| Fast Facts |
location
100 miles east of Raleigh
ecoregion
Mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain
project size
150,000 acres
preserves
Camassia Slopes, Devil’s Gut, Larkspur Ridge
public lands
Roanoke River National Wildlife Refuge, Roanoke River Game Lands
partners
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Roanoke River Partners, Roanoke River Basin Association, Weyerhaeuser Corporation
conservancy initiatives
Freshwater, Global Climate Change, Marine
natural events
neotropical songbird migration, spring; blossoming trees and wildflowers, late March–early April | |
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Floods are the life force that sustains this bottomland hardwood forest and, in turn, the local economy. |
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Canoeing the Roanoke.
© Elizabeth Zeschin |
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Near the end of its 400-mile journey from the Blue Ridge Mountains to Albemarle Sound, the Roanoke River winds a lazy course through North Carolina’s coastal plain, spreading wide among moss-draped tupelos and the knees of ancient bald cypress. Muddy channels and blackwater tributaries conceal the largest and most diverse collection of migratory fish in the mid-Atlantic. In 2000 the endangered short-nosed sturgeon was discovered at the mouth of the Roanoke, possibly signifying the existence of a small breeding population of the rare fish.
Roanoke is a Native American word meaning “river of death,” a reference to the dramatic floods that have often taken human lives over the centuries. But the Roanoke is also a river of life, for these same floods supply valuable nutrients to sustain the loamy bottomland hardwood forest supporting North Carolina’s healthiest black bear population, as well as river otter, bobcat and myriad amphibian, reptile and insect species. This swampy sanctuary also serves as a natural aviary for as many as 214 bird species. Barred owls and bald eagles patrol treetop perches, while long-legged egret and heron tiptoe through the muddy shallows below. The Roanoke beckons 88 breeding birds, including 44 neotropical migratory songbirds that visit every spring. |
Wood duck.
© Wendy Shattil/Bob Rozinski |
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In the late 1990s a paddling trail was designed to give access to this vast, watery landscape and demonstrate the value of protecting ecosystems to generate ecotourism dollars. Secluded camping platforms and more than 200 miles of rivers and creeks create a unique wilderness experience that is gaining international attention. | |
But this wilderness could be in jeopardy if the natural water flows of the river are not restored. A series of upstream dams flattens out high and low flows and threatens to degrade the rich ecosystem. By preserving the flow requirements of a naturally functioning river, The Nature Conservancy is demonstrating to private power companies and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers how their dams can continue producing hydropower and controlling floods while allowing water releases that mimic natural floods.
Learn more about The Nature Conservancy's work in North Carolina. |
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| Conservation Profile |
targets
old-growth water tupelo, old-growth bald cypress, short-nosed sturgeon, black bear, cerulean warbler, wood duck, bald eagle
stresses
dams that interfere with natural floods, habitat fragmentation, overharvesting of timber
strategies
restore ecosystems, modify dam operations, acquire land, secure conservation easements, promote ecotourism
results
60,000 acres in conservation management; working with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to improve dam operations; Roanoke River Paddle Trail established | | | | |
