Wetland habitats in North Carolina have been getting the short end of the stick lately, what with the North Carolina Farm Act being passed on the heels of the U.S. Supreme Court Sackett V EPA decision. Combined, those two events resulted in a significant number of our state’s wetlands losing legal protection, as explained in our “NC Wetlands at Risk” blog article. Despite these challenges, a glimmer of hope emerged earlier this year when Governor Roy Cooper signed Executive Order No. 305, which outlined new goals to protect and restore natural resources in the state. By 2040, North Carolina public and private partners should work together to 1) permanently conserve 1 million new acres of forest and wetlands; 2) restore 1 million new acres of forests and wetlands; and 3) plant 1 million new trees in urban areas. As Governor Cooper put it, this will “leave our state better than we found it for generations to come.”
As is explained in the executive order, wetlands are much more than dirty, swampy mush-pits. Wetlands provide flood control, wildfire risk reduction, and filtration of water pollutants for our communities. This has become especially important as North Carolina has been getting hit more frequently with high-intensity hurricanes. Coastal wetlands absorb a lot of the force of these storms, and coastal and inland wetlands soak in a ton of water, which decreases flooding. However, as existing wetlands are drained for development and agricultural use, the amount of water that can be absorbed also shrinks, resulting in ever-increasing flood levels. The next time you feel the urge to bulldoze a wetland in order to build a beach house, remember that you will be removing a major form of flood control from that location. Unless the beach house is a houseboat, that decision will probably end poorly for the home’s occupants.
In addition to contributing to flood control in North Carolina, coastal marshes play an important role in our seafood industry. More than 90% of all commercially harvested fishery landings in the state are comprised of species that are dependent upon estuarine ecosystems. In addition, over 60% of fish harvested recreationally are species that need salt marsh habitats to survive. If all of the coastal marsh lands were to go away, North Carolina would lose a significant source of income. The value of these natural spaces is being recognized: in May of this year the North Carolina Salt Marsh Action Plan (NC SMAP) was released. This state plan was enacted in order to ensure that salt marshes would be protected and restored for generations to come.
The good news is, while wetlands in North Carolina are still under siege, more and more people are recognizing the value in letting them stick around. Executive Order No. 305 and NC SMAP are a great start but are hopefully not the end of wetland protections. Spend some time getting to know the wetland habitats in your community, and hit the road to see wetlands across the state, such as the Dismal Swamp State Park, or the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge. They might look dark, muddy, and spooky, but they are playing a very important role in making sure North Carolinians thrive for years to come.