A Look at Brunswick County Natural Areas with Roger D. Shew:

Southeastern North Carolina is a biodiversity hotspot. We gain significant ecological services as well as economic benefits from our plant communities and ecosystems. Healthy forests, marshes, and waterways are the primary reasons that people have moved to our area, but in addition to aesthetics and recreational opportunities, they also provide floodwater mitigation, shellfish and finfish nursery grounds and habitat, carbon storage, and more.  In this talk, we will survey some of these valuable ecosystems and some of the issues facing them as well as take a deeper dive into the history and importance of the longleaf pine (“the tree that built the South”) ecosystem that occurs in the Green Swamp and elsewhere. Brunswick County has many beautiful and significant natural areas that are worth protecting.