Please Leave Your Dog At Home

In addition to protecting birds and other native wildlife from disturbance, the "no dogs" policy is also in place to protect your pup. The refuge is full of hidden dangers big (American alligators) and small (LOTS of ticks!). So please, while visiting this special place, be sure to do your part to protect wildlife, your pet, and your wallet (violators of this regulation will be ticketed and fined) by leaving all pets at home.

Wassaw National Wildlife Refuge serves as an important link in the chain of barrier islands that lie along the Atlantic Flyway, providing excellent habitat for a variety of migratory birds. With little development and few management practices, the 10,053-acre refuge is one of the most pristine on the entire eastern seaboard.

Visit Us

Visitors enjoying the pristine beach at Wassaw NWR.
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National wildlife refuges offer us all a chance to unplug from the stresses of daily life and reconnect with our natural surroundings. Wassaw National Wildlife Refuge offers a variety of opportunities to explore and enjoy the great outdoors from sunrise to sunset every day. You can play in the surf, observe and photograph wildlife, go fishing, or during the season, hunt white-tailed deer. There are also miles of wooded trails perfect for hiking and bicycling.

Location and Contact Information

      What We Do

      USFWS Biologist tagging horseshoe crabs
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      Wildlife conservation is at the heart of the National Wildlife Refuge System . It drives everything on U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lands and waters managed within the Refuge System, from the purposes for which a national wildlife refuge national wildlife refuge
      A national wildlife refuge is typically a contiguous area of land and water managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service  for the conservation and, where appropriate, restoration of fish, wildlife and plant resources and their habitats for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans.

      Learn more about national wildlife refuge       is established to the recreational activities offered to the resource management tools used. Using conservation best practices, the Refuge System manages Service lands and waters to help ensure the survival of native wildlife species. 

      Our Species

      Wilson's plover with chicks on Wassaw NWR
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      Wassaw NWR supports a wide diversity of wildlife, including at least 257 species of breeding and wintering birds and an undetermined number of mammal, reptile, amphibian, and fish species. The refuge is within the range of several listed threatened or endangered wildlife species.

      Projects and Research

      Caretta Research Project conducting loggerhead sea turtle nest protection on Wassaw NWR.
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      The seven miles of undeveloped beach at Wassaw NWR provide important nesting habitat for Atlantic loggerhead sea turtles. Since 1973, the Caretta Research Project (CRP) has been monitoring and protecting the nests of these important and endangered animals.