The ecology of Atlantic white cedar wetlands - USGS National ...

Delma~a habitats are collectively characterizedby the presence of 16 plant taxa variouslynoted as rare in Delaware, Maryland, and Virginialists(see Chapter 5). Of particular interest is the associationof several carnivorous plants; the nationally rareswamp pink (Helonias bullata); and the Delmarva endemic,seaside alder (Ainus maritima). Human impactshave extended over three centuries andinclude millpond construction, fire, siltation, drainageand channelization, bulkheading of riverfront property,pollution, and commercial timbering. Existingstands are seen as prime habitats for natural areaconservation.2.4 VIRGINIA AND THE CAROLINASOn the Virginia mainland, Atlantic whitecedar is found only in the Great Dismal Swamp.Virginia's Eastern Shore stands are considered withthe rest of the Delmarva area in Section 2.3.2. Thehistorical range of Chamaecyparis in North andSouth Carolina has been documented by Frost (1 987and unpubl.)(Figure 14). Eastern North Carolina isthe subject of a case study, Chapter 7.2.4.1 The Great Dismal Swamp in Vir~ini andNorth CarolinaThe name "Dismal Swamp" originated incolonial days for the over 404,000 undrained hectaresbetween the James River in southeastern Virginiaand the Albemarle Sound in North Carolina(Oaks and Whitehead 1979). The Great DismalSwamp National Wildlife Refuge (GDSNWR), establishedin 1973, occupies a 43,000 ha rectangular remnantof the former swamp.Located approximately 48 km from the AtlanticOcean, the refuge lies between the citiesof Suffolkand Chesapeake inTidewater Virginia and withinGates, Camden, and Pasquotank Counties in NorthCarolina (Figure 15). It is delineated on the north byU.S. Route 58, on the south by U.S. Route 158, on theeast by Route 17, and on the west by the SuffolkScarp.Where no other source is indicated, the followingdiscussion is drawn from the draft environmentalimpact statement (EIS) for the Great DismalSwamp National Wildlife Refuge Master Plan(USFWS 1986b).A hha 1894A2 Ashe 1893II Byrd 1728E Elliott 1624H Hale 18830 Anon. 1907P Piachot b hhe 1897U Ruffin 1861W Bannister et al. 1903Y Wood C McCarthy 18861943 2 Hichaux 1857Figure 14. Historical range of Atlantic white cedar in the Carolinas. Letters in each county refer to sourcesin the literature, herbaria, or place names, as documented in Frost (1987, and unpubl.) (from Frost 1987).