Savannah National Wildlife Refuge
Southeast Region
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Welcome to Savannah NWR

American alligator. Credit: Kirk Rogers, USFWS

American alligator. Credit: Kirk Rogers, USFWS

Established April 6, 1927, consists of over 29,000 acres of freshwater marshes, tidal rivers and creeks and bottomland hardwoods. The refuge is located in the heart of the Lowcountry, a band of low land, bordered on the west by sandhill ridges and on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, extending from Georgetown, South Carolina to St. Mary's, Georgia.

Known for it's rich flora during the humid summer months, the region also supports a diverse wildlife population.  The variety of birdlife within the Lowcountry is enhanced by its location on the Atlantic Flyway. During the winter months, thousands of mallards, pintails, teal and as many as ten other species of ducks migrate into the area, joining resident wood ducks on the refuge. In the spring and fall, transient songbirds stop briefly on their journey to and from northern nesting grounds.

Savannah NWR is one of seven refuges administered by the Savannah Coastal Refuges Complex. This chain of national wildlife refuges extends from Pinckney Island NWR near Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, to Wolf Island NWR near Darien, Georgia. Between these lie Savannah (the largest unit in the complex), Wassaw, Tybee, Harris Neck, and Blackbeard Island refuges. Together they span a 100-mile coastline and total over 56,000 acres. The Savannah Coastal Refuges are administered from headquarters located in Savannah, Georgia.

Sunrise over the marsh. Credit: Kirk Rogers, USFWS

Sunrise over the marsh. Credit: Kirk Rogers, USFWS

 

Last updated: April 17, 2009