PLANNING UPDATE for Proposed Boundary Expansions at 10 National Wildlife Refuges in Coastal Georgia and South Carolina Lowcountry at the Savannah Coastal Refuges Complex and South Carolina Lowcountry Refuges Complex.
Highlights of the Proposal:
- Hunting and other permitted recreational uses would continue on existing public recreational areas, including state Wildlife Management Areas under jurisdictions of the states. The Service is not seeking to manage those existing public conservation areas; the Service is seeking to add lands to the existing conservation network in this important landscape.
- The proposal would not affect state navigable waters; fishing and boating would continue on those waters under state regulations.
- Being included within the proposed boundary expansion area would not affect how owners use their property or to whom they may choose to sell their property. The boundary expansion simply allows the Service to acquire lands that meet our conservation priorities through purchase from willing sellers or donations.
- If finalized, the proposal would conserve about 10% of the outlined Conceptual Focus Areas, aligning with Georgia and South Carolina goals, both State Wildlife Action Plans, and the Southeast Conservation Blueprint. Implementation of the proposed expansions could take many decades.
- The Service's policy is to work with willing sellers.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Proposes Major Boundary Expansions for National Wildlife Refuges in Coastal Georgia and South Carolina Lowcountry at the Savannah Coastal Refuges Complex and South Carolina Lowcountry Refuges Complex. Click here to learn more.
Visit Us
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.
Wassaw NWR is open daily from sunrise to sunset and is accessible only by boat. Transportation is not provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service therefore visitors must use personal watercraft or a local charter service.
Location and Contact Information
What We Do
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
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
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.