that are produced in the prairies, Great Lakes, and eastern Canada. North Carolina is unique in that it winters upwards of 80% of the continental Tundra Swan population. The bays, sounds and associated coastal wetlands provide important habitat for hundreds of thousands of Atlantic brant, several species of diving ducks, black ducks, and other species of puddle ducks. DU has worked to conserve over 43,000 acres of waterfowl habitat throughout North Carolina since 1985. DU’s Sound CARE Initiative seeks to conserve an additional 64,000 acres in North Carolina and on northern breeding grounds. Our goal is to conserve habitat to secure the future of waterfowl throughout North Carolina and North America. Your support of DU will help us achieve that goal.
North Carolina Habitat Projects
Southeastern Coastal Plain
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Pocosin Lakes NWR 2009
In March 2009, DU completed construction at Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge under an existing agreement with the 
US Fish and Wildlife Service. A combination of 49 water control structures and culverts were used to improve water delivery at Pocosin Lakes NWR, impacting 13,500 acres of unique pocosin habitat in Hyde, Tyrrell and Washington Counties in North Carolina. Pocosin Lakes NWR hosts large concentrations of migratory birds during winter, especially ducks and tundra swans. The refuge is home to an abundant black bear population and is a re-introduction site for the endangered red wolf.
The project greatly enhanced the ability of refuge staff to provide wildfire protection and suppression by increasing water delivery capabilities. Historically, a large portion of the refuge was ditched and drained, then cleared to support farming. The altered state of the soils made the lands more susceptible to intense wildfires during periods of hot, dry weather.
Roanoke River Wetlands Game Lands - North Carolina
See also:
Broadneck Unit
Roanoke River Game Lands
Whitley Tract Restoration Project
Restoration of 49 acres of prior-converted wetlands on the Roanoke River Wetlands Game Land - Conoho Farms Tract was completed in March 2005. Restoration elements included the installation of levees, water control structures and a well to provide supplemental water to three separate wetland units. Efforts are part of a landscape migratory bird initiative by DU and it's partners to restore critical wetland habitat along the Roanoke River. The hydrology has been altered due to a series of dams located upstream. This project will benefit the Roanoke River basin by providing habitat for waterfowl and other bird species, improving water quality within the river basin through sediment retention, and providing increased public recreational opportunities.
Funding for this project was provided by DU, North American Wetlands Conservation Council, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, and from an Environmental Enhancement Grant from the North Carolina Attorney General's Office in partnership with Smithfield Foods, Inc.