About Us
Bond Swamp National Wildlife Refuge is the result of cooperative conservation efforts of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and The Nature Conservancy. Its diversity of habitat types – ranging from mixed hardwood/pine ridges to bottomland hardwoods and swamp forests mixed with creeks, beaver swamps and oxbow lakes – contribute to an integrated system of scenic, historic and recreational resources along the Ocmulgee River. The refuge fills a vital role as a place for the conservation and management of the fish, wildlife, and plants of the Ocmulgee River ecosystem.
Our Mission
Bond Swamp National Wildlife Refuge conserves, maintains and enhances the ecosystem of the Ocmulgee River floodplain. Refuge staff strives to apply the most suitable habitat management techniques that maintain, recover or enhance plant and wildlife.
Our History
The Ocmulgee River and its forests are a significant part of the Macon area's history. This region was vital to Native Americans – from Ice Age hunters to the Muscogee (Creeks) and Seminoles of historic times. Native Americans relied on the river and its surrounding forests for food, water, shelter and transportation for thousands of years before European settlers arrived. When early European explorers and frontiersmen arrived, they also traveled and traded along the river. As European settlements expanded, the forests were logged and mills operating along the river relied on it for both power and product transportation. In recent years, the Macon area has experienced rapid residential and commercial development. To protect and manage the river corridor, concerned citizens and local, state and federal government agencies began the Ocmulgee Heritage Greenway effort. Bond Swamp National Wildlife Refuge is an important link in the greenway.