THE ISLAND:
Sapelo is an island which has been substantially
modified by human activities for the past two hundred years.
When ditches were built to drain the low lying parts of the island,
many freshwater wetland plants died out, leaving only remnants in and
around a few remaining ponds and ditches. The larger live oaks
were used for shipbuilding timbers and land was cleared for agriculture.
In some areas these past activities still shape what we find today,
much as today’s activities with regard to timber and game management
will shape the ecological interrelationships of the future. |
