What is a pocosin?
The word comes from an Algonquian term often translated as “swamp on a hill.” Pocosins sit on flat, poorly drained ground where rainwater has nowhere to go, so peat builds up slowly over thousands of years. The vegetation is tangled: pond pine, evergreen shrubs and vines, thick enough that a person can barely walk through it.
Why they matter
- Shelter for wildlife. Black bears, bobcats and red wolves use the dense cover for denning and travel.
- Stored carbon. Intact peat locks away carbon that drained, burning peat releases.
- Cleaner water. Pocosins slow and filter runoff before it reaches the sounds and estuaries downstream.
Much of the coastal plain’s pocosin has been drained for farms and timber. What’s left is worth defending.
How we protect them
We work with landowners to restore natural water levels, remove old drainage ditches and link protected patches into corridors wildlife can actually use. Volunteers join us on restoration days through the cooler months.
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