The Mattamuskeet Refuge was established in 1934 and consists of 50,000 acres of water, marsh, timber and croplands in and around Lake Mattamuskeet, the largest natural lake in North Carolina.
Mattamuskeet NWR lies in the middle of the Atlantic Flyway and provides a valuable wintering area for the waterfowl using this migration route which extends from Canada southward. Thousands of Canadian geese (both greater and lesser), snow geese, tundra swan and 22 species of ducks overwinter on the refuge annually.
Although noted primarily for its waterfowl, Mattamuskeet also provides habitat for endangered species such as the bald eagle and peregrine falcon. Deer, bobcats, otters, black bear, 240 species of birds and other wildlife species are indigenous to the area.