The Pasquotank River basin spans over 3,697 square miles of low-lying lands in the State of North Carolina. The Pasquotank River basin is part of the Albemarle-Pamlico Estuarine system, which is the second largest estuarine system within the United States. There are five National Wildlife Refuges in the basin managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. These Refuges contain several endangered species that are found within the basin. The basin have 11 species that are listed by the State of North Caroline as either being endangered, threatened, or of special concern.
Out of the 11 species listed, five species are listed as endangered by the State of North Carolina and are also on the federal endangered species list. Endangered species include species that are in danger of being extinct. The list of endangered species includes three reptile species including the leatherback turtle, the hawksbill turtle, and the Atlantic ridley turtle. The list also includes one mammalian species called the manatee. And lastly, the list includes one fish species called the Waccamaw killifish. These five species are not only included in the State’s endangered list, but are also a part of the federally listed endangered species.
One of the five refuges in the basin is called the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge. This refuge is home to one of the newest and endangered residents of the basin called the red wolf. The Alligator Refuge is home to the endangered red wolf reintroduction project. In the 1960s the red wolf species was brought to the brink of extinction. To preserve the species, four pairs of red wolves were introduced to the Alligator Refuge in 1987. The following year the first litter of wild pups was born and currently over 100 wild red wolves live in the surrounding areas.
In addition to its resident endangered species, the basin also serves home to several visiting endangered species. These include the federally-listed endangered red-cockaded woodpecker and the piping plover. The woodpecker is known to be found in the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, and the piping plover is known to be found in the Currituck National Wildlife Refuge.
Furthermore, similar to the endangered species, the basin also hosts several threatened species. Threatened species are those species which are considered to become endangered in the foreseeable future. These include the loggerhead turtle, the green turtle, and the American alligator. The loggerhead turtle and the green turtles often come ashore to lay eggs on the basin’s ocean beaches. The American alligator is considered to be threatened due to its similarity of appearance to the endangered crocodile.
