Smoke rises in the pines Monday in a section of the Croatan National Forest after a prescribed burn of 561 acres in the area of Nine-Foot Road and Millis Swamp Road near Newport. The U.S. Forest Service also prescribed a burn of 499 acres off U.S. Highway 70, Hibbs Road and Shaver Road, near Newport. This controlled application of fire is to diminish fuel for wildfires and restore natural ecosystems. Note posted signs and watch for firefighters and personnel in the area. Helicopters assist during the burns, so drone use is prohibited. Photo: Dylan Ray
Croatan National Forest
Forest Service OKs plan to improve 100 acres of Croatan
The final decision authorizes the Croatan Ranger District to begin at Fisher’s Landing, Flanners Beach, Pine Cliff, and Siddie Fields recreation sites projects that include the removal of riprap and work to control erosion, stabilize the bank, upgrade restrooms, make trails and walkways safer and add group sites.
Happy trails
Aquatic vegetation appears to form a pleased expression on the water’s surface as viewed from above the Patsy Pond Nature Trail in the Croatan National Forest near Newport. The trails that are accessed from N.C. Highway 24 include lengths from 0.75 to 1.9 miles and are open from dawn to dusk. The small ponds here are fed by groundwater and often surrounded by carnivorous plants such as bladderwort and sundew. Photo: Dylan Ray
State awards $1.6 million to build, improve trails
Trail projects in Carteret County and Croatan National Forest’s Neusiok Trail have been awarded around $260,000 by North Carolina’s Recreational Trails Program.
Forest Service proposes new fees for two Croatan sites
U.S. Forest Service is accepting comment until Aug. 22 on proposed fees for Cedar Point day-use area and Flanners Beach day-use area.
Croatan asks for feedback on storm damage repair project
Croatan National Forest rangers are asking for comments on a proposed project to address damage on the Neuse River related to 2018’s Hurricane Florence.
Forest Service Plans Croatan Prescribed Fires
The U.S. Forest Service says it plans to conduct prescribed burns Monday in two areas of the Croatan National Forest.
Coastal Sketch: Gene and Sue Huntsman
The longtime members of the Carteret Wildlife Club and the driving force behind two major hiking trails will receive the Order of the Longleaf Pine, the state’s highest civilian honor.
The Life and Times of the Red-Cockaded Woodpecker
Sam Bland gets a ride-along with US Fish and Wildlife Service biologists as they locate and band endangered red-cockaded woodpecker chicks in the Croatan National Forest. Read more to find out how the birds are doing in their fight to survive.
A Healthy Forest Is a Burned One
“Fire dependent” may sound like an oxymoron, but a fire now burning in the Croatan National Forest will ensure that the longleaf pines will survive.
Giant Beavers or Celestial Encounters?
Catfish Lake in the Croatan National Forest is one of more than 500,000 Carolina bay lakes that dot the East Coast. Their origins are mysterious, though our Sam Bland is voting for the beavers.
