Catfish Lake South - B

Catfish Lake South - B occupies 172 acres of the Atlantic Coastal Plain within Croatan National Forest, North Carolina. The landscape is flat lowland terrain centered on Catfish Lake, which sits at 36 feet elevation and functions as the hydrologic hub for this system. Black Swamp Creek originates in the headwaters here and drains northward, while the Catfish Lake South Raised Bog and associated waterfowl impoundment canals structure water movement across the peatland. The raised peatland—a pocosin—sits slightly elevated above the surrounding terrain, creating a landscape where water accumulation and drainage patterns determine ecological character.

This area supports Atlantic Coastal Plain Northern Shrub Pocosin, a fire-adapted evergreen shrubland community characteristic of pocosins throughout the coastal plain. Pond pine (Pinus serotina) and loblolly bay (Gordonia lasianthus) form the sparse canopy, while the dense understory consists of swamp titi (Cyrilla racemiflora), fetterbush lyonia (Lyonia lucida), tall gallberry (Ilex coriacea), and honeycup (Zenobia pulverulenta). The federally endangered rough-leaved loosestrife (Lysimachia asperulaefolia) occurs in the herbaceous layer, alongside rose pogonia (Pogonia ophioglossoides). Sweetbay magnolia (Magnolia virginiana) and red bay (Persea palustris) appear in slightly wetter microsites, while bamboo vine (Smilax laurifolia) climbs through the shrub layer. Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) grows in the open understory where light penetrates the pocosin canopy.

The shallow waters of Catfish Lake and Black Swamp Creek support a distinct aquatic fauna. American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) occupy the lake and creek channels, where they function as apex predators and ecosystem engineers. Eastern mud turtles (Kinosternon subrubrum) and southern cricket frogs (Acris gryllus) inhabit the shallow margins and emergent vegetation. Small sunfish species—flier (Centrarchus macropterus) and blue-spotted sunfish (Enneacanthus gloriosus)—form the base of the aquatic food web. Above the water, the federally threatened red-cockaded woodpecker (Dryobates borealis) forages in the pine canopy, while the federally endangered northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis) hunts insects over the pocosin at dusk. American black bears (Ursus americanus) move through the landscape as omnivorous foragers, feeding on vegetation and small animals.

Walking through Catfish Lake South - B, the experience is one of subtle transitions across flat terrain. From the open water of Catfish Lake, the pocosin rises gradually, its dense shrub layer creating a dark, enclosed environment where visibility extends only a few meters. The canopy remains low and broken, allowing light to reach the herbaceous layer where Venus flytraps and rough-leaved loosestrife grow. Moving away from the lake along the old fire plowlines—visible as linear features in the landscape—the pocosin opens slightly where past fires have shaped the community structure. The sound of water is constant but distant, audible in Black Swamp Creek's drainage but not visible from most vantage points within the raised bog. The air is humid and still, with the sharp scent of peat and the resinous smell of pine needles. This is a landscape shaped by fire, water, and the slow accumulation of organic matter—a system where small changes in elevation and moisture create distinct ecological communities across a seemingly uniform terrain.

The Neusiok people inhabited the lower Neuse River's southern banks in the area now encompassing the Croatan National Forest, using the pocosin wetlands and associated ecosystems for seasonal hunting and fishing. The Tuscarora, a powerful Iroquoian-speaking nation with villages along the Neuse, Trent, and Pamlico rivers, also occupied these lands and maintained a major village called Chattooks near present-day New Bern. Following the Tuscarora War of 1711–1713, many surviving Indigenous people from this region migrated north to join the Iroquois Confederacy in New York. The Neusiok Trail, a 21-mile path still in use within the forest today, follows an ancient route used for centuries by Native Americans to travel between the Neuse River and the Newport River salt marshes.

Before federal acquisition, the land surrounding Catfish Lake was owned by large timber interests, most notably Interstate Cooperage, a subsidiary of Standard Oil, and the John L. Roper Lumber Company. In the early twentieth century, the John L. Roper Lumber Company operated extensive logging railroads throughout the Croatan region to transport timber to mills in New Bern and Oriental. The broader region was historically used for the production of naval stores—turpentine and tar—from longleaf pines during the colonial and post-colonial eras. By the early twentieth century, the area had lost most of its original timber to either fire or intensive logging. Additionally, the area around Catfish Lake was historically subject to drainage attempts by farmers hoping to create rice and cranberry plantations, and nearby areas were ditched and drained for agricultural use.

The federal government acquired approximately 77,000 acres during 1933, 1934, and 1935 for use in reforestation experiments. The Croatan National Forest was officially established on July 29, 1936, by Presidential Proclamation 2192, signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, under authority from the Forest Reserve Act of 1891 and the Weeks Act of 1911. At its founding, the forest comprised approximately 77,000 acres and expanded to over 159,000 acres by the early 2000s through subsequent land acquisitions.

The Catfish Lake South–B roadless area was officially designated as part of the National Wilderness Preservation System under the North Carolina Wilderness Act of 1984 and is currently protected under the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule. The area is noted for its lack of internal infrastructure, containing no maintained trails, campsites, or roads. In 2023, the forest boundaries experienced significant internal ecological change when the Great Lakes Fire burned more than 32,000 acres across the Croatan National Forest beginning in April of that year.

Vital Resources Protected

Headwater Peatland Integrity and Black Swamp Creek Origination

This 172-acre roadless area contains the headwaters of Black Swamp Creek and a raised peatland (pocosin) system that functions as the hydrological engine for the entire downstream drainage. Pocosins are nutrient-poor, acidic wetlands with extremely slow water movement and high water storage capacity; the peat substrate here acts as a natural filter and regulator, controlling water quality and flow timing for Black Swamp Creek. Road construction in headwater peatlands disrupts this function at its source, where restoration is most difficult and impacts cascade through the entire watershed.

Rare Plant Habitat and Pocosin Specialist Vegetation

Rough-leaved loosestrife (Lysimachia asperulaefolia), a federally endangered plant, depends on the specific hydrological and soil conditions of Atlantic Coastal Plain pocosins—acidic, nutrient-poor, seasonally saturated peat soils that exist nowhere else in the region. This roadless area's undisturbed peatland maintains the precise water table fluctuations and chemical conditions this species requires; once altered by drainage, fill, or sedimentation from road construction, these conditions cannot be recreated.

Bat Foraging and Roosting Habitat Connectivity

The northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis, federally endangered) and tricolored bat (Perimyotis subflavus, proposed endangered) forage over the open water of Catfish Lake and hunt insects above the pocosin canopy, relying on the unfragmented landscape to move between roosting sites and feeding areas. The flat, lowland terrain means that roads here would create linear barriers across the bats' flight corridors; fragmentation of this small area would isolate roosting habitat from critical foraging grounds.

Migratory Shorebird and Waterfowl Stopover Habitat

The rufa red knot (Calidris canutus rufa, federally threatened), a long-distance migratory shorebird, depends on shallow-water habitats and impoundment margins like those maintained by the Catfish Waterfowl Impoundment Canals to rest and refuel during spring and fall migration. The monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus, proposed threatened) requires intact pocosin vegetation as nectar and host plants during its multi-generational migration through the Atlantic Coastal Plain. Road construction would degrade these stopover habitats through sedimentation and vegetation loss, reducing survival rates for populations traveling thousands of miles.

Threats from Road Construction

Sedimentation and Hydrological Disruption of Peatland Water Chemistry

Road construction on peat soils requires cut slopes and fill placement that expose the peat substrate to erosion; even modest rainfall on disturbed peat generates sediment and leaches dissolved organic matter into the drainage network. In pocosins, where water moves slowly through the peat matrix, this sediment settles in the headwater channels and impoundments, raising turbidity and altering the acidic, nutrient-poor chemistry that rough-leaved loosestrife and other pocosin specialists require. The raised peatland's function as a natural filter is compromised, and the chemical conditions cannot be restored without removing decades of accumulated sediment.

Canopy Removal and Insect Prey Depletion for Bat Foraging

Road construction requires clearing vegetation along the roadbed and maintaining sight lines, removing the pocosin shrub canopy that shelters the aquatic and terrestrial insects that northern long-eared bats and tricolored bats hunt. The loss of canopy cover over Catfish Lake and surrounding wetlands reduces insect emergence and abundance; bats foraging in this small area would find significantly fewer prey items, forcing them to expend more energy traveling to distant feeding grounds or reducing their reproductive success. In a 172-acre area, canopy loss is not compensated by adjacent habitat.

Culvert Installation and Impoundment Isolation

Road crossings of Black Swamp Creek and the Catfish Waterfowl Impoundment Canals require culverts or fill that fragment the hydrological network and isolate shallow-water habitat patches. Culverts reduce water flow velocity and create barriers to the movement of aquatic organisms; impoundment isolation prevents the seasonal water-level fluctuations that maintain the shallow margins and mudflats where rufa red knots forage and rest during migration. Loss of these stopover habitats during critical migration windows increases mortality in an already threatened population.

Invasive Species Establishment Along Road Corridors

Road construction creates disturbed soil and maintained edges—conditions that favor invasive plant species over native pocosin vegetation. Invasive species establishment in this small, isolated roadless area would spread through the peatland, outcompeting the native shrubs and herbaceous plants that monarch butterflies depend on for nectar and host plants, and degrading the specialized pocosin habitat that rough-leaved loosestrife requires. Once established in peatland soils, invasive species are extremely difficult to remove without further disturbance.

Catfish Lake South - B is a 172-acre roadless tract within the Croatan National Forest in eastern North Carolina. The area encompasses flat lowland pocosin—raised peatland dominated by dense shrub vegetation—centered on Catfish Lake, a shallow 921-acre Carolina bay. Access is via Catfish Lake Road (FS 1100), a 13-mile unpaved road that borders the area. The roadless condition preserves the quiet, undisturbed character essential to most recreation here; roads would fragment habitat, increase noise, and degrade the remote experience that draws visitors.

Hunting

The area is part of Croatan Game Land, open seven days a week for hunting. White-tailed deer and American black bear are the primary big-game targets; squirrels, rabbits, and raccoons are also available. Waterfowl hunting occurs on designated days (Tuesdays, Saturdays, and specific holidays) at the nearby Catfish Lake Waterfowl Impoundment. Bear hunting is prohibited on Sundays and within designated bear management areas. Permanent stands and blinds are not allowed on National Forest land. Hunters access the area on foot from Catfish Lake Road or by boat from Catfish Lake Boat Launch (FS 158). The pocosin terrain—dense, tangled, and without trails—makes cross-country travel difficult and keeps the area lightly used. Biting insects and venomous snakes (cottonmouths, canebrake rattlers) are significant hazards. Removing roads would maintain this challenging, low-pressure hunting environment.

Fishing

Catfish Lake and Black Swamp Creek support native fish adapted to acidic water. The lake holds yellow bullhead, brown bullhead, yellow perch, black crappie, flier, and bowfin. Black Swamp Creek, a tannin-stained tributary draining the lake, supports pirate perch, blue-spotted sunfish, mosquito fish, redfin pickerel, flier, and swampfish. The Catfish Lake Waterfowl Impoundment canals offer slightly better fishing for bullhead, perch, and crappie. A North Carolina freshwater fishing license is required. Access is from Catfish Lake Boat Launch (FS 158), where a small ramp accommodates flat-bottom boats, canoes, and kayaks, or from sandy beaches along Catfish Lake Farm Road (FS 158) for bank fishing. Black Swamp Creek is accessible where Catfish Lake Road crosses it. The lake's high acidity (pH often below 4.0) limits non-native species but favors native fish; no stocking occurs. The shallow water, remote location, and absence of motorized traffic on the impoundment preserve the quiet, undisturbed conditions that make this fishery valuable.

Paddling

Catfish Lake and the Catfish Lake Waterfowl Impoundment canals are paddled by canoeists and kayakers. The lake is shallow and calm, suitable for peaceful paddling and wildlife observation. Black Swamp Creek, a blackwater tributary, is documented as navigable but choked with branches and submerged vegetation. Put-in and take-out is at Catfish Lake Boat Launch (FS 158). No gas motors are allowed on the impoundment; only small boats, canoes, and kayaks are permitted. Spring and fall are best to avoid high humidity and biting insects. The roadless condition keeps motorized traffic off the water and maintains the serene, quiet paddling experience.

Birding

The area lies on the Atlantic Flyway and supports diverse birds. Documented species include osprey, bald eagle, peregrine falcon, various hawks, wild turkey, northern bobwhite quail, woodcock, owls, and flycatchers. The red-cockaded woodpecker, a federally threatened longleaf pine specialist, is present in the Croatan's roadless areas. Catfish Lake and the waterfowl impoundment attract ducks, geese, egrets, and snowy egrets. Catfish Lake Road (FS 1100) is an eBird hotspot with 139 documented species. Spring and fall are peak seasons for migration and wildlife viewing. The absence of roads and the resulting quiet, undisturbed habitat are essential to maintaining bird populations and the backcountry birding experience.

Photography

The area offers opportunities for landscape, wildlife, and botanical photography. Catfish Lake's sandy northeastern shoreline and vehicle turnouts along Catfish Lake Farm Road (FS 158) provide open views across the shallow lake and surrounding pocosin. The interior raised peatland presents expansive vistas of low-growing shrub vegetation. Wildlife subjects include American alligators, white-tailed deer, river otters, mink, muskrats, and the bird species listed above. The area is notable for five genera of carnivorous plants—Venus flytrap, pitcher plants, sundews, butterworts, and bladderworts—which bloom in spring and early summer. The federally endangered rough-leaved loosestrife also occurs here. Turnouts along Catfish Lake Farm Road are used for stargazing; the area is described as a void of city lights, with night sky visible from vehicle pullouts. Spring and fall are recommended to avoid heat and biting insects. The roadless condition preserves dark skies and the quiet landscape essential to photography.