Wetland restoration work begins at Carolina Beach State Park
CAROLINA BEACH, NC (WWAY) — The North Carolina Coastal Federation, along with the North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation, will begin work to restore 10 acres of wetland habitat in Carolina Beach State Park.
The work is set to begin on February 27th to restore and enhance the tidal marsh habitat between the Sugarloaf and Swamp trails within the park.
That site, once a healthy tidal marsh, has been highly disturbed and has since suffered heavily from the invasive plant species Phragmites australis.
The park and its partners have worked to remove the Phragmites through burning, pesticide treatment, and cutting.
Restoration work will take place over the next several weeks and will be implemented 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
The land is owned by the U.S. Department of Defense, managed by the Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point and considered part of their safety buffer zone. Carolina Beach State Park leases the land and maintains it for wildlife and visitor use.
Bree Charron, Federation Water Quality Program Director, and Coastal Engineer explained the importance of this restoration project.
“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.”
Work is expected to be completed in April of 2023.
Monitoring of the site will continue for several months following the completion of the work. The Federation is planning to host a volunteer event in early summer to help place native plants in the restored areas.
Visitors to the park should be aware of temporary trail and parking closures during construction as well as increased vehicle traffic.
Details of these closures will be posted to the park webpage.
