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| Hunting
and fishing is permitted seasonally on the lake. |
Lake
Mattamuskeet
(Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge)
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| Thousands
of snow geese feed in the farm fields around the
lake. |
The 40,000 acre Lake Mattamuskeet,
18 miles long and 6 miles wide(1), is surrounded
by over 6,000 acres of freshwater marsh and forested wetlands(1).
This natural lake, the largest in North Carolina, is a mecca
for bird-watching enthusiasts. It has been a national wildlife
refuge since 1934.
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| Tundra
swans by the tens of thousands winter at Lake Mattamuskeet. |
In the 16th century, when the first
English explorers along North Carolina's coast visited
the lake, it covered three times its present area. Ever
since
that time there has been interest in draining the lake
to make fertile farmland. Early attempts to do so in
the 1700's
were nixed or thwarted. But in 1837 a canal was finally
dug from the lake to Wysocking Bay on Pamlico Sound.
This drained
all the water from the lake that was above sea level,
shrinking the lake from 120,000 acres to just 55,000
acres(3).
Since the remainder of the water was below sea level,
it would have to be pumped out. During the 25 years between
1909 and
1934 the lake was pumped completely empty three different
times as part of the effort to convert it and surrounding
land for farming(3).
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| The
pumping station still provides an eye-catching
visitor attraction. |
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| Many
egrets, herons and other wading birds are found
in the marsh areas surrounding the lake. |
This was a gargantuan and costly effort,
requiring the dredging of more than 100 miles of canals and
the construction of a huge pumping plant to lift the water
from the lake level into the main canal which carried it
to the sound. In the end the massive efforts ended in failures
and bankruptcies. The pumping plant was eventually turned
into a hotel and restaurant, and served as a popular hunting
lodge for many years. Presently the building is closed due
to corrosion of the steel supporting structure, making it
unsafe for visitors. A much more detailed history is available
at www.mattamuskeet.org.
Today Lake Mattamuskeet is well-known
for the vast flocks of wintering tundra swans estimated at
up to 35,000(1). Canada geese and snow geese numbering
6,000-11,000(1) or more also gather here between
November and January. Its location along the Atlantic Flyway
makes it a prime site for viewing migratory birds of many
species. It is home seasonally to more than 240(1) species
of birds, including bald eagles, peregrine falcons, osprey,
and a great variety of ducks and shorebirds(2).
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| Tundra
swans are a big attraction for bird watchers. |
Neighboring Swan Quarter National Wildlife
Refuge compliments Lake Mattamuskeet. It provides additional
protected marshland and sound waters where visitors can view
the plethora of ducks, geese, swans, wading birds and raptors
that are found here.
(1)
Figures from U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
(2) Information from U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
(3) Figures and historical information from www.mattamuskeet.org |
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