Steve Apfelbaum, a biologist and ecologist, organizes local plant samples Wednesday, May 6, 2026, in Belhaven, N.C. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Vlad Roosevelt, director of operations at Pantheon Regeneration, searches for birds during a survey Tuesday, May 5, 2026, in Belhaven, N.C. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

A excavator sits near a restoration site Wednesday, May 6, 2026, in Belhaven, N.C. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

A common yellowthroat perches on a branch where peatlands are being restored Wednesday, May 6, 2026, in Belhaven, N.C. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Steve Apfelbaum, a biologist and ecologist, listens for bird calls while conducting a survey Tuesday, May 5, 2026, in Belhaven, N.C. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Water fills an irrigation ditch with repaired drainage structures Tuesday, May 5, 2026, in Belhaven, N.C. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Old water control structures sit in disrepair Tuesday, May 5, 2026, in Belhaven, N.C. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Neal Flanagan, a research scientist at Duke University, displays real-time carbon dioxide emissions from a sensor Wednesday, May 6, 2026, in Belhaven, N.C. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)