THIS INFORMATION FROM A NEWS RELEASE SENT TO THE WWAY NEWSCHANNEL 3 NEWSROOM
DURHAM, NC (NATURE CONSERVANCY) -– Longleaf pine need regular fire to survive and thrive. So do carnivorous plants like venus flytraps and pitcher plants. In fact, many of the southeast coastal plain’s most important residents are fire dependent. That's why The Nature Conservancy will once again be conducting burns at its coastal preserves during the winter and early spring months.
"This area is home to some pretty amazing plants and animals," explained Angie Carl, who directs the Conservancy’s controlled burn efforts out of its Wilmington office. "Venus flytraps, for instance, are found in the wild in this one corner of the world. They need fire to grow. It is amazing to visit one of the areas we have burned."
In the coming months, the Conservancy will be burning at Green Swamp Preserve (Brunswick County), Myrtlehead Savanna Preserve (Brunswick County), Boiling Spring Lakes Preserve (Brunswick County), Old Dock Savanna Preserve (Columbus County), Angola Creek Flatwoods Preserve (Pender County), McLean Savanna Preserve (Pender County).
"People may see smoke in the area," Carl explained. "We want them to know it is for a good cause. We are restoring habitat and we are also making the area safer for people by removing the potential for large, damaging wildfire."
The Conservancy has created a Google map of its preserves where burning will occur. It is available at: http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&ll=34.457739,-77.7837....
The map will be updated throughout the season to show areas and acreage burned.