NCWA Wood Duck Program Update
Lake Mattamuskeet Installations

One of North Carolina's oldest and most untapped resources lies halfway between Florida and Maine, slightly west of the well-known Outer Banks. Lake Mattamuskeet measures 18 miles long and 7 miles wide, yet is only a few feet deep.

Such perfect conditions made it a popular area for several species of waterfowl.  The U.S. Government purchased the land in 1934 in order to establish a migratory bird refuge, and since then the U.S. Dept of Interior has expanded the mission to include all types of wildlife. The lake is host to more than 800 species of wildlife, including Canada and Snow geese, mallards, pintails, and black ducks.

The North Carolina Waterfowl Association recently visited this refuge. In conjunction with private landowners, NCWA worked to install several wood duck nesting boxes as an effort to enhance the wood duck population on Lake Mattamuskeet.

More than 50 nesting structures will be installed when the project is complete. Each year, monitoring these nest boxes will allow NCWA to determine occupancy rates as well as nesting success rates in an effort to enhance waterfowl populations.

We would like to thank all the landowners participating in this project. If you are not involved but would like to learn more, please contact NCWA at (252) 964-4805.