Highlights of 1995 Division of Parks and Recreation, PO Box 27687,Raleigh, NC 27611
NOTES FROM THE NORTH CAROLINA NATURAL HERITAG PROGRAM
NATURAL AREA AND RARE SPECIES INVENTORIES
Inventories Completed
In 1995
The NC Natural Heritage Program
(NC NHP) cdmpleted several natural
area and rare species inventories in
1995. These include inventories of
Brunswick, Buncombe, Columbus,
Durham, Guilford, and Surry
counties. Inventories of Dare County
Air Force Range, Dismal Swamp State
Natural Area, French Broad Ranger
District, the Paint Hill section of
Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature
Preserve, and Piedmont Mafic Natural
Areas were also completed in 1995.
Lejeune (Phase III). Hickory Nut Gorge,
and Holly Shelter Gamelands are also
in progress.
Rare species surveys are being
conducted for Arogos skipper (Atrytone
arogos arogos), moths and butterflies
of several state parks, moths in areas
treated for the Asian gypsy moth, and
25 species of mosses, liverworts, and
horn worts in the Southern
Appalachian ,Mountains.
Notable State Parks
Inventories
* Dismal Swamp State Natural Area
Rare species surveys for savanna Inventory. The Dismal Swamp State
indigo-bush (Amorpha georgiana var. Natural Area (DSSNA). acquired by the
conjusa), Georgia indigo-bush State in 1974, protects over 14,000
(Amorpha georgiana var. confusa), acres of the Great Dismal Swamp. In
Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipul.a), 1993, the Natural Heritage Trust Fund
white wicky (Kalmia cuneata), provided funding for a biological
pin eland plantain (Plantago Amorpha georgtana var. georgiana inventory of the DSSNA. This inventory
sparsijl.ora), sun-facing coneflower by Margret Mueller was conducted by Harry LeGrand, NC
(Rudbeckia heliopsidis), and wire leaf dropseed NHP zoologist; John Fussell, consulting biologist; and
(Sporobolus teretifolius) were completed as well as a David Webster, zoologist at UNC-Wilmington.
recovery plan for rough-leaf loosestrife (Lysimachia
asperulifolia).
Ongoing Inventory Projects
Inventories for Forsyth, Haywood, Iredell, Lee (Phase
I), Mecklenburg, Onslow, Rockingham, and Stokes
counties are currently underway. Inventories at Camp
Four natural community types are pr.esent at DSSNA
-- Nonriverine Swamp Forest (about 7,900 acres),
Pond Pine Woodland (about 5,600 acres), Peatland
Atlantic White Cedar Forest (about 890 acres), and a
marginal example of High Pocosin. These extensive
forests contain a large breeding population of
Neotropical migrant birds and provide habitat for
large mammals such as the black bear.
NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT, HEALTH, AND NATURAL RESOURCES
J ames B. Hunt Jr., Governor Jonathan B. Howes, Secretary