The Open Space Institute (OSI) and N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) will work together to conserve the 2,519-acre Big Swamp tract in Robeson County.
The announcement was made today (March 6). The collaborative effort bolsters protection for one of the state’s ecologically vital landscapes and will open new access for public recreation, OSI said in a press release.
Now under the management of NCWRC, the state can begin the process of preparing the property to be opened to the public as a game land with recreational opportunities including hiking, birdwatching, seasonal hunting, and fishing. NCWRC intends to develop a Game Land Management Plan to guide future use and stewardship of the property.
“Big Swamp is a treasure,” said Maria Whitehead, Ph.D., OSI’s Senior Vice President of Land in the Southeast. “We are proud to work with our partners at the Wildlife Resources Commission to save this property, ensuring that its forests, wetlands, and waterways will be protected forever—for people and wildlife.”
“We are thrilled to add Big Swamp to our Game Lands system,” said Kyle Briggs, Executive Director, NCWRC. “This landscape offers exceptional opportunities for fishing and wildlife viewing, while safeguarding critical habitats that benefit species across the region. It was a pleasure to work with OSI to save Big Swamp.”
Big Swamp and much of the surrounding land are located within overlapping wildlife conservation focus areas including an Audubon Society-designated Important Bird Area, an Atlantic Coast Joint Venture Waterfowl Focus Area, and several high-priority zones identified in the South Atlantic Conservation Blueprint.
Located within the Lumber River watershed, Big Swamp encompasses seasonally flooded hardwood wetlands and pine-dominant upland buffers. The area comprises an intact habitat core: an undisturbed landscape that supports diverse wildlife including numerous bird species including warblers, gnatcatchers, flycatchers, wood storks, white ibis, herons, and egrets.
To see a map of the property, click here:
BigSwamp_PR_March2026
Additionally, the Lumber River—a state-designated Scenic River that is considered one of North Carolina’s most pristine natural assets—offers outstanding habitat for species like largemouth bass, bluegill, sunfish, catfish, and pickerel.
Prior to OSI’s protection of Big Swamp, Robeson County only had a single 256-acre game tract. The addition of Big Swamp as a state-designated Game Land fills a significant conservation gap and greatly expands the region’s publicly accessible recreational spaces, OSI said.
The property was formerly part of a larger working forest area that had been under the ownership of the Butters Lumber Company since the 1890s. It was sold by Carolina Timberlands Group to OSI in 2022; OSI secured the property at that time with support of the Knobloch Family Foundation, private donors, and loan funds, and held the property until NCWRC was awarded a $500,000 North American Wetlands Conservation Act grant facilitated by Ducks Unlimited, $125,000 grant from Enviva Forest Conservation Fund, and a $1.2 million grant from the North Carolina Land and Water Fund to make the NCWRC purchase possible.
“It’s not every day you can protect over 2,000 acres of wetlands and nearly 20 miles of streams with a single project,” said Will Summer, Executive Director of the North Carolina Land and Water Fund. “We are honored to provide funding to assist with the purchase of this property so it will be available for future generations to enjoy.”
“This unique property will significantly increase public access to the Lumber River. We are proud to have partnered with OSI and NCWRC to establish this new Game Land and strengthen protection efforts in this corridor,” said Ali Bastian, Regional Lands Specialist for Ducks Unlimited.
Big Swamp is adjacent to Camp Island, a nearly 1,400-acre property which OSI acquired in 2023. In 2024, OSI donated Camp Island to the Lumbee Tribe in an effort that established the first large, protected natural area placed under the Tribe’s stewardship.
