North Carolina's Outer Banks is home to many beautiful estuaries. Estuaries are coastal areas with shallow waters that are mixed with sea water and freshwater flowing from watersheds. These areas are known as nurseries for thousands of species of sea creatures. Sea turtles come ashore to lay their eggs and when those hatch, the baby turtles scramble back toward the ocean where they will live out their lives. Fish, manatee, sharks, starfish, and many other species are at home in the Croatan Sound Estuary.

1. Kella Randolph
Croatan Sound
Estuary

2. • Location
• Importance
• Plant life
• Animal life
• Rivers, streams and other waterways that feed into the sound
• Threats to the Croatan Sound estuary
Croatan Sound Estuary

3. • Croatan National Forest is the only one of the four national forests
found in North Carolina to be located along the eastern coast rather
than in the western mountains. It also has the distinction of being
the only true coastal forest east of the Mississippi. Croatan National
Forest protects nearly 160,000 acres of pine forests, saltwater
estuaries, bogs and pocosins; in particular, the pocosin ecosystems
– essentially raised swamplands – are unique geological features of
this forest. Bordered on the north by the Neuse River, on the south
by Bogue Sound, and on the west by the White Oak River, it is not
surprising that activities many activities are water related: swimming,
canoeing, boating, and fishing. 43 miles of trails offer opportunities
for hiking and nature walks, however, and there are three
campgrounds. http://www.nchistorichundred.com/home-geographic-regions/region-three-southeast-coastal-plain/carteret/
Croatan National Forest

4. The Croatan Sound is one of the smaller
sounds on the Outer Banks of North
Carolina. It connects Pamlico Sound with
Albemarle Sound and is bordered on the
east by Roanoke Island. Roanoke Sound
is on the other side of the island. Two
bridges cross Croatan Sound, the
Umstead Bridge and the Virginia Dare
Memorial Bridge which carries U. S.
route 64. www.usends.com
Location of the
Croatan Sound
Estuary
https://images.app.goo.gl/Zk71vPuWmZ24zC517
https://images.app.goo.gl/
P63R66X8Tx5NKzrp7

5. • Estuaries come in all shapes and sizes and go by many
different names, often known as bays, lagoons, harbors,
inlets, or sounds. (Note not all water bodies by those
names are necessarily estuaries. The defining feature of
an estuary is the mixing of fresh and salt water, not the
name.)
http://thewildclassroom.com/biomes/estuaries.html
An estuary is a partially enclosed body of
water formed where freshwater from
rivers and streams flows into the ocean,
mixing with the salty sea water. Estuaries
and the lands surrounding them are
places of transition from land to sea, and
from fresh to salt water. Although
influenced by the tides, estuaries are
protected from the full force of ocean
waves, winds, and storms by the reefs,
barrier islands, or fingers of land, mud, or
sand that define an estuary's seaward
boundary.
What is an estuary?

6. • The tidal, sheltered waters of estuaries support unique
communities of plants and animals, specially adapted for
life at the margin of the sea. Estuarine environments are
among the most productive on earth, creating more
organic matter each year than comparably-sized areas
of forest, grassland, or agricultural land. Many different
habitat types are found in and around estuaries,
including shallow open waters, freshwater and salt
marshes, sandy beaches, mud and sand flats, rocky
shores, oyster reefs, mangrove forests, river deltas, tidal
pools, sea grass and kelp beds, and wooded swamps.
• The productivity and variety of estuarine habitats foster a
wonderful abundance and diversity of wildlife. Shore
birds, fish, crabs and lobsters, marine mammals, clams
and other shellfish, marine worms, sea birds, and
reptiles are just some of the animals that make their
homes in and around estuaries. These animals are
linked to one another and to an assortment of
specialized plants and microscopic organisms through
complex food webs and other interactions.
http://thewildclassroom.com/biomes/estuaries.html
http://vidaecorganica.blogspot.com/2011/02/los-
humedales-costeros-cuencas.html
Estuaries are places where rivers
meet the sea. They are fascinating
and beautiful ecosystems distinct
from all other places on earth.

7. Importance of
the Croatan
Sound Estuary
The Croatan National Forest's 160,000 acres have pine
forests, saltwater estuaries, bogs and raised swamps called
pocosins. Bordered on three sides by tidal rivers and the
Bogue Sound, the forest is defined by water.
All this water provides a variety of recreation and diversity
of wildlife- from deer, black bears and turkeys to wading
birds, ospreys and alligators. Canoeing and fishing are
popular on blackwater creeks and saltwater marshes. The
Croatan is also home to the carnivorous Venus fly-trap,
sunder and pitcherplant.
The Croatan National Forest has one Ranger District, the
Croatan Ranger District. Please contact the District for
more information. http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/nfsnc/recarea/?recid=48466

8. • Estuaries are a type of environmental filter as plants and
animals in estuaries filter pollutants out of the water. Particles in
the water are either removed by chemical processes (aerobic
respiration, sulfate reduction, methanogenesis) or by the
feeding of estuarine animals and bacteria. For instance, salt
marsh plants trap some of the chemicals and pathogens carried
by rivers and move them into soils where they can be
neutralized. Oysters filter impurities out of water as they eat,
collecting the contaminants in their bodies. One oyster can filter
twenty-five gallons of water per day. Bacteria eat organic matter
found in the sediment and in turn release carbon dioxide,
hydrogen sulfate and methane into the atmosphere preventing
these gases from being excessively stored up in the estuary.
However, toxins can accumulate in estuaries causing many
environmental and health problems. http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/544?ref=search

9. Spotted sea trout, red drum fish, and pink shrimp spend their early lives among the
underwater plants, and predators such as flounder and rays hunt there. Bay scallops attach
to the blades of plants. Spots, croakers, mullets, and sturgeon feed on algae and tiny
animals on the soft floor of the estuary. Flounder, shrimp, and kingfish hatch there, and
clams and worms burrow into the mud and sand.
Migratory birds, including tundra swans, sea ducks, and snow geese, winter along the
estuary. Egrets and herons fish in the salt marshes. Loggerhead sea turtles hatch on the
beach and head out to Pamlico Sound to feed. http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/544?ref=search
Many birds and animals in danger of extinction depend on North Carolina’s estuaries.

10. Plants of the Croatan Sound Estuary
https://images.app.goo.gl/TRUJxNsMeahAjoGb8
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/common
s/thumb/7/7f/Patsy_pond_croatan_nf.jpg/284px-
Patsy_pond_croatan_nf.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/63/Sundew_i
n_croatan_national_forest.jpg/1280px-
Sundew_in_croatan_national_forest.jpg

11. Spike grass is a short grass species that grows near and around marshland. It is the most common type of grass along the
shoreline of estuaries. Cordgrass can often be found in areas of low elevation in the marsh. The flowering stalks resemble wheat
and are arranged along one side of the stalk. http://excitingfacts.weebly.com/estuary-plants.html
Sea lavender plants are farthest away from the water in
estuary biomes.
Purple
loosestrife lives
in marshland
and near the
shoreline.
https://images.app.goo.gl/djQHA
uYtkNhvaehP8
https://images.app.goo.gl/5mcK7QXosoHNfzsT7

12. • Two rare sea turtle species come ashore to lay eggs on ocean beaches of the Pasquotank River Basin:
loggerhead and green turtles, which are both federally listed as threatened species. The Kemp’s Ridley
sea turtle, which is federally listed as endangered, is occasionally seen in sounds. The federally
endangered hawksbill and leatherback sea turtles are rare visitors to the sounds. The West Indian
manatee can be seen occasionally in North Carolina’s inlets, estuaries and rivers between June and
October. Manatees’ tendency to rest near the surface of the water makes them vulnerable to boat
propellers. http://www.eenorthcarolina.org/Documents/RiverBasin_pdfs/final_web_pasquotank.pdf
Animals of the Croatan Sound Estuary
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https://images.app.goo.gl/UWzmv5KabsuWsmUy
6

13. Left to right: black bear, deer, raccoon, alligator, white egret, blue heron,
osprey, and wild turkey.
Photos courtesy of Flickr, Wikipedia and Creative Commons.
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ommons/a/a5/American_Alligator.JPG
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/common
s/thumb/8/80/Egretta_garzetta_-
_Sydney_Olympic_Park.jpg/1200px-
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https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/
b/be/Ardea_herodias%2C_Coleman_Beach_-
_by_Mike_Baird_%28cropped%29.jpg
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http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9-
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TJY/s1600/TurkeyFlock.jpg

14. Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV)
and animal life below the surface
https://images.app.goo.gl/35W
X4HroaZK1mDtD7
https://images.app.goo.gl/cYkTnrh5C1T1zmd48
https://images.app.goo.gl/Cv22T14gnYau4JiYA

15. • Atlantic Ocean
• Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway
• Currituck Sound
• Albemarle Sound
• Croatan Sound
• Roanoke Sound
• Oregon Inlet
• Pamlico Sound
• Hatteras Inlet
• Onslow Bay
• Raleigh Bay
• Ocracoke Inlet
• Core Sound
• Drum Inlet
• Barden Inlet
• Back Sound
• New Inlet
• Isabel Inlet
• Map courtesy of Flickr
Rivers, streams and waterways of the
Croatan Sound Estuary
https://images.app.goo.gl/XD7bhc6Sx9UGJtmP6

16. • Excessive Nutrients
• Nutrients are substances which help plants and animals grow. Two nutrients,
nitrogen and phosphorous, are present in plant fertilizer and wastes from animals
and people. Rain can wash fertilizer from lawns and fields into streams and the
Sounds. This type of pollution is called "nonpoint source" since it does not come
from a single point, but it is from water running off a large land area. Sewage
treatment plants and leaky septic systems can also add nutrients to the water.
When pollution comes from a single point, such as an outfall pipe, it is called
"point source" pollution.
• When too many nutrients get into the water, they disturb the natural balance by
allowing too much algae (microscopic plants) to grow. The algae cloud the water
and block vital sunlight to underwater plants (submerged aquatic vegetation or
SAV). When the algae die and decay, they use up much of the oxygen needed by
fish and shellfish, often killing them. https://www.fws.gov/nc-
es/edout/albewhatwrong.html
Threats to the Croatan Sound Estuary

17. • Toxics are chemicals that can cause cancer (carcinogens) or other harmful
effects. Their effects can be immediate such as a poison, or occur very
slowly such as with cancer. Streams and rivers are very effective at hiding
the effects of poisons. Often the fish that are killed are not seen. They may
be small and hard to see or eaten by turtles, snakes, crabs, or other
scavengers. Modern pesticides (i.e., chemicals used to kill animals,
insects, or plants) used on lawns and fields are very poisonous but,
fortunately, they break down much more quickly than older pesticides such
as DDT. Because these modem pesticides are toxic they should not be
used near rivers or streams or along roads with storm drains which lead to
a stream. Cancer-causing substances enter our rivers from municipal
sewage treatment plants or industrial discharges and sometimes from
nonpoint source discharges. Although we are usually exposed to low
concentrations of carcinogens, there are thousands of cancer-causing
agents. The cumulative effects of these agents is not fully understood.
https://www.fws.gov/nc-es/edout/albewhatwrong.html
Toxic Materials

18. • Every time it rains around the Albemarle-Pamlico watershed, water
erodes the land. The precious soil which washes away into streams
is called sediment. Sediments are carried downstream and may
eventually enter the Sounds, where they settle out of the water and
cover the bottom.
• Sediments can harm Sound life in several ways. Sediment particles
pick up toxic materials on their surface and concentrate them on the
bottom of the Sound. Floating or suspended sediment clouds the
water, cutting off light to SAV. Excess sediment smothers clams,
oysters, and other bottom dwellers.
• https://www.fws.gov/nc-es/edout/albewhatwrong.html
Erosion and Sedimentation

19. • An animal s habitat is its home. Habitat provides shelter, food, water,
and space. As more and more people come to live and work around
the Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds, more and more habitat is being
lost. Some animals, such as squirrels, can adapt to these changes
and learn to coexist with humans. But many others, such as black
bears, bald eagles, and black ducks, do not adapt well to change.
Habitat damage and loss can decrease a population of plants or
animals or even cause extinction.
• Wetlands, one of the most important types of habitat, are threatened
all around the Albemarle-Pamlico watershed. They are filled in for
development, drained for agriculture, or dredged for marinas.
Pollution has degraded water quality in the Sounds and their rivers,
resulting in declines of important SAV and scallops.
• https://www.fws.gov/nc-es/edout/albewhatwrong.html
Habitat Loss

20. • City Sewage Treatment Plants:
Due to an increase in population, many sewage treatment
plants receive more wastewater than they have been designed
to handle. Often this leads to discharge of poorly treated
sewage into our rivers and streams.
• Industry:
Treating wastewater to the extent that it does not harm the
environment takes a special effort. Certain industries do
excellent jobs of cleaning their wastewater, but others do not.
Since industries release tens of millions of gallons of
wastewater into our rivers every day, proper treatment is
essential.
What creates these problems?

21. • Agriculture and Forestry:
Farms and forestry operations that allow sediment or pesticides to enter our rivers and
streams, or that infringe upon wetlands, damage our estuary.
• Development:
Runoff during construction and from parking lots should be controlled to prevent erosion.
Wetland areas should be preserved; they do not make good locations for homes and
shopping
centers.
• Consumers:
Most environmental problems are ultimately caused by the consumer. Industry and business
must make a profit to provide jobs. We, as individuals, can help by doing our share. We can
buy environmentally sound products such as brown paper; do without immaculate lawns
which require fertilizers and pesticides; and do not waste water.
• https://www.fws.gov/nc-es/edout/albewhatwrong.html

22. • The Sounds depend on us for life just as we depend on the
Sounds. Therefore, it is extremely important that we
exercise great care with our actions. We must become
responsible citizen caretakers of the Croatan watershed in
order to restore and preserve our natural neighborhood.
How Can I help?

23. • Conserve water. Take short showers; run dish and clothes washers only when full; and place a
plastic bottle in the toilet tank to reduce the amount of water flushed.
•Make certain your septic system is working well and is not overflowing.
•Use household chemicals and pesticides carefully. Choose the least toxic material, and buy only what
you need. Follow instructions, and dispose of leftovers carefully.
•Plant vegetation along streams to prevent soil erosion and to absorb excess nutrients from fertilizers.
• Recycle used oil, paper, aluminum cans, and glass.
• Use a sewage pump-out station on land to empty boat toilets.
• Observe posted boat speed limits. Large wakes from boats can erode shorelines and banks.
• Clean up debris and trash from a local stream to improve stream flow and water quality.
https://www.fws.gov/nc-es/edout/albewhatwrong.html
Here’s how I can help.

24. • http://www.outerbanks.com/croatan-sound.html
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croatan_Sound
• https://www.fws.gov/nc-es/edout/albewhatwrong.html
• http://thewildclassroom.com/biomes/estuaries.html
• http://vidaecorganica.blogspot.com/2011/02/los-humedales-costeros-
cuencas.htm
• http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/nfsnc/recarea/?recid=48466
• http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/544?ref=search
• http://excitingfacts.weebly.com/estuary-plants.html
• http://www.eenorthcarolina.org/Documents/RiverBasin_pdfs/final_we
b_pasquotank.pdf
• Photos courtesy of Flickr, Wikipedia and Creative Commons.
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