Blackbeard Island National Wildlife Refuge
Blackbeard Island National Wildlife Refuge | |
---|---|
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area) | |
Location | McIntosh County, Georgia |
Nearest city | Savannah, Georgia |
Coordinates | 31°29′27.51″N 81°12′43.80″W / 31.4909750°N 81.2121667°W |
Area | 5,618 acres (22.74 km2) |
Established | 1924 |
Visitors | 130,000[needs update] (in 2004) |
Governing body | United States Fish and Wildlife Service |
Website | Blackbeard Island National Wildlife Refuge |
The Blackbeard Island National Wildlife Refuge is a 5,618 acres (2,274 ha)[1] National Wildlife Refuge located in McIntosh county in Georgia. The refuge was established to provide a nature and forest preserve for aesthetic and conservation purposes.
The refuge is one of seven refuges administered by the Savannah Coastal Refuges Complex in Savannah, Georgia. The complex has a combined staff of 31 with the fiscal year 2005 budget of $3,582,000.
History
The name of the island comes from
The land which is currently Blackbeard Island originally came from the Navy Department in 1800 in a
Topography
Blackbeard island is accessible only by boat. Transportation to the island is not provided by the Fish and Wildlife Service. A public boat ramp on Harris Neck NWR (Barbour River Landing) may also be used as a launching site for trips to the island.[4]
The island consists of interconnecting linear dunes thickly covered by oak/palmetto vegetation. There are approximately 1,163 acres (471 ha) of open freshwater or freshwater marsh, 2,000 acres (810 ha) of regularly flooded salt marsh, 2,115 acres (856 ha) of maritime forest, and 340 acres (140 ha) of sandy beach.[1]
Wildlife and protected species
The main objective of the refuge is to provide wintering habitat and protection for migratory birds. It is also to provide protection and management for endangered and threatened species such as the
Facilities
There is no visitor center at the refuge.
Parks on the Air
The Blackbeard Island National Wildlife Refuge was activated for Parks On The Air in 2023.
See also
References
- ^ a b "Blackbeard Island National Wildlife Refuge, a Georgia State Park". State Parks. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
- ISBN 0-915430-00-2.
- ^ "History of Blackbeard Island - Blackbeard Island". U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Retrieved 2016-05-26.
- ^ Park Information – Blackbeard Island National Wildlife Refuge Archived June 19, 2008, at the Wayback Machine