Wassaw, one of Georgia's coastal barrier islands, was designated a National Wildlife Refuge on October 20, 1969.  Unlike many of Georgia's Golden Isles, little development and few management practices have modified Wassaw's primitive character. The 10,053-acre refuge includes beaches with rolling dunes, live oak and slash pine woodlands, and vast salt marshes.

The island supports rookeries for egrets and herons, and a variety of wading birds are abundant in the summer months.  In summer, telltale tracks on Wassaw's beach attest to nocturnal visits by the threatened loggerhead sea turtles which come ashore for egg laying and then return secretively to the sea.

Refuge visitors may enjoy recreational activities such as birdwatching, beachcombing, hiking and general nature studies.  The 20 miles of dirt roads on Wassaw Island and seven miles of beach provide an ideal wildlife trail system for hikers.  Birdwatching is particularly fruitful during the spring and fall migrations.