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The Way The Swamp Was . . .
The Way The Swamp Is Now
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Death and Destruction
North Carolinas Green swamp is deceased . . . it was murdered by the timber industry in their thirsty pursuit of the dollar. The lush rain forest-like flora has been replaced by ramrod straight rows of fast growing genetically engineered pines. A million years worth of tea stained water disappeared as the swamps lifeblood drained to the sea through a network of canals. Orchids, roses, & carnivorous plants were crushed by mechanized land clearing. No longer home to the ivory bill or red-cockaded woodpecker, the ancient long leaf pines and cypress have long since been clear-cut and hauled away on the backs of timber trucks belching plumes of black diesel smoke in their dusty wake.
Aggressive aerial and ground spraying of toxic herbicides has also taken its toll on the mighty insect kingdom. . . the chirp of crickets now replaced by the grinding hum of chip mills. Nuts, berries, and tender green foliage are often killed or contaminated by herbicide spraying - creating an increase in disease and starvation among wildlife. Animal sightings are rare here, usually occurring near the few remaining stands of mixed hardwoods. Deer, fox and raccooons have best adapted to the loss of habitat by moving elsewhere. By night we see their beautiful silhouettes as they forage in our meadows and in the daylight we discover their crushed carcasses on the highway.
The image below depicts the ditched, drained and herbicide sprayed headwaters of Livingston Creek near the Brunswick/Columbus County line.
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