[challenger]

I've always wondered about the origin of the unusual Marsh area under the high rise bridge. The topography of this area is unlike any other Marshes I've seen and I'm wondering if it the result of the building of the bridge? This Marsh and the small bay on the opposite side look like they would be perfect spots for drum. Is this a popular place for drum fishing? There is a ramp of sorts on the topsail side of the bridge. Is this an official ramp? I didn't see signs indicating it was but I was driving past it when I noticed it and I only saw a bunch of vehicles.
Thanks for any information.

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[AMG08]

It is a wildlife ramp. Parking is lacking if you get more than about a dozen vehicles with trailers though. Not sure on the origin of the cuts, but the bays have been known to give up a drum or two for me.

 

[speckhunter80]

The lines cutting thru those marshes are from an old misquito eradication program

 

[AHODGES21]

The lines cutting thru those marshes are from an old misquito eradication program

So I have heard, can you explain how that program was designed to work? Was it successful?

 

[speckhunter80]

The dug ditches to drain the marsh...HAHA. It didn't work

 

[trigger22]

The dug ditches to drain the marsh...HAHA. It didn't work

Some genius with a 20 pound brain probably thought of that idea lol

 

[challenger]

So I have heard, can you explain how that program was designed to work? Was it successful?

Was it successful? Depends on who you ask I bet. Ask the people who dreamed it up and ordered the work and I have a hunch they would say something like, "well how do you measure success?" Ask anyone else within mosquito flying distance and the answer would have to be 100% no.

Some genius with a 20 pound brain probably thought of that idea lol

Exactly. This is new news to me but I still cannot comprehend the how in the world anyone would think this had even the most remote chance of working. I have to think it was the idea of someone that needed to create jobs IYKWIM.
The atom bomb couldn't eradicate mosquitoes. Draining a marsh? Um........not so much.
A quote from the engineer, "Oh I thought you wanted to eradicate mosquito not mosquitoes. Sorry, my bad. If I had thought you wanted all the mosquitoes gone I'd have never started the project"
Reminds me of "Carl" in Caddy Shack.
Er...Sandy.....if I kill all the golfers they are going to put me in jail and throw away the key...

 

[beagle]

The thought process for the ditches was to try and eliminate the pools of standing water that would accumulate on the marsh grass flats. No standing water, skeeters larvae have a tough time molting into adults.
Way back in the day, with enough ditches cut, the consensus was it helped.
But then in the 70's and 80's ya couldn't be out there disturbing the natural order of the earth anymore 'cause the world needs skeeters too.

I can tell you that those ditches were natural travel magnets for mushrats where I grew up and I trapped a whole bunch more because of those ditches. That too, was messing with the world order I was told.

 

[challenger]

What would you do with those rats? Was the fur the target.?

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[beagle]

Yep,
Way back in the 70's I would get anywhere from 4$ to $12/ pelt for those critters. I could bring in anywhere from 4 'rats( bad week), to 10+ 'rats a week. Darn good money for a young kid back then.
All that supposed "rabbit" fur in gloves etc, was nothing more than 'rat fur.
Those ditches also attacted shedder crabs.

 

[RouseD]

Beagle, ever eat any of the muskrats? I never hunted or trapped, but some friends of mine at work cooked some and brought it into work. It was very difficult to get over the word "rat", but the meat was delicious, after I had been brainwashed a bit for a few weeks prior to eating. I also tried several other wild game meat, and to me, the muskrat was the best.

 

[beagle]

I have. All in the prep. Down Loosyanna way it used to be found in the back bayou roadside diners as "Marsh Hare". You can still look some recipes up under Marsh hare.
It can be good.Used to make chile or red sauce for noodles in a cast iron pot simmerin all day. Just a large water goin squirrel I guess.
But, if ya skin 20-100 per month, you don't want to eat 'em, smell em, or skin em, unless there's $$ in it.
Tried everything we ever trapped as a kid but posssum. Skin one of those with all winter fat on em and tell me you'll try it. YUCK!

 

[FishinCary]

To answer if it was successful...

If you ever spend a night on north topsail beach on the ICW side of the island you will know for sure. NO WAY. My friend lives right by that area on the ICW side and the Mosquitos and other bugs are thicker than anywhere else I've been.

However, as a concept it sort of makes sense. When the tide come in it is going to fill that marshy area, by digging many ditches through the marsh the engineers created a direct and quicker route for the water to exit the marsh when the tide fell back out.

I wasn't ever there before the ditches so I can't say if it helped any but it sure didn't eradicate the mosquito population.

 

[challenger]

If you have never experienced mosquitoes so thick that they would totally disable you then count yourself blessed. Some people wouldn't believe they could be that bad but they sure can.

I would hope the problem has lightened up since that project. For sure there is a lot more "meat" walking around so maybe they are spread out more.
They don't know how to drive a car but those tourists can feed the heck out of a mosquito God bless em.

Seriously though. I imagine some ecologically sound spray application of a substance that would break the surface tension would be a possible way to break the population explosion but that's just a guess. Seems to me that ditching a Marsh must have cost a fortune.

Anyway these thousands of little pockets and cuts hold drum? They sure look like the perfect habitat for a saltwater nursery.

Call me whatever you want but I'm not eating rats. Tree, Marsh, Street, doesn't matter, I'm not doing it unless I'm starving. I'm allergic to red meat anyway now from too many tick bites but even prior to that I'd say no thanks. Same for possum, raccoon etc.


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[speckhunter80]

It was officially an eradication program. At the time the misquito count in that area was reported to be the highest in the US. Today there are still misquitoes but much less then before the ditches were dug, so based on eradication no it was not a success. Based on reduction, yes it was. This type of ditching was not limited to that area or even NC.

 

[scottiej]

Rats are the other, other white meat so you should be OK.

 

[Drum Runner]

DDT was mosquito control. It needs to be brought back.

 

[challenger]

DDT was mosquito control. It needs to be brought back.

Slow that roll cowboy. Isn't DDT the stuff that made the shells of the birdies too thin to sit on? We don't need thin shells.

 

[Drum Runner]

The DDT scare was a scam promoted by one woman and a gullible public bought it hook, line, and sinker. You tell a lie enough, it becomes the truth.

Banning DDT has killed hundreds of thousands if not millions of people around the world.

 

[challenger]

I hear you brother. How does the osprey, Bald Eagle etc impact get resolved though. I'm fairly sure ddt was implicated as the main cause for the fragile egg shells no?

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