File:Coast watch (1979) (20471594660).jpg

Title: Coast watch
Identifier: coastwatch00uncs_0 (find matches)
Year: 1979 (1970s)
Authors: UNC Sea Grant College Program
Subjects: Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology
Publisher: (Raleigh, N. C. : UNC Sea Grant College Program)
Contributing Library: State Library of North Carolina
Digitizing Sponsor: North Carolina Digital Heritage Center

View Book Page: Book Viewer
About This Book: Catalog Entry
View All Images: All Images From Book
Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.

Text Appearing Before Image:
A little help for some web-footed friends Courtesy of N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission
Text Appearing After Image:
A hunter shoulders his gun for a live target Old timers talk of days when ducks and geese were so thick they shielded the sun like clouds over Currituck and Pamlico Sounds. No longer does that happen, they say. But many popula- tions, once on the brink of extinction, are on the upswing again, and they owe their revival to state and federal wildlife managers and conservation groups like Ducks Unlimited. The N.C. Wildlife Resources Com- mission, as part of its management scheme, operates 21 impoundments, encompassing several thousand acres, to provide suitable habitat for water- fowl. Dennis Luczcz says the water- fowl impoundments or man-made marshes are dyked areas where the water level is controlled with pumps. The water level is maintained at levels that encourage the growth of aquatic plants that are the prime diet for many waterfowl. Most of the impoundments are shallow, brackish water marshes, Luczcz says. The state also manages a few green- tree impoundments in the Croatan Forest. Under the green-tree system, low-lying hardwood forests are dyked and flooded with water during late fall and winter (during this period the water is not harmful to the hardwoods' root systems). These green-tree im- poundments are rich in acorns and seeds, another food source for ducks. Luczcz says the impoundment system is a costly one to maintain, but funds are provided by fees from gameland permits, hunting licenses and taxes on firearms. Some biologists say the state could do more for water- fowl habitat if state legislators would pass a state duck stamp (in addition to the federal duck stamp fee presently paid to hunt waterfowl). But legislators are hesitant to add the ad- ditional fee. Besides managing waterfowl im- poundments, the state wildlife com- mission also conducts aerial surveys to count waterfowl, investigates disease outbreaks and sets the season for waterfowl hunting. Luczcz says the hunting seasons don't change much from year to year because waterfowl populations don't change quickly. "We look at the overall trends in water- Con tinued on next page

Note About Images