Wassaw National Wildlife Refuge

The 10,070 acres that comprise Wassaw National Wildlife Refuge include a single barrier island (Wassaw) and two smaller interior islands. Over three quarters of the refuge is comprised of salt marshes, and nearly one quarter can be categorized as beach, dune, and forest communities. Roads and administrative land account for approximately one percent of the total acreage. Wassaw Island, the largest land mass on the refuge, is one of a chain of barrier islands along the Georgia coast known collectively as the "Golden Isles." Wassaw Island is 5.5 miles long, from .5 to 1-mile wide, with 7 miles of ocean beach. A series of lower dune ridges parallels the main ridge. Numerous depressions and ponds lie between these ridges. Of all the Golden Isles, From the bare sand beach to the old-growth stands of live oak and mixed pine/hardwood climax forest of the central and back dunes, a succession of vegetative habitats provide for an abundance of wildlife species.