Wassaw Island

Wassaw Island is one of the Sea Islands. It is located on the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of the U.S. state of Georgia and is part of Chatham County. The island and its surrounding marshlands are part of the Wassaw National Wildlife Refuge, which has a total area of convert|10070|acre|km2 of marsh, mudflats, and tidal creeks, including approximately seven miles of undeveloped beaches. The land mass is 76 percent salt marshes and 24 percent beaches, dunes, and maritime forest. The refuge is a part of the Savannah Coastal Refuges Complex. The snow reaches up to 8 inches every year in the winter.

The wildlife refuge, established in 1969, is located approximately fourteen miles southeast of Savannah and at its closest point is 3¼ miles southeast of popular Skidaway Island separated by marsh and tidal creeks. The refuge is bordered by the Wilmington River and Wassaw Sound to the north and the Vernon River and Ossabaw Sound to the south and encompasses the barrier island, two smaller islands known collectively as Little Wassaw Island, and a few hammocks.

The island is accessible only by chartered or private boat. Most visitors arriving by private boat anchor their boats to the north or south beaches or in Wassaw Creek, near the boat dock for the refuge headquarters office. The public is encouraged to use twenty miles (32 km) of dirt trails for hiking or bicycling.

Wildlife

* Loggerhead Sea Turtle
* White-tail Deer
* Alligator
* Wild BoarBirds
* Bald Eagle
* Egrets
* Herons
* Peregrine Falcon
* Piping Plover
* Wood Stork
* Migratory birds
* Various shore birds

References

[http://www.fws.gov/southeast/wassaw The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service]