The Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge is located in North Carolina 's Inner Banks on the Albemarle-Pamlico Peninsula in Hyde , Tyrrell , and Washington Counties, North Carolina . Its headquarters is located in Columbia .
20-652: Pocosin Lakes NWR was established in 1990. Originally, the 12,000-acre (49 km) southwestern portion of the refuge, now known as the Pungo Unit , was established in 1963 as the Pungo National Wildlife Refuge, but was merged in 1990 with Pocosin Lakes. The National Wildlife Refuge is 110,106 acres (446 km), and approximately 90,000 acres (364 km) were donated. The refuge is named for
40-477: Is home to more than 200 species of birds. The Pungo Lake unit is a notable overwintering site for Tundra swans , snow geese , and many species of ducks, with about 100,000 waterfowl in residence between November and January. Nearly one-third of the refuge is currently undergoing hydrology restoration. Two notable wildfires have burned within the Pocosin Lakes NWR since its protection. In April 1985,
60-662: Is located in North Carolina 's Inner Banks on the Albemarle-Pamlico Peninsula in Hyde , Tyrrell , and Washington Counties, North Carolina . Its headquarters is located in Columbia . Pocosin Lakes NWR was established in 1990. Originally, the 12,000-acre (49 km ) southwestern portion of the refuge, now known as the Pungo Unit , was established in 1963 as the Pungo National Wildlife Refuge, but
80-569: Is one of the five largest freshwater lakes in the state. It is the smallest of the Pocosin Lakes . Pungo Lake is a black water lake, with no submerged vegetation due to the fact that sunlight can not penetrate its waters. The lake is believed to have formed after a ground fire burned peat deposits, creating a large depression which filled with rainwater. The lake was named after the Machapunga people. There were attempts to drain
100-526: The Secotan and Machapunga tribes are both recorded in the area. The Machapunga people and Pungo Lake may share name roots; an 1888 account of a group of displaced "Mattamuskeet Indians" in Robeson County reports that they referred to Pungo Lake as Mattapungo. Following European colonization, the pocosin lakes were quickly modified and developed in an attempt to expand available crop land. In 1840,
120-407: The Secotan and Machapunga tribes are both recorded in the area. The Machapunga people and Pungo Lake may share name roots; an 1888 account of a group of displaced "Mattamuskeet Indians" in Robeson County reports that they referred to Pungo Lake as Mattapungo. Following European colonization, the pocosin lakes were quickly modified and developed in an attempt to expand available crop land. In 1840,
140-468: The pocosin peat wetlands that make up the majority of the protected habitat. This refuge is home to indigenous animals such as the black bear , alligator , two species of fox , bobcat , raccoon , coyote , opossum , beaver , river otter , mink , and red wolf . It was the site chosen for the reintroduction of the endangered red wolf in 1987. It is located along the Atlantic Flyway and
160-606: The Allen Road Fire ignited in the refuge, burning nearly 100,000 acres over three weeks and requiring assistance from the Marines to extinguish the peat 'ground fires' it left in its wake. On June 1, 2008, lightning struck the refuge and started a wildfire known as the Evans Road Fire that had, as of 17 September 2008, spread to about 40,704 acres (164.72 km), and burned much of the same land before it
180-459: The Pocosin Lakes NWR since its protection. In April 1985, the Allen Road Fire ignited in the refuge, burning nearly 100,000 acres over three weeks and requiring assistance from the Marines to extinguish the peat 'ground fires' it left in its wake. On June 1, 2008, lightning struck the refuge and started a wildfire known as the Evans Road Fire that had, as of 17 September 2008 , spread to about 40,704 acres (164.72 km ), and burned much of
200-548: The lake in the 1840s and 1850s, and it was connected to Pungo River via canal, but there have never been any major settlements around it. The soil surrounding the lake is too peat -rich to be used for agriculture. The lake is a part of the Pungo unit of the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge . The lake became a national wildlife refuge in the 1960s, and additional land was included in
220-697: The lake's surface level by at least 5 feet, and the Pungo Lake Canal still extends from the lake to the Pungo River . [REDACTED] This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service . Pungo Lake Pungo Lake is a freshwater lake in Washington County and Hyde County , North Carolina. The lake has an area of about 2,800 acres, and
SECTION 10
#1732786593582240-736: The refuge in the 1990s. It is a refuge for many migratory bird species, including snow geese , tundra swans . marsh birds, wood ducks , owls, and hawks. Other species that inhabit the Pungo Lake area include red wolves, white-tailed deer, otters, bobcats, and alligators. https://www.fws.gov/refuge/pocosin-lakes 35°42′51″N 76°33′03″W / 35.71417°N 76.55083°W / 35.71417; -76.55083 Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge The Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge
260-472: The refuge's documented history mention the presence of various Native American artifacts on the shores of Pungo Lake. The region was populated by tribes of Algonquian peoples up until the late Woodland period . The word "pocosin" itself comes from an Algonquian language via an uncertain etymology. While tribal organization and boundaries changed rapidly during the era of colonization, as conflict and disease inflicted high mortality rates on indigenous peoples,
280-471: The refuge's documented history mention the presence of various Native American artifacts on the shores of Pungo Lake. The region was populated by tribes of Algonquian peoples up until the late Woodland period . The word "pocosin" itself comes from an Algonquian language via an uncertain etymology. While tribal organization and boundaries changed rapidly during the era of colonization, as conflict and disease inflicted high mortality rates on indigenous peoples,
300-524: The same land before it was completely contained. The fire was declared out on January 9, 2009. Human presence in the Pocosin Lakes region likely dates back as many as 10,000 years. Though little systematic archaeological investigation of the Pocosin Lakes NWR has been undertaken, the adjacent Phelps Lake was found to contain more than 30 dugout canoes, some as many as 4,400 years old. Indigenous people likely lived nearby, and accounts from early in
320-407: The state (via its agent "The Literary Board") began a decade-long attempt to drain Pungo Lake in what is now the Pocosin Lakes NWR. A 25-foot-wide canal was excavated by enslaved people, who worked knee-deep in water and were housed in "shanties" along the edges of the canals. Though efforts to drain the lake were eventually abandoned when little usable land was revealed, the canal construction did drop
340-407: The state (via its agent "The Literary Board") began a decade-long attempt to drain Pungo Lake in what is now the Pocosin Lakes NWR. A 25-foot-wide canal was excavated by enslaved people, who worked knee-deep in water and were housed in "shanties" along the edges of the canals. Though efforts to drain the lake were eventually abandoned when little usable land was revealed, the canal construction did drop
360-434: Was completely contained. The fire was declared out on January 9, 2009. Human presence in the Pocosin Lakes region likely dates back as many as 10,000 years. Though little systematic archaeological investigation of the Pocosin Lakes NWR has been undertaken, the adjacent Phelps Lake was found to contain more than 30 dugout canoes, some as many as 4,400 years old. Indigenous people likely lived nearby, and accounts from early in
380-464: Was merged in 1990 with Pocosin Lakes. The National Wildlife Refuge is 110,106 acres (446 km ), and approximately 90,000 acres (364 km ) were donated. The refuge is named for the pocosin peat wetlands that make up the majority of the protected habitat. This refuge is home to indigenous animals such as the black bear , alligator , two species of fox , bobcat , raccoon , coyote , opossum , beaver , river otter , mink , and red wolf . It
400-479: Was the site chosen for the reintroduction of the endangered red wolf in 1987. It is located along the Atlantic Flyway and is home to more than 200 species of birds. The Pungo Lake unit is a notable overwintering site for Tundra swans , snow geese , and many species of ducks, with about 100,000 waterfowl in residence between November and January. Nearly one-third of the refuge is currently undergoing hydrology restoration. Two notable wildfires have burned within
#581418