Habitat management, Habitat restoration, Restoration
Rewetting the Swamp at Great Dismal Swamp Refuge
Status
Ongoing

States

North Carolina, Virginia

Ecosystem

Wetland

Subject

Habitat restoration
Nature-based solutions
Water management
Wetland restoration

At Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, a peat wetland in southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has installed 46 water control structures in 150 miles of old drainage ditches since 2012. Hydrologists are using the structures to "re-wet" the swamp, retain carbon-rich peat soil and lower the risk of catastrophic wildfire and flooding. 

The Service manages the water control structures to hold water in the swamp during the warm summer months, when fire risk is highest, and re-direct water flow in late fall and late winter, when tropical storms can be common.

The refuge’s restored peat wetlands sequester 200,000 metric tons of carbon per year, offsetting the annual emissions of 42,000 vehicles, found a U.S. Geological Survey/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service study.    

The Great Dismal Swamp hydrology project is one of many nature-based solutions that the Service is using to meet environmental challenges and conserve America’s wildlife. Nature-based solutions are sustainable practices that use environmentally friendly features or processes to make landscapes more resilient. .  

Centuries of ditching, draining, and logging — starting in the 1760s — altered Great Dismal Swamp’s ecosystem and made it more prone to wildfire and flooding. The first ditches were built by a company formed by George Washington. More ditches were added later, resulting in the current 150-mile ditch network. 

Since 1974,  when Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge was established and put under Service management, the agency has worked to restore the swamp’s hydrology following controlled drainage practices used on agricultural land and managed forests in southeast Virginia and northeast North Carolina. 

Partners and Financial Contributors
Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources
Ducks Unlimited
The Nature Conservancy, VA and NC 
U.S. Geological Survey
North Carolina State University
North Carolina State Parks, Dismal Swamp State Park 
USFWS Ecological Services Program, VA and NC
Albermarle-Pamlico National Estuary Program
Virginia Polytechnic University
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Migratory Bird Conservation Commission 

Library

A metal structure dams a ditch and prevents water from flowing out.
Water: The lifeblood of a swamp
Water control structures at Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge are improving the swamp’s hydrology and increasing resilience against natural disasters made more likely by climate change.
Story
Habitat Restoration
Aerial view of sea and island shows shoreline bolstered by oyster reefs
Fish and Wildlife Service Pursues Nature-Based Solutions
When the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service uses nature-based solutions to fortify landscapes against flooding, wildfire, drought and invasive species, it boosts biodiversity and human well-being. As wildlife habitat improves, nearby communities realize related gains in water quality, recreation...
Story
Habitat Restoration

Facilities

Large cypress trees emerging from open water
Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge
Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge contains some of the most important wildlife habitat in the mid-Atlantic region. At near 113,000 acres, the refuge is the largest intact remnant of a vast swamp that once covered more than one million acres.
National Wildlife Refuge
Suffolk,VA

News

Aerial view of sea and island shows shoreline bolstered by oyster reefs
Fish and Wildlife Service Pursues Nature-Based Solutions
When the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service uses nature-based solutions to fortify landscapes against flooding, wildfire, drought and invasive species, it boosts biodiversity and human well-being. As wildlife habitat improves, nearby communities realize related gains in water quality, recreation...
Story
Habitat Restoration

Initiatives

A man and a woman dressed in bright orange safety gear walk across a saltmarsh during a deer hunt
Wildlife Conservation
Across North America, hunting was a largely unregulated activity for individuals and commercial entities until the 1800's, when citizens began to ask whether wildlife populations could continue at healthy levels without checks on hunting. The legal framework that has since developed grew out of a...
Initiative
hand painted glass slide of wetland with plants, bird
Wetlands
Wetlands are one of the most productive and biodiverse habitats in the world. Although they cover only six percent of Earth’s land surface, 40 percent of all plant and animal species live or breed in wetlands. Threatened and endangered species are no exception, with approximately half of all...
Initiative
Protecting Wildlife

Programs

A bright blue sky obstructed by fluffy white clouds reflected off of a stream shot from inside a kayak
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages an unparalleled network of public lands and waters called the National Wildlife Refuge System. With more than 570 refuges spanning the country, this system protects iconic species and provides some of the best wildlife viewing opportunities on Earth.
Program
Washington,DC