Harris Neck Wildlife Refuge - Townsend, GA
N 31° 37.819 W 081° 16.738
17R E 473544 N 3499494
Harris Neck NWR was established in 1962 by transfer of federal lands formerly managed by the Federal Aviation Administration as a WWII Army airfield. The refuge's 2,824 acres consist of saltwater marsh, grassland, mixed deciduous woods and cropland.
Waymark Code: WM3HBC
Location: Georgia, United States
Date Posted: 04/06/2008
Views: 36
From the Harris Neck Wildlife Refuge web site:
"Harris Neck NWR was established in 1962 by transfer of federal lands formerly managed by the Federal Aviation Administration as a WWII Army airfield. The refuge's 2,824 acres consist of saltwater marsh, grassland, mixed deciduous woods and cropland. Because of this great variety in habitat, many different species of birds are attracted to the refuge throughout the year.
In the summer, thousands of egrets, herons and endangered wood storks nest in the swamps, while in the winter, large concentrations of ducks (especially mallards, gadwall and teal) gather in the marshland and freshwater pools. Over 15 miles of paved roads and trails provide the visitor easy access to these areas. Some portions of the refuge may be closed seasonally to protect wildlife from human disturbance.
The 2,824 acres comprising Harris Neck NWR have had a long, and at times, controversial history. Distinguished as one of the oldest intensively farmed areas along the Georgia coast, Harris Neck was among the first land grants given to early English and Scottish settlers in 1750. While staple crops were produced, it was the high quality Sea Island Cotton which brought European fame to the coastal agricultural industry. Unfortunately, poor farming practices soon exhausted the fragile sandy loan soils, and large scale farming was abandoned in 1860.
The Civil War brought an end to the "Old South" plantation era, and Harris Neck was divided into smaller farms. The community, thus established, thrived until the advent of World War II, when the U.S. Government condemned the property for use as an air base. Twelve hundred acres were converted into a triangular landing strip for use as a training facility by the War Department. The P-40 "Kittyhawk" (pictured below), used at Harris Neck Army Airfield, later gained fame from missions with the legendary Flying Tigers, who shot down 286 Japanese aircraft during WWII.
After World War II, the property was given to McIntosh County for guardianship and use as a municipal airport. Due to county mismanagement of the land resources, Harris Neck was transferred to the Federal Aviation Agency. On May 25, 1962, the U.S. Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife (forerunner of the USFWS) acquired the property and established the area as a migratory bird refuge."