Wetland Treasures of the Carolinas
Celebrating 10 Years of Wetland Treasures
This year, we are celebrating the 10th anniversary of the first five Wetland Treasures designated in 2016
Antioch Bay
- Location: Hoke County, NC
- Wetland Type: Southern Appalachian bog, swamp forest-bog complex, semi-permanent impoundment
- Site Owner: The Nature Conservancy
Francis Beidler Forest
- Location: Dorchester County, SC
- Wetland Type: Cypress-tupelo swamp, bottomland hardwood forest
- Site Owner: National Audubon Society
- Plan a Visit: Directions
Green Swamp
- Location: Brunswick County, NC
- Wetland Type: Brunswick County in North Carolina
- Wetland Types: Pine savanna, high/low pocosin, bay forest, Atlantic white cedar forest
- Site Owner: The Nature Conservancy
- Plan a Visit: Directions
Mason Farm Wetlands
- Location: Orange County, NC
- Wetland Type: Piedmont swamp forest, alluvial forest, bottomland forest
- Site Owner: North Carolina Botanical Garden, part of UNC Chapel Hill
- Plan a Visit: Directions
Phelps Lake Shoreline
- Location: Washington County, NC
- Wetland Type: Natural lake shoreline swamp
- Site Owner: North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation
- Plan a Visit: https://www.ncparks.gov/state-parks/pettigrew-state-park
Explore Our Wetland Treasures
Alphabetical List by State
Each May during American Wetlands Month, Carolina Wetlands Association recognizes wetland sites across North Carolina and South Carolina. The long-term goal is to recognize high quality representatives of each of the wetland types found in each ecoregion (Mountains, Piedmont and Coastal Plain) of North and South Carolina . Collectively, Wetland Treasures will represent the wetland heritage of the Carolinas.
North Carolina
- Antioch Bay (Hoke County, NC)
- Black River Swamp (updated 9/20/2023) (Bladen, Pender and Sampson Counties, NC)
- Bluff Mountain Fen (Ashe County, NC)
- Brogden Bottomlands (Johnson County, NC)
- Carolina Beach State Park (New Hanover County, NC)
- Croatan National Forest (Craven, Carteret, and Jones counties, NC)
- Green Swamp (Brunswick County, NC)
- Goose Creek State Park (Beaufort County, NC)
- Hemlock Bluffs (Wake County, NC)
- Horseshoe Farm Nature Preserve (Wake County, NC)
- Kanuga Bog (updated 9/20/2023)(Henderson County, NC)
- Mason Farm Wetlands (Orange County, NC)
- Merchants Millpond (Gates County, NC)
- Panthertown Valley Bog (Jackson County, NC)
- Phelps Lake Shoreline (Washington County, NC)
- Pink Beds Bog (Pisgah National Forest, NC)
- Pocosin Lakes NWR (updated 9/20/2023) (Hyde and Washington Counties, NC)
- Richardson- Taylor Preserve (Guildford County, NC)
- Roanoke River National Wildlife Refuge (Bertie County, NC)
- Robertson Millpond (Wake County, NC)
- Scuppernong River Swamp (Tyrrell County, NC)
- Theodore Roosevelt State Natural Area (Carteret County, NC)
- West Branch Nature Preserve (Mecklenburg County, NC)
- Weymouth Woods State Park (Moore County, NC)
South Carolina
- Botany Bay Heritage Preserve (Charleston County, SC)
- Bunched Arrowhead Heritage Preserve (Greenville County, SC)
- Congaree National Park (Richland County, SC)
- Francis Beidler Forest (Dorchester County, SC)
- Hobcaw Barony Wetlands (Georgetown County, SC)
- Lewis Ocean Bay (Horry County, SC)
- Little Pee Dee Heritage Preserve (Horry and Marion Counties, SC)
- Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge (Beaufort County, SC)
- Santee Coastal Preserve (Charleston County, SC)
- Sparkleberry Swamp in (Lake Marion, SC)
- Wambaw Swamp Wilderness (Charleston County, SC)
- Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge (Georgetown, Horry, and Marion Counties, SC)
- Woods Bay (Florence, Clarendon, and Sumter counties, SC)
Recreation Opportunities
There are lots of way to enjoy our Wetland Treasures.
Click here for a list of options. Remember to check hours and rules with site owner before visiting.
Carolina Wetlands Association thanks Wisconsin Wetlands Association, whose Wetland Gems program (wisconsinwetlands.org/gems.htm) is the model for this program.
Photo Credit: William Conner, Hobcaw Barony Wetlands (Georgetown County, SC)