Lately, in eastern North Carolina, when it rains, it pours. The huge amounts of rainfall we continue to receive in short periods of time are simply difficult for the landscape to handle. On Pocosin Lakes Refuge, crews are restoring the natural hydrology — rewetting peat that is designed to be wet, so it can absorb rain more readily, provide huge benefits to wildlife, and protect against catastrophic wildfires. Unlike soils comprised of mud, clay, sand and rock, deep peat soils act like sponges absorbing water, but dry peat doesn’t immediately absorb water. It’s slow to rewet. By rewetting peat across the landscape, crews are creating a landscape that is more able to absorb water.